Developer: Pikselnesia
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X
Genre: Action
Publisher: Fellow Traveller
Afterlove EP is a slice-of-life narrative-driven game. This game was developed by Pikselnesia and published by Fellow Traveller. This review was done on Windows, but the game is also available for Switch, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5.
Afterlove EP is a game that tells the story of grievance and the reality of moving on. The game is centred around Rama, who is a part of a band named Sigmund Freud. The band finally has the opportunity to record an EP alongside his girlfriend, with her support. All was well until Cinta was coughing throughout his latest show later, which led to the misfortunate news of her passing. The game itself implements rhythm beat sequences and many vocal narratives that portray love, loss and a new beginning.
Afterlove EP features hand-drawn visuals that are soft-spoken. The 2D elements match a comic aesthetic with wonderfully drawn details and a colour palette that suits each scene. The art style is extremely clean, reminiscent of graphic novels, more specifically manga-like. The characters themselves look realistic and expressive with each animation and action they make. I quite enjoyed the atmosphere and surroundings of this game as it was based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The inspiration for the cosy cafes and the city life gave a local charm to the game. The game is a gorgeous side-scroller where you can immerse yourself in the scenery for each location. Filled with vibrant life, colours, and realism taken from the place of inspiration, it is wonderful. The stunning visuals worked so well with the narrative being told, but the soundtrack made the game even more comforting. The original songs made for this game are outstanding and are definitely the type of music players can listen to casually without having to play the game. Some music was also in Indonesian, which was so unique, composed by the indie band L’alphalpha. Besides the music, the ambience sound effects are wonderful as you will hear vivid footsteps, door opening, and environmental sounds to bring the game to life. What I found quite interesting was how Cinta’s dialogues were the only ones voice-acted, which seemed to hold a significance/symbol within the game. The voice acting itself was quite good as you can easily distinguish between present tense dialogue and that of Cinta’s.
Afterlove EP deals with a theme that many have experienced, and the game does justice in portraying the realistic, vulnerable feelings and actions felt and dealt with whilst grieving the loss of someone. Rather than being portrayed as something in a dramatic and effective way, the game plays it out on a mellow level, which can relate to many people. After the loss of Rama’s girlfriend, it seems as if Rama only hears Cinta’s voice in his head, who makes comments on everything he does. It almost seems like a pressure point in Rama’s everyday life as he deals with grievances and tries to make a decision on wanting to play for the band within a 30-day deadline. As hectic as it may seem, his bandmates want to look out for their future, which is why a deadline is put on act.
The game itself is a blend of three different gameplay styles that work effortlessly well together without it being an obstruction from the story itself. A majority of the game is a visual novel where you get to read out dialogue and interactions between characters and have the option to make decisions. The story itself is heart-wrenching and beautiful. Filled with memories of him and Cinta that make the player better understand why Rama felt the way he did with Cinta’s loss. Besides just Cinta, Rama has many friends around him to better establish relationships and stories. Something I quite enjoyed was the rhythm-based segments where you would play the matching keys to the beat. These sequences were not too difficult to complete and were almost like a nice breather from ‘reality’. The game also featured a sense of exploration, where you were given certain activities to keep you preoccupied throughout the day.
Afterlove EP gives the player a great deal of choices to make, which can affect how Rama’s life will turn out. We get to choose the people Rama talks to, what responses Rama will make and what further steps he will take. It is up to the player to make the right choices; otherwise, things will not end well for Rama. The charm of the game comes from sitting back and delving into an emotional yet hopeful story centred around a guy who is dealing with loss. What is quite nice is that pairing the theme of loss with music creation worked nicely, as you can see the emphasis it brings to the story as you play it out. The game itself has a lot for you to do and keeps the player invested mostly all the time. Afterlove EP is relatively short but runs up to 6-7 hours of gameplay, but is highly worth it.
We are very thankful to have been provided two codes, so one of the other players for this game, Moody, had the following to say, “Afterlove EP is a game that delves into the themes of love, loss and personal growth. It’s set in Jakarta, Indonesia. The backgrounds and colours in the game are so vibrant and smooth, each character showing a different palette to portray their emotions and personality. For instance, I liked how Rama’s colour palette was muted due to his dull feelings. In each scene that was played out, the interactions between the characters especially were filled with different emotions that brought the story together. I loved how the game Afterlove EP is based in Indonesia, and you can see the liveliness of the city and the amount of detail the artist put into bringing this manga world to life.
The story revolves around losing a close one, and through the different encounters Rama has, you can feel how uniquely deals with such a situation. He begins to move on from the loss of his girlfriend but still hears her voice every day. At first, I found the voice of Cinta to be quite confusing as it almost felt like every decision I was making was being judged by her, but that may be how some people, in reality, deal with loss. I enjoyed being able to guide Rama’s actions and thoughts (however, I do wish there were more decision-making choices and possibly the addition of some decisions that would feel difficult to choose from) as he battles with himself, his friendships, and his relationships. Besides the story, the visuals and soundtrack were so good the music, especially kept me immersed in the game. One of my favourite parts about the game would have to be the idea of playing the guitar whilst using the keyboard. Lastly, I would like to say that Afterlove EP is a beautifully crafted work of art that tells quite the story.”
Afterlove EP tells a story through the eyes of a man named Rama who lost his girlfriend Cinta unexpectedly. Rama is part of a band, and whilst dealing with grief, he gets given a choice to continue with his band or call quits. Grievance takes over as he commits to daily tasks and reminisces on the beautiful memories he shares. Enjoy the expressive, stunning visuals with an outstandingly composed soundtrack that tells a story which will touch your heart. Be sure to check out the Afterlove EP!
Overall: 8/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
