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Fun with occasional issues.
EdgeOfChaos- 09/20/2014 11:49 PM
- 547 views
Introduction
Afterlife is a puzzle/horror game by lost6soul. The description claims that the game will "change your vision of the afterlife forever". While it may not do that, it certainly is an enjoyable play if you enjoy horror games.
The game is originally French, and was translated into English.
Story
Hidden parts are spoilers.
I thought the story was OK. It's a pretty interesting theme and not poorly executed. The "happily ever after" ending did not seem to fit the rest of the game, or the genre for that matter, which is my main complaint about it.
The translation from French to English is quite poor, and I feel it loses some of the original feel. It would have done wonders if the maker had asked a native English speaker to go through and change the text to what spoken English sounds like. For example: the maker writes "Why is there anyone else?" when it should be something like "Where is everyone?"
The flashback scenes are really nicely done. I love how the maker gradually exposes more of the story without telling you flat out "this is what happened". They are the high point of the story.
Atmosphere
This is one thing the maker did really well. The atmosphere is spooky and gloomy, dimly lit, and the use of objects/blood scattered around the rooms is great.
Sadly, the "dimly lit" bit is somewhat of a problem. It's too hard to see. You have a lantern which illuminates 1 spot around you, but that's it. This makes finding where to go in some areas a major pain, and I think it could have been done better.
The scattered blood also may be overdone. It's placed in areas that make no sense, for example the ventilation system. Not a huge issue, but could be improved on.
The layout of the stages is quite excellent. I loved how the Antropole seemed spread out and long enough for adventuring through, but when you finished it you see how interconected it is, and it seems like a real laboratory area after it's been abandoned.
Gameplay
The gameplay is solving puzzles and avoiding enemies. There is a nice variety of puzzles here, for example things like solving a written puzzle or opening timed bridges.
As I said before, this is a (poor) translation from French. Some of the written puzzles are very odd, and don't seem to match up to the solution. Luckily, however, the puzzles are very easy to guess on, and there are save points in the puzzle rooms, so it's not game-breaking.
The enemies are difficult to avoid. This could be a pro or a con depending on how good you are. They start relatively simply, where enemies just chase you and you run. Later, the enemies start predicting your movements and you actually have to try to avoid them.
The gameplay is quite long (1.5 hours about), but it doesn't get repetitive or boring. There's always enough variety in story and puzzles to keep you interested.
Summary
Afterlife is an entertaining horror game. Overall, it's well-made and fun to play through, however there are some problems with it, and it could have been done better.
4/5
Afterlife is a puzzle/horror game by lost6soul. The description claims that the game will "change your vision of the afterlife forever". While it may not do that, it certainly is an enjoyable play if you enjoy horror games.
The game is originally French, and was translated into English.
Story
Hidden parts are spoilers.
The game starts with Victoria, who wakes up in a dark place with no memory of how she got there. She journeys out and finds another person in a similar situation to her, named Evan.
They continue exploring and find a place called the Antropole, where someone did mind experiments on subjects; it is now abandoned. They find a machine that Victoria accidentally uses which shows her a flashback of how she got where she is.
Her father (William) thought he found a way to gain access to heaven, and wanted to bring his wife with him. He wanted Victoria to have no part of it, so he tried to kill her in a ritual; it failed when her mother intervened.
It's revealed that Evan is her father; he also regains his memory. Evan finds his wife and combines with her and makes Evan 2.0, who you fight and kill. Victoria and her mother wander onward to the gates of heaven and life happily ever after.
They continue exploring and find a place called the Antropole, where someone did mind experiments on subjects; it is now abandoned. They find a machine that Victoria accidentally uses which shows her a flashback of how she got where she is.
Her father (William) thought he found a way to gain access to heaven, and wanted to bring his wife with him. He wanted Victoria to have no part of it, so he tried to kill her in a ritual; it failed when her mother intervened.
It's revealed that Evan is her father; he also regains his memory. Evan finds his wife and combines with her and makes Evan 2.0, who you fight and kill. Victoria and her mother wander onward to the gates of heaven and life happily ever after.
I thought the story was OK. It's a pretty interesting theme and not poorly executed. The "happily ever after" ending did not seem to fit the rest of the game, or the genre for that matter, which is my main complaint about it.
The translation from French to English is quite poor, and I feel it loses some of the original feel. It would have done wonders if the maker had asked a native English speaker to go through and change the text to what spoken English sounds like. For example: the maker writes "Why is there anyone else?" when it should be something like "Where is everyone?"
The flashback scenes are really nicely done. I love how the maker gradually exposes more of the story without telling you flat out "this is what happened". They are the high point of the story.
Atmosphere
This is one thing the maker did really well. The atmosphere is spooky and gloomy, dimly lit, and the use of objects/blood scattered around the rooms is great.
Sadly, the "dimly lit" bit is somewhat of a problem. It's too hard to see. You have a lantern which illuminates 1 spot around you, but that's it. This makes finding where to go in some areas a major pain, and I think it could have been done better.
The scattered blood also may be overdone. It's placed in areas that make no sense, for example the ventilation system. Not a huge issue, but could be improved on.
The layout of the stages is quite excellent. I loved how the Antropole seemed spread out and long enough for adventuring through, but when you finished it you see how interconected it is, and it seems like a real laboratory area after it's been abandoned.
Gameplay
The gameplay is solving puzzles and avoiding enemies. There is a nice variety of puzzles here, for example things like solving a written puzzle or opening timed bridges.
As I said before, this is a (poor) translation from French. Some of the written puzzles are very odd, and don't seem to match up to the solution. Luckily, however, the puzzles are very easy to guess on, and there are save points in the puzzle rooms, so it's not game-breaking.
The enemies are difficult to avoid. This could be a pro or a con depending on how good you are. They start relatively simply, where enemies just chase you and you run. Later, the enemies start predicting your movements and you actually have to try to avoid them.
The gameplay is quite long (1.5 hours about), but it doesn't get repetitive or boring. There's always enough variety in story and puzzles to keep you interested.
Summary
Afterlife is an entertaining horror game. Overall, it's well-made and fun to play through, however there are some problems with it, and it could have been done better.
4/5
