One of the more interesting types of games that have emerged in this very indie-rich generation, have been ones that tackle subject matter and topics that people wouldn’t have traditionally thought were appropriate for games. Deep explorations of the feelings of hopelessness and grief, and trying to figure out how to recover from personal tragedies could be triggering for some but therapeutic for others, and the Switch has had a pretty wide variety of titles in this vein to date. In the case of Afterlove EP it takes the form of a young man who has struggled with the loss of his girlfriend, and is trying to move on with his life while still hearing her voice in his head.

In terms of play, the game moves between several styles and feels, with some not working as well as others. In terms of what works well, there’s absolutely a load of great character development and plenty of people and relationships that are explored. While your character struggles with his feelings, his erratic behavior can bewilder his friends, and there are plenty of great interactions as the people in his life try to help him with his grief. The more fascinating wrinkle in the narrative is the inclusion of the voice of his dead girlfriend in his head, which is obviously tied to a part of his own mind that can’t let go, and allows for a different sort of exploration of the troubles he’s having, sometimes essentially mentally arguing with himself.

Outside of the main narrative threads and the exploration of his struggles, some of the other parts are less effective. His attempts to move on in the form of going on dates with a few people, I suppose, help give his challenges more dimension, and can feel like they afford him an opportunity to have hope, but they can also feel strange given the voice in his head. Considering a central part of the relationship with his best friends was the band that they had together, I also expected a bit more from the musically-oriented elements. The rhythm game segments feature appropriate and pleasant music, but their mechanics are a bit sloppy, especially considering plenty of indie games out there that are implemented better. Ones where he’s trying to put together lyrics at least feel more fresh and sensible, but these aspects feel under-developed overall and that’s a shame.

In the end, this is a title that will probably move and emotionally impact the right sort of people who are in the mood to explore relationships and grief, but it obviously isn’t for everyone. I wish that all aspects of the experience were as interesting and original as the persistent voice in his head, but given the unique story behind the development of the game itself, it’s actually a wonder it was released at all. If you’re looking to spend some time exploring some feelings, and the difficulties of moving on, it may be of interest though.