What Comes After Review (Nintendo Switch) - LadiesGamers

Game: What Comes After Genre: Adventure, Education, Communication, Lifestyle System: Nintendo Switch Developer/Publisher: Rolling Glory Jam / Flynns Arcade Age Rating: EU 3+/ US 10+ Price: $6.99 / £ 5.99 / € 6,99 Release Date: April 1, 2021

Review code used, with many thanks to Flynn’s Arcade

A Train Ride Like No Other

Welcome to What Comes After, an emotionally touching story about a young woman named Vivi on her way home one evening. She just barely makes it on to the last train home, and is lucky to find a seat. However, the late hour and gentle flow of the train lull Vivi to sleep.

Waking in a panic, Vivi discovers she has somehow made it aboard the train to the afterlife. Luckily for Vivi, she didn’t die, but she still must wait for the train to reach it’s destination before it can turn around and bring her home.

Thus begins Vivi’s philosophical train ride. Wandering through the train cars, and chatting with those bound for the other side, Vivi will have plenty of emotional, eye-opening, and almost therapeutic discussions with the beings about to move on.

The Who and The How

What Comes After was brought to life by the creator of Coffee Talk (in collaboration with Rolling Glory Jam, creator of Rage in Peace). Coffee Talk is a visual novel set in a coffee shop that has various characters chatting and contemplating their lives, loves, and everything in between. You can check out our review of Coffee Talk here.

What Comes After is about as simple, control-wise, as it gets: use the D-pad or Joycon to walk left and right, and press B to run and A to interact with things.

I was able to play using my Nintendo Switch SNES controller as well, which was very nice as they aren’t often able to see use.

A Unique Art Style and Otherworldly Sound

The game is full of lovely art, and you can tell it was made for a contemporary audience as Vivi, and all of the other live characters you walk past are wearing face masks.

The game is in 2D, so it feels almost like an interactive webcomic as you walk Vivi from car to car, interaction to interaction.

The game has a sense of the bittersweet about it, and this is portrayed through the visuals. The subdued, deep purples and blues of the train as it travels to the afterlife are a delight for the eyes.

The music for the game is equally well done. Ethereal and otherworldly, the mood of bittersweet acceptance is satisfyingly conveyed in every background note.

This Game Will Make You FEEL

This is one of those games that will bring many tears to your eyes. It will fill your heart with all kinds of emotions, and you will find yourself contemplating your own existence just as Vivi contemplates hers.

Vivi, when discovering she’s on a train to the afterlife, hints that she’s not sad or upset, and had been contemplating death for a while; she felt lucky that it didn’t hurt.

After discovering that there had been a mistake, and she is still – indeed – alive, she’s advised to wander around and chat with the others on the train.

Some discussions are long: characters contemplating death, and what it means for them. All the while Vivi asks questions, or questions are asked of her, to think about her own life and how precious it really is.

The game is full of beautiful quotes like:

“There is no monster in front of you, so why put one in your head?”

“How do you expect to find love if you can’t even wait for a flower to fully bloom?”

“The world is not in your hands, but YOUR world is in your hands.”

I found myself writing these wise words down just as a friendly reminder.

Conclusion

A tale of self-discovery, forgiveness, and all the love, life,  memories, and regrets that make us human. A philosophical journey that will have players thinking deeply about their own life and place in the world. This game is an amazing experience wrapped up in a charming artistic style.

There is also the hint of a lesson in this game as well; the lesson being that humanity needs to do better. The way we treat our fellow living creatures we share this planet with is, quite usually, not all that great. As the intelligent beings we are, we can – and should – strive to do better.

Just as Vivi discovers: perhaps we can’t change everyone, but we can try… and we can most certainly change ourselves. That’s all it takes to make the world a more kind and beautiful place.

The game is short and sweet, and you’ll easily be able to finish it in one sitting. However, keep a box of tissues handy, as you’re probably going to need a whole box of them by the end of What Comes After. 

Final Verdict: Two thumbs up!

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