Train of Afterlife

slightly emo but a good game none the less. 8.9-10 also 10-10 for music

tis is proof

(Review copied from my Backloggd review.) This game is a work of art. It is thought provoking and philosophical, and at times feels very personal. Some of the story-telling is presented in a nonlinear way, which made it feel a bit like the writer dropped me into the deep end suddenly, where I floundered about in confusion for a while, trying to make sense of something I didn't yet have all of the necessary pieces of (which I suspect is similar to how the protagonist feels). This felt very intentional, and kept me interested in gathering all of the pieces — most of which, I couldn't make sense of until I neared the story's conclusion. The game in general all feels very intentional... Unfortunately, I did struggle with the repetitiveness when I was playing through the latter half of the endings. There *IS actually a way to skip text*: by holding the down arrow key on your keyboard. That single feature would have left me with nothing to complain about, had I known about it! It's not explicitly indicated anywhere within the game, so I did not learn about it until after I completed the game. Clicking repeatedly to skip lines I'd read many times before sometimes caused me to accidentally select a choice, or miss a variation in the text that wasn't there before, so I'd have to reload. I grew pretty tired of it. But if you're reading this review, you've been saved! (The only thing I'm not sure about is whether this method allows the player to skip unread text too. Which would be concerning. Unfortunately, I can no longer test this.) The true ending was very impactful for me, and it's a bit of an understatement to say that it had me in tears. I immediately felt that it was worth pushing myself to reach. It made me very glad that I didn't abandon the game earlier because of the aforementioned struggle. I already want to replay the true ending (which is also something that can be instantly skipped to once it's already been reached, via the Password tab). The feeling it gave me is something that I think (and hope) will stick with me. As the game went on, I grew to like the characters. The story doesn't delve into most of them deeply, and keeps things brief (it's not a long game). I would be interested in reading more of their stories (there is a side story to unlock). I also felt like the game messed around with my expectations regarding the characters, which I liked. There is an in-game guide for ending requirements, which is nice for people who want to play without a walkthrough. But there is a good English language walkthrough posted on Steam as well. The artwork in the game is lovely. I especially really like some of the character art. The music, visual art style, and limited use of colors effectively set a simultaneously dull and intriguing tone. I'm a horror wimp, so I was worried about that while playing. It gets kinda freaky here and there, but it was never too much for me. I don't recommend approaching this game for want of horror specifically. But if you like some milder horror vibes and the occasional tone shift, I think this does nicely. There isn't much in the way of disturbing imagery, but the game does deal with sensitive topics like mental illness and suicide. I personally felt it was tastefully done overall. The game has "mixed" reviews on Steam, but it was due to an issue with Steam keys being revoked, which the developer reinstated. A lot of people left negative reviews about that specifically, which have nothing to do with the contents of the game. So don't let that deter you!