Summertime Madness descends on Steam

Written by Jack Allin — June 17, 2021 at 10:18

Making a deal with the devil invariably comes with strings attached. Fortunately for us, the strings for one unwitting artist involve overcoming a surreal series of puzzles in indie developer DP Games' newly released Summertime Madness.

It's 1945, and war has devastated the city of Prague. Isolated in his home, an artist paints increasingly beautiful creations in contrast to the ugliness all around him. One night he's visited by a "mysterious stranger" who offers him the chance to "enter one of his own creations, far away and free of war." The catch is, he must then "find his way back out before midnight, or else his soul would become trapped in the canvas forever." The artist, "feeling alone, on the edge of madness, terrorized by the scent of death creeping in from the streets," agrees to the deal, but once transported into his painting, he realizes that "the canvas holds more mysteries than even [he] intended."

Described as a "dreamlike journey into a surreal world of the artist's own creations," Summertime Madness is a lovely first-person 3D adventure that promises "mysteries to discover, puzzles to solve and artistic landscapes to explore." You'll find yourself on an "evolving island" that continues to change the more you progress. From giant arms holding stopwatches in a colourful forest, to Escher-esque stairways, to scenic lighthouse islands, "each mystery you uncover and puzzle you solve will unfold new wonders and unveil new places to explore." But if you ever want to get home again, remember that "this breathtaking land of paint and oil is not always as straightforward as it appears."

For those ready to take the plunge already, Summertime Madness has now launched on Steam for Windows and Mac, while for those who'd like to sample the experience before sealing the deal, a demo is also available to check out first.