A short, poem based, narrative game about the afterlife. Features graphics influenced by Limbo.

Join a young boy on his journey as he attempts to piece together the paradox of life after death. Has he found himself in heaven... or could it be hell? Speak to a myriad of ghosts in order to learn more about their lives, their deaths, and their greatest regrets.  Will he uncover this new world's secrets before his strength runs out?

*Submission to the I Can't Write But I Want To Tell A Story game jam.

The theme was '"lost".

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Afterwards' dialogue is made up entirely of poetry. More precisely, limerick.

A limerick is a poem with 5 lines, and an AABBA rhyme scheme. 

In most circumstances, limerick is meant to elicit laughter, but this game flips that idea on its head. Enjoy!

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Music - Borrtex - You & Me - Soft Piano Live 

Sound - (Wind sound) - Recorded by Mark DiAngelo


StatusReleased
PlatformsHTML5, Windows
Rating
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
(3 total ratings)
AuthorRyan Arata
GenreAdventure
Made withUnity
Tags2D, aferlife, Dark, Grayscale, limbo, limerick, Narrative, poem, Short, Story Rich
Average sessionA few minutes
LanguagesEnglish
InputsKeyboard, Mouse

Download

Download
AfterwardsWindows.zip 34 MB

Development log

Comments

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(+1)

Somehow, this game made me appreciate poetry as a form of storytelling and art (I hate poetry class). And for that, I can say that it is no ordinary game.

Good art and music adds atmosphere to the grimm, but calm world the protagonist is trapped in. I loved the little details spreaded through the game, such as the objects related to the person's death surrounded by flies. It kind of gives a creepy Limbo vibe.

As for criticism, I would point out that there is no option to skip/accelerate dialogue and as a nitpick the fact that the game is quite short to play.

Anyways, incredible work making this game, and with my critical views, I think we might have found a new Game Jam winner. :)

I give this game, a 9/10 IGN points

 

(+2)

This is a great game, I love the poetry :) 

The art was nice, with the grey tones really complementing the whole 'where are they' feel. The music was also chosen well, as well as the wind sound effect. 

(+1)

Thanks for playing! Your game was great as well!

(+1)

I really really enjoyed this! I love poetry and the usage of this kind of  rhyming scheme in such a sad journey makes it all so beautiful. It feels like Limbo with a sad version of Banjo Kazooie's type of conversational scripts. Also the composition of scenes is interesting, keeping the characters far and small with a strong light in the background. Love this indeed 

Thank you for playing, and for your great feedback!

This game is brilliant - it creates such an intriguing atmosphere and you really feel for the boy as he continues his journey. Loved the art and aesthetic of Afterwards as well as the music and ambient wind sounds. The poetry was amazing too, so expressive!

I really appreciate your kind words! Thank you for playing!

(+1)

A very deep and touching experience indeed! 

The game is just aesthetically beautiful; art and music are very pleasing!

The whole story, writing, all the ideas and things to think about after playing are just fantastic. Hope to see more memorable games like that by you in the future!

(+1)

Thank you for all of the kind feedback! 

(+1)

This masterpiece is more than just a game. The character driven gameplay, well written story with unique poetic  dialogue and of course the theme - very meaningful. I can't say enough about the music and other details, which create amazing background for such a short, memorable experience. Brilliant work!

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

(+2)

shit, thats deep

Deleted 49 days ago

Wow, this is some high praise! Thank you for your kind words, and I'm happy you enjoyed my little game!

These limericks are indeed amazing, you really gave them character! 
I enjoyed pondering over their views.

Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed them!

(+1)

Playing your game was an amazing experience!! Thanks for sharing it!

Thank you for playing it!

Show post...

deep

Thanks for playing!

Love the music! So somber and fits really well. I’m a huge sucker for poetry, so this is right up my alley! I absolutely adore what you did with Limerick. Super well done!

(+1)

Thank you for the kind words!