The characters and voice acting once again are top-notch, but thematically it felt like they skimmed the surface of the pond rather than diving in. Everyone apparently drinks this stuff like a champ, and it's irrelevant. that made you feel like it was actually affecting you. Like others have said, the drinking itself didn't feel like it was important enough to the gameplay-it was kind of weird how they'd prevent you from taking drinks out for the walking sections outside bars, and you couldn't even get seriously drunk or throw up, etc. It felt like a much more artificial world. Whereas Oxenfree managed to pace itself well so I rarely got to the end of a screen without finishing up dialogue, I constantly ended up in places where my characters were boxed in arbitrarily for some lines. The environments didn't reward my exploration like Oxenfree-I'd get to the end of a map and find that there was no point in me going that way, so I had to trudge back the way I came. Hell ended up feeling pretty barren, with a shockingly low number of people I could talk to or interact with. While the drinking didn't factor in a whole lot throughout the game, it was a fun novelty.īut it definitely feels like a game that ran into some problems with its ambition and was pared back drastically. On the plus side, it adds a few more options for replay value (different objectives, different characters you can recruit), and for the people who felt like Oxenfree was just walking, talking, and tuning a radio (which it was) there's the minigames at points. So I guess I came in with really high expectations for Afterparty, but it really felt like a step forward, two steps back. In the crowded field of "Pacific Northwest teens encounter supernatural stuff" story-based games, it's my favorite. A beautiful, thoughtful piece with a fun story hook and great performances. Still interested in whatever they do next, but I'd like to see them either pull back on the scope or get the backing of a publisher willing to give them more money to work with. Afterparty is visually more ambitious than Oxenfree, and it makes sense given the elaborate setting and premise compared to Oxenfree, but I can clearly see how much Night School was rubbing up against their resource limits. It's obvious where Night School spent most of their For a game set in a alcohol-drenched club scene version of Hell, Afterparty's world could have been a little wilder and seedier. And honestly, Oxenfree pulls off spookiness and the anxieties of growing up and moving on to the next stage of your life better than Afterparty does dark, quirky comedy and maintaining relationships. Oxenfree is better, and a lot of it has to do with the tighter focus on the main cast. It only took about 5 hours to complete so it's not a big ask, but strangely enough, I think it could have used more time to develop the story and some of the "realer" conflicts between the characters. Might replay it sometime later when I'm done with the million other 2019 games I wanna finish, but I'm not feeling too hot about it right now. I mean, it's a video game set in the afterlife with moral quandaries! It's right there!īut I didn't get to do that, and it's a very minor concern compared to my other problems. She frequently breaks the fourth wall and speaks of control in a way that made me thought the game was going all meta on me as commentary on religion/fate/predetermination and all that metaphysical jazz. sobering, but I didn't feel invested in it.Īlso, the game hints at something bigger in play that I thought was going to lead to something, but nope! Maybe it actually factors into the plot if The game reaches a climax, which I enjoyed, but it keeps going on to resolve this one thing that's supposed to feel important and. I do appreciate it subverting some of my expectations, and I get the thematic angle they were going for throughout the overarching narrative, but the ending didn't feel as emotionally resonant as it should given how serious they present it. I've chuckled out loud at points, and the game touches on some real human concerns about "being good" that felt relatable, but the overarching plot just didn't stick the landing. There are some great moments here, and the dialogue and voice acting is mostly good, if a little too smart for its own good at times. I don't remember Oxenfree having such issues.Īnd as for my thoughts on the game itself now that I've beaten it, I'm feeling, well, mixed. I just finished the game, and yes there are improvements, but it still stutters at certain points, unfortunately.
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