Sometimes games are more than just pixels. Sometimes they are love letters to those we care about... and in this case, those who have been lost.
Afterlove EP is a new title from Pikselnesia, published by FellowTraveller, which offers a visual novel style experience, mixed in with very light open world and rhythm game elements. You can choose to meet characters in your free time and develop relationships, which adds a type of dating sim feel (so I've heard). And while it has a cute art style and characters easy to relate to, at its core, the focus is on a theme that is unfortunately relatable to most: loss.
The game starts as you meet Rama and his bandmates in an indie group called Sigmund Feud, and you are introduced to his girlfriend Cinta, who is close with the whole group. You are immediately given some context to their relationship through photos and the opening scene and you can sense the bond between them - and this makes the next scene so difficult.
Cinta passes away - and you as Rama are left to cope with this sudden life event.
It all happens so fast and you next rejoin Rama a year later as he tries to reenter life. The remainder of the game is helping him through his grief, reconnecting with those he ignored in his loss, and the internal struggle of missing a piece of your life.
The game sounds depressing, and it is, but that should not be a deterrent. It is handled in such a delicate and interesting way, that I connected with his internal challenges. Cinta is still with us, well, in a sense. Rama can still hear her and have conversations, and she gives her input to decisions you make. His way of coping is to internalize her like she is still there inside his head. And while the rest of the game is through written dialogue, Cinta is fully voice acted which makes her stand out in every conversation. Even when he is speaking to his friends, Rama is talking to her and will sometimes say an answer to her out loud, which makes him seem aloof and like he isn't paying attention. It is a fascinating approach to a game mechanic that is challenging to convey.
This game is driven by its story as you travel from different stores and meet new characters and try to reintegrate into existing relationships. Its been a year since you dropped off the face of the earth, and while they understand why, time also kept moving. But in addition to the story is a rhythm game, which is one of my favorite genres, which is challenging enough for experience rhythm gamers but not too off-putting for newer players. There is no failure in songs (but trophies for perfects!) and you can also skip these songs if its not your thing. You can also fast travel with your phone map to different locations and see where people you can interact with are from that map, which is a big quality of life feature.
With loss, everyone handles it differently. Seeing this timeline through Rama's eyes (and through his mind) shows how difficult it can be, but also that there is a way forward and how to regain purpose. I am about halfway through Afterlove EP and I find myself thinking about some of the very deep conversations I've experienced as Rama which shows the impact of the writing, which in itself, I imagine comes from a place that is familiar with these feelings.
I mentioned before that this game is from those who have been lost, and I think this is why this game feels so special. For some background that I've learned about this game: It was initially created by Mohammad Fahmi, who passed in 2022. While I did not know him personally, I knew his work with Coffee Talk and seeing the reaction on social media following the release of this game. This team worked on a game about grief while experiencing their own, and I can only imagine the purpose that surrounded this group while completing Afterlove.
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