Last Day of June is a puzzle game built around grief, and it wants you to feel it. Developed by OSome Studio and published by Devolver Digital, it launched on PS4, PC and Switch in 2017, and it asks players to piece together a story about loss, memory and the small moments that define a life. The game is not a shooter or a platformer. It is a quiet, linear experience that unfolds through flashbacks, phone calls and the slow reveal of a tragedy that has already happened.
The premise is simple. You play as a man named Alex, who wakes up on the day his wife June died. The game does not explain why she died. Instead, it shows you fragments of their relationship, from a first date to a wedding to a final goodbye. Your job is to move through these memories, find clues, solve puzzles and unlock scenes that fill in the gaps. The core mechanic involves moving objects, turning pages in a photo album and making choices that determine how the story ends.
Trailer, via PlayStation.
A Story Told In Fragments
The narrative structure is the heart of Last Day of June. Each chapter opens with Alex receiving a call from June, and the conversation sets the stage for what you will see next. The game then drops you into a memory, often a domestic scene, where you can walk around, examine furniture and trigger events by interacting with objects. The memories are not presented in chronological order. They jump between different periods of the couple’s relationship, and the game expects you to piece together the timeline yourself.
This non-linear approach works well early on, but it creates some friction later. Some puzzles depend on information from a flashback that comes after the moment you need it. This means you might return to earlier chapters multiple times, looking for a clue that you did not see the first time. The game does not flag these dependencies clearly, so the frustration is your own.
The storytelling leans heavily on symbolism. Objects like a broken vase, a missing ring or a torn photograph carry weight because the game tells you they do. A puzzle might involve finding a specific item that June left behind, and the game treats this discovery as a significant emotional moment. Whether these symbols land depends on how willing you are to accept the game’s framing. Some players will find the sentiment sincere; others will find it manipulative.
The voice acting helps sell the emotion. Alex speaks to himself, to June and to the player, and his tone shifts between curiosity, grief and acceptance. The game also uses music effectively, though it tends to lean on piano scores that cue the player about how to feel. The sound design is minimal, which fits the intimate scope of the story, but it means the game relies heavily on visual cues to communicate mood.
Puzzles That Test Patience
The puzzles in Last Day of June are the kind that require patience. Most of them involve finding a hidden object, arranging items in a specific order or solving a small logic problem. None of them are particularly difficult, but the game expects you to search thoroughly, and the interface does not always make it obvious where to look. You might spend several minutes rotating a room, checking every drawer and shelf, only to find the solution was hiding in plain sight.
There is a rhythm to the gameplay. You explore a memory, solve a puzzle, unlock a scene, then receive another call from June. This loop repeats across the game’s five chapters, and it holds up well for the first three. By the fourth and fifth chapters, the repetition starts to show. The pacing slows, and the game’s reliance on exploration over interaction becomes noticeable.
The game also includes a few sequences where you control June directly, which changes the perspective and adds a layer of complexity. These sections are brief, but they break up the routine of playing as Alex. The contrast between the two characters is intentional, and it works to underscore the central theme of the story: how each person experiences the same event differently.
Choices That Shape The Ending
The branching narrative is the game’s most ambitious feature. As you progress through the memories, you make choices about what objects to collect, what conversations to pursue and how to respond to June’s calls. These decisions accumulate, and they determine how the story concludes. There are multiple endings, and the game tracks your path through the story, showing you how your choices affected the outcome.
This structure is a clever way to engage players, but it also creates a problem. Because the game is linear, the choices you make early on can feel arbitrary. You might pick up an item because you think it is important, only to discover later that it had no bearing on the ending. The game does not always provide clear feedback about why a choice matters, which leaves some players feeling like they are guessing.
The replay value is limited. Once you know the endings, there is little incentive to return. The game does not offer new content or new paths, so the second playthrough is largely a repeat of the first. For players who want to explore every option, this can be frustrating, especially since the game does not save your progress between chapters.
Presentation And Technical Performance
The presentation of Last Day of June is modest but effective. The art style is hand-drawn, with clean lines and muted colors that reflect the somber tone of the story. The backgrounds are detailed, and the character animations are expressive enough to convey emotion without dialogue. The lighting is used sparingly, but it is effective when it is applied, creating a sense of intimacy in the domestic scenes.
The game runs well on PS4, PC and Switch, though the Switch version shows some performance issues during busy scenes. Load times are short, and the game rarely crashes, which is a relief given the emotional weight of the material. The controls are simple, with movement and interaction mapped to the standard buttons, and the game does not demand much precision.
The audio is serviceable. The music is pleasant but forgettable, and the voice acting carries more weight than the score. The sound effects are sparse, which matches the game’s minimalist approach, but it means the world feels less alive than it could. The game’s focus on visuals over sound is understandable, given the subject matter, but it leaves some scenes feeling hollow.
Where The Game Falls Short
Last Day of June is not a perfect game. Its strengths are its narrative ambition and its willingness to lean into emotion, but its weaknesses are structural. The pacing drags in the middle chapters, and the puzzle design can feel repetitive. The branching narrative is a neat idea, but it is not consistently executed, and the lack of clear feedback about choices diminishes the impact of the ending.
The game also lacks a sense of urgency. Since you know June has died from the start, there is no reason to hurry through the memories. This absence of tension means the game relies entirely on emotional payoff rather than gameplay momentum. For some players, this will be a strength. For others, it will be a weakness.
The game’s technical performance is solid, but it is not remarkable. The hand-drawn art is attractive, but it is not groundbreaking. The music is pleasant, but it is not memorable. The game does not try to dazzle you with spectacle, and it succeeds within its modest ambitions, but it also feels constrained by them.
A Quiet, Effective Experiment
Last Day of June is a game that knows what it wants to be. It is not trying to be a blockbuster or a genre-definer. It is trying to tell a personal story about love, loss and the fragments of memory that shape our lives. It succeeds at this goal, even as it stumbles in execution.
The game’s best moments come when it trusts the player to feel the emotion rather than force it. A simple scene of a couple sitting on a couch, holding hands, is more powerful than any elaborate puzzle. The game understands this, even if its mechanics sometimes get in the way.
The worst moments come when the game’s structure fails it. The repetition of the puzzle loop, the unclear feedback about choices and the lack of urgency all chip away at the emotional payoff. These flaws are not fatal, but they keep the game from reaching its full potential.
If you are looking for a game that respects your intelligence and your emotions, Last Day of June is worth your time. If you are looking for a game that is polished, varied or endlessly replayable, it will disappoint. The game is a quiet experiment in storytelling, and it mostly succeeds.
Here is a breakdown of the game’s strengths and weaknesses:
- Strong narrative ambition — the branching storyline and multiple endings are a bold choice.
- Effective emotional payoff — the hand-drawn art and voice acting create a genuine sense of loss.
- Solid technical performance — the game runs well on all platforms with minimal bugs.
- Weak puzzle design — the repetition and lack of clear feedback are frustrating.
- Uneven pacing — the middle chapters drag, and the lack of urgency hurts the overall experience.
Last Day of June is a game that will appeal to players who value story over spectacle. It is a game that rewards patience and reflection, even as it tests your endurance. It is not a game that will change the industry, but it is a game that will stay with you.
The game’s score reflects this balance. It is a strong, emotionally resonant experience with some technical and structural flaws. It is a game that will leave you thinking about the people you have lost, even as it frustrates you with its pacing and its puzzles.
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