Afterlove EP – Moving on to the rhythm of rock

• DEVELOPER: Pikselnesia
• PUBLISHER: Fellow Traveller
• PLATFORMS: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
• GENRE: Visual Novel / Rhythm
• RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2025
• STARTING PRICE: 17,55 €
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Valentine’s Day – a perfect date to release games centered around love. While the immediate thought would be about carefree dating simulators, sometimes the attachment to another person is associated with confusion, pain and even a loss. Afterlove EP is special in terms of doing both of these things by creating a mix of narrative adventure, dating sim and rhythm game, which compose an extraordinary journey through everyday life.

Afterlove EP is a slice-of-life adventure from the creator of Coffee Talk and What Comes After. Set in a city of Jakarta, it tells the story of Rama, a young musician struggling to move on with life after the death of his girlfriend, Cinta. While his close friends and bandmates are all determined to help him move on, Rama has been stuck for more than a year and now he’s facing a serious challenge: either he rejoins the band for the next gig and delivers the new songs he has been promising or the band will move on without him. Over twenty-eight days and nights his choices will play crucial role in coming to terms with the past and shaping the new future.

A matter of life and death

The prologue is concise and direct: we’re introduced to the main characters, their relationships and roles in the story, as well as elements that will accompany them in later parts, like the rhythm games which we’re getting used to since the very beginning. That’s also when we experience the core event of this tale: death of Cinta and Rama’s struggle to accept it. It only takes around 10 minutes in the game to learn basic information, get accustomed to manga-inspired art and feel emotionally invested in the narrative (but don’t worry, the real emotional damage will arrive at the very end, when the elements you saw at the start will gain much more significance.)

Now proceeding to the major part, which is our slice-of-life adventure over the course of one month. We find ourselves one year after the events from the prologue, but still struggling with the past. The first few days are serving as an introduction to the new reality with different mechanics and ways for development, you’ll have to manage side-scrolling exploration of the city and meaningful conversations with old and new characters, through which you’ll be guided at initially.

For the most part however, players are given plenty of freedom, you can do two activities per day which consist of finding memories, busking, going to therapy session, doing shift at work or meeting with one of three romance candidates. While you organize your schedule it’s important to keep in mind that some events are scripted and cannot be omitted, for example, band practices and conversations with the bandmates. I know, it’s a lot of elements to bear in mind, that’s why we’re equipped with a phone to sort everything out; the apps such as map, calendar and Messenger are intuitive and useful when it comes to making choices.

Numerous voices of Indonesia

Narrative is undeniably a key factor in this game, however it wouldn’t be quite as effective without interesting setting and style. Afterlove EP does great job at creating an atmosphere of modern urban life: we can visit different districts of the city, enter various buildings and have a small chat with passersby. Jakarta is lively, dynamic and full of surprises, although it also has a room for coziness and simplicity of everyday life. Besides, including things such as language, traditions and customs from Indonesian culture adds authenticity and personal touch to the whole experience.

Both graphics and soundtrack are beautiful and compatible with each other. The visuals utilize aesthetics of manga such as bubbles with text and separate panels, which is adorable and fits the narrative (as soon as there was a rock band and comic book connection it reminded me of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, even though both stories don’t have much more in common.) The design is simple and clean, which can be seen especially during cutscenes with smooth movements.

It is safe to say that Soyatu’s art and original soundtrack from indie band L’Alphalpha make a good match, I loved how for practicing we got instrumental versions of the songs and for performances vocals were added. Unfortunately, the rhythm sections of the game could be more fun if they offered any challenge, there was no score to achieve and missing notes didn’t affect anything, which made those parts unsatisfying, repetetive and quite boring.

The echoes of past melodies

Let’s take a moment to focus on the actual gameplay. It took me around 7 hours to finish the game, which is relatively short for a narrative-driven production. And I have to say it: it simply fell short. It had ideas with potential, but failed to execute them. I went through different parts of this game in the beginnig to give you a glimpse of what it’s trying to do. I think those concepts are original, they’re relatable, they sound really cool, but incorporating them into the game didn’t do them justice. I figure it would make more sense to do a comparison between how these elements work on paper and in effect.

This game borrows features from other styles enriches the experience but can cause confusion. Rhythm game elements are present but repetitive and overshadowed. The dating simulator offers three routes, but it’s often unclear how choices impact the story. The narrative adventure shines, focusing on loss, saving the band, and repairing friendships. However, juggling everything at once limits deeper development of ideas. Once again, quality over quantity.

Freedom of choice keeps players engaged, but Afterlove EP lacks clarity. For instance, collecting photo memories (never hinted at) feels pointless, how do they impact the story, gameplay, or ending? The game doesn’t explain. Other activities suffer similarly, with no feedback on what helps or matters. Without clear goals, actions feel like time-fillers, making the story drag and emotions fade.

I appreciate how the game tackles serious themes like loss, mental health, and grief while balancing humor. The therapy sessions, focusing on understanding emotions, were the narrative’s strongest part. However, if the goal is to move on from Cinta’s death, why is she present throughout the game? While it reflects being stuck in the past, her constant presence—sometimes mean or manipulative—dilutes the impact of her death. At least the voice acting is solid.

Our choices regarding the dating should determine the outcome in the end, right? So I picked my romantic route, which ultimately led to break up ending. So I blew it, okay, but how do I know when and how? Not enough dates? Wrong timing? Focused too much on other activities? Even if I wanted to load a save file to fix it, I wouldn’t know where to start and that’s what makes it confusing.

Ending thoughts

Muddled – that’s the impression I got from this game. It’s not bad, presentation is amazing, themes are deep, and the points made are truly valid. But again, it all loses an impact when vision is unclear. I would say that in general, Afterlove EP is a positive experience and I’m sure there will be gamers who will enjoy it to the fullest. For me, it was too unfocused and chaotic to deliver its message, although I see the love and care put into this story. In the end, it might not be memorable, but what it did regarding the exploration of life is something you might not want to overlook.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.5