Afterlove EP Brings The Band Back Together
Afterlove EP's demo begins with tragedy: after an incredible performance with his band the night before, Rama wakes up to horrible news. His girlfriend, Cinta, has passed away. A year passes by in a blur, and the game picks up when Rama comes up with a song and decides to bring the band back together. Of course, life has continued in Rama's absence, which is where much of the tension lies. How much effort should Rama put into rebuilding old bridges...or perhaps starting fresh? Throw into the mix Rama's hearing Cinta's voice in his head, and you've got a game that may potentially include some elements of fantasy as well.
All in all, the demo for Afterlove EP is a pleasant slice-of-life experience that begins to take you through the process of rediscovering how to go about life when someone you love isn't there anymore. The story held my attention, particularly in the ways it approaches the messiness of loss, but the inclusion of rhythm mechanics was one area I found the demo stumbled in its execution.
Watch my demo playthrough via YouTube
This is a slice-of-life game, so don't anticipate intensely high stakes. The demo goes through the first week in what seems to be the month that you have before a big concert (ostensibly the grand finale of the full game). You'll spend your days deciding who to hang out with - new friends or old - as well as choose between activities like therapy or practicing your guitar to further develop yourself.
I found the characters overall endearing, and while many of them seem pretty straightforward initially, the demo gave me the impression that there's a bit more under the surface for us to discover as we chat with them. We do get options, and there are possibilities of romance with some of the folks we encounter, but I'm not entirely sure how divergent the paths within this game can get (based on the demo).
For folks looking for a deeper rhythm game experience, though, I wouldn't look here. The rhythm game mechanics in the demo are quite simple. They're ways to spend the time and enjoy the music curated for the game, but I did wish there was a bit more complexity to it, especially with the potential that you doing poorly could perhaps impact the band's future.
The game is very charming, though, and I love that it feels apologetically Indonesian. From the art by the manga artist, Soyatu, to the soundtrack by indie band L'Alphalpha, to the signs and food shown off in the game. Afterlove EP takes an unfamiliar (to me) part of the world and allows me to feel nostalgia for it as I play.
Ultimately, I can't help but see some parallels between the story of grief and letting go in Afterlove EP and the story of the game's development, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of this context. While Rama is working to move forward from the loss of Cinta, the developers of Afterlove EP are honoring Mohammad Fahmi (Coffee Talk, What Comes After) by finishing and releasing this game, where he was the game director, before his untimely passing. While the demo makes it a bit too early to definitively tell, I imagine that the conversations and encounters we experience as Rama may have been informed, at least in part, by what the team may have been going through as they made this game, and I appreciate their vulnerability and courage in sharing their experiences through this game.
I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Rama as well as the team of Afterlove EP. And for fans of Coffee Talk, A Space for the Unbound, and other very human-driven, emotionally-centered narratives, I think this is a demo that shows the final game is one to keep an eye on (and perhaps some tissues at the ready).
Afterlove EP
Releases: Q3 2024
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Thank you to Fellow Traveler for providing an early access key to experience the demo. Afterlove EP's demo was previewed via PC.
