Until Then

Until Then is still a visual novel, clinging to a large cultural stratum of contemporary culture. However, it is also a very emotional and lampooning story about growing up, friendship, betrayal and love.

Until Then is a must-play for lovers of narrative-focused games everywhere. The game already depicts living the life of a teenager in the Phillippines in the 2010s beautifully with its thoughtful and authentic writing, combined with a picturesque world. That alone would be enough, but it goes above and beyond, adding breathtaking pixel animation, an intriguing mystery and a palpable geopolitical subplot. The cast of characters is incredibly endearing and you’ll grow to love them all, building to the final emotional gut punch of the game that takes the wind out of you. Joining the plethora of quality narratives in 2024, Until Then is a game you won’t soon forget.

Until Then does a fantastic job of capturing a culture, a place, and the way modern teenagers interact in a way so few games get right. While the personal stories of its characters are perhaps more interesting than the overarching mystery, this is a story that any fan of the genre will want to explore.

Until Then offers a compelling coming-of-age story infused with supernatural elements. Set in a post-disaster town, players follow high schooler Mark and his friends as they navigate personal challenges and mysterious occurrences. Despite some narrative pacing issues and a lack of supernatural exploration, the game's immersive setting, relatable character dynamics, and unique visual presentation make it a captivating experience.

If you love narrative adventures, coming-of-age stories, or you simply have a special place in your heart for the complexities of adolescence, Until Then is a game absolutely worth playing. While it might not be the most innovative game of 2024, it’s still one of the most narratively compelling, visually striking, and heart-achingly true to life. Even as the world of Until Then twists and breaks down, it never loses sight of the real, human core of its story or the characters that make its world so worth visiting.

My feelings about Until Then evolved the longer I played. What at first seemed like a slow-paced visual novel with retro graphics gradually began to reveal itself as something much more sophisticated. Excellent character development and a surprising, emotionally varied narrative are at the heart of Until Then, but its storytelling mechanics are fresh and contemporary, too. Mark and his gang have interesting stories to tell, and so does Until Then.

As with many remarkable games, interpreting Until Then‘s ending will lie with every individual player. I sat with it a while — swirling the bitterness and sweetness around in my mouth. Its mystery, finally revealed, is so human I toyed with the idea of feeling unsatisfied with its mundaneness. Ultimately, I landed on admiring how unfortunately relatable life after the end of the world felt.

While the setting and inspirations are Filipino through and through, the themes of friendship, love, loss, and acceptance in this visual novel are universal.

Quotation forthcoming.

Romantic relationships here come with the types of complexities that you’d expect—jealous friends, misunderstandings, and stupid decisions—such that the sincere moments that come afterward feel earned.

As it stands, for all the words you cycle through, Until Then does its best work when it focuses on the visual and the novel. [Issue#400, p.123]