I’d like to start this off by saying that many of the players are still grieving the loss of Mohammad Fahmi, and I am one of those people. I am grateful to have the ability to talk and play AfterLove EP in honor of him. Thank you to Mohammad Fahmi for creating stories that connect to so many of us, we will miss you.
Having previously played the Coffee Talk series, I was interested in what other styles Mohammad Fahmi was wanting to write. I have recently started to get into rhythm games but find them lacking any story or real reason to play. When I heard about AfterLove EP, I knew it was a game for me to check out. I was not disappointed and can say that this has become one of my top games this year. The storytelling, game mechanics, art style, and music do such a great job of grabbing players’ heartstrings.
The hand-drawn aspect of AfterLove EP allows it to be seen as a look through Cinta’s eyes, like she is drawing the actions in the game through the beyond. It also gives the story added depth with how the characters’ reactions are and how they are all drawn.
The music in AfterLove EP makes the players engaged and want to know more of why the music was created, which was by a band called L’alphalpha. Since we follow Rama, a struggling songwriter, it seems fitting to think that the music we hear playing in the background is something he created. I also like how we are able to pick lyrics for songs when players go out and start busking to help Rama get some money. That’s not including the rhythm part of the game.
The rhythm games are very fun, though also difficult even on normal difficulty. There are only two settings, normal and hard, which will have newcomers to rhythm games on a big learning curve. Other than that, I enjoyed the rhythm aspects of AfterLove EP and how difficult it can be to keep up with the notes. One thing that should be talked about is how missing a note doesn’t stop the music or take over the music, instead it makes an off-key note play.
Through the end of AfterLove EP, you are able to start playing more as Rama joins a jam session with Satria and starts doing band rehearsals with Adit and Tasya. Yet there is still a block in Rama’s way from allowing him to fully be in the present with his friends. Cinta’s voice is following him and inputting her opinions on his life. This ultimately takes him out of the present and makes him stay in the past with his grief even after a year since Cinta’s passing.
The gameplay is one of the best qualities of AfterLove EP. You are able to fast travel to the main areas, have small but very impactful choices in how a conversation goes, and the ability to choose what you do in a day. In fact, you have so many choices to choose from that you often feel like you have no time in the day with only being able to choose two things to do every day. It feels like you are constantly making the wrong choice or doubting your abilities to choose. For this reason, AfterLove EP does a great job of getting the emotions of the main character onto the player.
At other times when Cintas appears again and starts to talk badly about characters that you have fallen in love with, it is hard to agree with her here while Rama does. You both have an insider and outsider sense of knowledge about Rama and how he feels about his friends. Oftentimes you start to wonder whether or not Rama is holding himself back from accepting his grief and is so desperate to hold onto any sense that Cinta is still alive.
I really enjoyed how the characters interact with Rama and how the story can play out. Through the game, Rama gets messages from his friends. They will let you know if there is a job opportunity, band practice, meetings, or conversations to be had. Once Rama starts building a connection with the people of the story, they will text you to meet and/or say that they had a great time. Players are then able to choose a response every once in a while.
For many of the choices I made story and conversation-wise, I wanted to choose ones that would keep/build Rama’s relationships. Though some of the choices are never going to be exactly what players want. One way the choices of the conversation can change is with your therapist. I chose the ones that allowed her to help Rama open up and grow from his grief while seeing where he went wrong.
AfterLove EP is one of the best stories I have played in a while, and the game mechanics just make it stand out. Not only was the development team dealing with their own grief after the death of Mohammad Fahmi, but they also had to figure out who was going to take over the task of filling his shoes. For this reason, the grief in AfterLove EP is given a new dimension, but it doesn’t take over the full story.
AfterLove EP is a game to enjoy, experience, grieve, cry, and laugh alongside the characters. It is a masterpiece both narratively and artistically and should be played and remembered.
Sara played AfterLove EP on Xbox Series X with a provided review copy.
