Afterlove EP

A well-wrought but draining and frustrating study of grief, recovery and rock music at the heart of Jakarta.

Afterlove EP is sympathetic to the fact that none of us handle grief in a way that is easy to swallow for everyone around us, but its best moments come when it’s willing to slap you across the face and tell you to do better.

The game ultimately has strong, important messages about loss and mental health. Add in some great music and wonderful navigation, and it becomes difficult not to recommend Afterlove EP despite its rough edges.

Afterlove EP definitely fits with the cosy set: slow tempo, heartwarming narrative, and sad story (yes). The themes of grief, mental health and their impacts on our lives are explored in a way that feels gentle, much like Fahmi's earlier releases. There were a few wrinkles as things unfolded, and the dating sim aspect was unexpected, but still there's easygoing fun to be had. If you're looking for a light touch on serious issues, this one could be worth a play, and a replay. If you want a heavy-hitting game to wreck you emotionally, you might want to hit 'skip'.

By Afterlove EP’s closing moments, I was happy to take the needle from the vinyl and put the record back in its sleeve. I will file it away in the collection, an imperfect album, with some standout tracks that make the filler worthwhile.

The music and vibe of Afterlove are both fittingly beautiful with the contrast in difficulty in certain rhythm sections doing a great job of showcasing Rama’s focus at the time.

Blemished and imperfect though it may be, Afterlove EP is a moving, heartfelt story that has a lot to say about grief, love, and moving on.

The fact that I personally felt rather emotionally distanced is a shame, but I don’t hold that against the title. What is actually more problematic are the obstacles present in each subsequent playthrough after the first. Repeated sections can usually only be fast-forwarded slowly rather than skipped entirely. With a single ending, this would not be much of an issue, but with a total of four character routes, large portions of the playtime end up consisting of repetition. This is especially unfortunate because the individual routes can be quite compelling, yet overlapping events significantly lose their impact. In a sense, it makes it difficult to find a way forward.

Slice-of-life adventure about love, loss, and music

"Messy emotionally and gameplaywise."