Afterlove EP Review

Based in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, Afterlove EP delves into serious themes of loss, self-exploration, and love through a fusion of visual novel storytelling and exploration. Developed by Pikselesia and Pocket Sized Hands, this title has captured significant attention with its emotional detail and distinct art style.

The story opens with a young man called Rama struggling to move past the death of his girlfriend. A year passes, and Rama remains stuck, which significantly affects his social life as he's unable to create music, reconnect with his friends, or truly move on. The way the story is presented, you can't help but feel for him, setting up the basis for a heartfelt journey.

At its core, the game is basically Rama's quest to overcome grief and truly find joy through his passion for music. With there being an important band performance a month away, his team gives him an ultimatum to come up with new songs or risk the band falling apart, intensifying his current situation. 

Rama is haunted by his girlfriend's voice in his mind; whether it's because of grief or it being him actually having a supernatural connection with her is left for you to decide, adding nuance. The story is told through the choices you make within a 28-in-game day timeframe, making it a rather interactive visual novel-like experience rather than a passive one.

The dialogue choices that you get to make in Afterlove EP play a prominent role, as the interactions you have, whether that be with your bandmates, friends, or new acquaintances, affect your emotions and relationships. The game also allows for exploration with Jakarta acting as the beautiful and colorful backdrop, and you have the ability to visit various locations, from coffee shops to record stores, allowing for more meaningful interactions that add to the overall vibe of the game.

Afterlove EP also features rhythm-based gameplay. This part of the game allows you to perform music with Rama's band. This provides a kind of escapism from the heavier story moments while also deepening the connection between you and the music; it's a nice mechanic that adds more depth to the game.

While the game has garnered some excitement, it's definitely not without its flaws. I've experienced issues with the rhythm game controls, where button presses can sometimes register twice, causing me to miss notes. Another concern is that certain lines sometimes get repeated or seem slightly out of place, which tends to disrupt immersion. 

You could consider these minor problems, and it's nothing a few patches in the future won't fix. You can expect playtime from 6 to 12 hours, depending on how much you explore, and venture out to alternative story paths and endings.

Visually, the game features a manga-inspired art style, bringing its world to life with expressive character designs and evocation artwork that sparks emotional moments. The setting in the city of Jakarta is beautiful, and it was refreshing to see Southeast Asian locales represented in mainstream games. The developers did a great job at capturing the city's vibrancy and culture.

The game's audio design is as noteworthy as its visual. As everybody knows how much music plays a role in deciding one's mood in various settings. From melancholic ballads to energetic rhythm segments, the soundtrack goes hand in hand with the gameplay and story. 

Composed by an Indonesian indie band, L'alphalpha, the music enhances the rollercoaster of emotions that you go through during your playthrough. The integration of the rhythm gameplay adds a bit of nuance to how you interact with the music, bringing you closer to the band and making you feel a part of it. Fans of games that enjoy strong musical elements would definitely appreciate what Afterlove EP has done.

There's an important aspect of the game that shouldn't go unnoticed: the game and its connection to Mohammad Fahmi, the creator of Coffee Talk. It was his final project before his passing in 2022. His influence is deeply woven into the experience, making it a touching tribute to his work and creative vision.

Afterlove EP's quite personal narrative very much doubles as a salute to modern-day Jakarta. True enough, after all, the game truly captures life in this Indonesian metropolis-from its people and culture to music, making it feel both real and immersive. With a personal story woven with a broader cultural fabric, it creates a uniquely compelling experience.

This feature represents how the game sets itself apart from many others in the domain of narrative-based experiences that truly integrate personal challenges with socio-cultural identity. You get drawn into Rama's very private story and, at the same time, catch a glimpse into Jakarta's contemporary urban life. 

It is this facet that adds the veracity and emotional heft that many titles strive for but can't. The team responsible for Afterlove EP, breathlessly alive, manages to create such a city, filled with shops, streets, and coffee shops, forging a bustling space, all displayed in detail to capture the vibrancy of Jakarta as it truly stands.

It is also about the relationships that Rama builds or doesn't build, which adds a further layer to the story. Depending on the choices made by a player, different paths and interactions can be unlocked for replaying the game with significantly various experiences. Whether you isolate Rama from friends or seek them, the protagonist's emotional condition changes, thus having a strong link between themes of grief and healing in the game.

Rhythm gameplay adds an active element to experiencing Rama's emotional journey. The music parts give importance because during this time, Rama has to not distract himself but process and release through sound. Thus, they are connected with the actual story without feeling gimmicky. 

Afterlove EP is the kind of game that offers not only an emotional journey but also quite a memorable feast to everyone's visual sense, with a very good blend of storytelling, music, and exploration. Specifically, even heavy-hefted themes will generally boil down to the core healing and rediscovery themes. 

Whatever themes or features attract players—breathtaking narrative, stunning art style, or scintillating music—are always something special that haunts players long after the credits roll. Although Afterlove EP makes it easy to get right in, it's more of an experience and an artistic expression than a game. Interactive storytelling's power is, thus, clearly shown as this dearly stands as a legacy of its late creator's vision.

Overall, Afterlove EP delivers a heartfelt narrative enriched by Jakarta’s vibrant backdrop, blending visual novel storytelling with exploration and rhythm-based gameplay. Despite minor technical flaws, its emotional depth, cultural authenticity, and musical integration make it a compelling and immersive experience worth exploring.