The Game Room: "Afterparty" (X-Box One)

We're back from the dead folks!

And to commemorate this momentous moment, it's somehow appropriate we review a game that deals with... the ultimate after party!

Lola and Milo wake up the day after their graduation party to discover that they are dead... and in Hell. Desperate to find a way back to the Land of the Living, they learn of a way out:

Drink The Devil under the table...

Night School Studio brings you a fun little romp through the underworld. The story is interesting, and maintains a nice flow of humour and a serious examination of the morally ambivalent choices many adventure games force you to make to complete your quest. The story also throws in a bit of philosophy as it asks you to re-examine your attitudes about sin- and how hard line and unmoving the rules are relating to punishment for them. Certainly deeper in concept than many of the games out there these days.

The characters are interesting as well as complicated. You learn about them and their lives as the game progress, and the questions that their actions and reactions to Life make it a bit more complicated determining who burns in Hell, or not. They are likable, charming and witty characters. The supporting cast are equally well rounded, and add more than just filler to the story and world around them. Even Satan himself is shown with human frailty and issues.

The graphics are not super complex- but are pleasing to the eye, with an amazing colour palette that creates a stylish, yet pretty recognizable world for the characters and player to travel through.

While the game mechanics are shit simple, they are more than compensated by the story, characters, and visual style of the game. It shows you don't need complicated button combinations to tell a well thought out and thought provoking story.

"Afterparty" was a joy to play, and often made me pause to think about the choices I made, and the nature of sin and its consequences at it relates to Religion. I would absolutely recommend- and will be playing again to see which of the multiple endings I can get next. A solid "Good"!

Comments

Grave Questions: Jessica Cameron

February is " Women in Horror Month "- a month in which to celebrate the impact that women have had on the genre and the industry- from writing, to acting, to directing and producing. Jessica Cameron has experienced the industry in all those capacity- making her a perfect choice for me to ask some " Grave Questions " of in order to raise awareness of the great women in Horror. Please not that this article SHOULD'VE been posted in February, but due to technical difficulties, we're putting it up now. Thank you. TCoT : Which female horror stars helped to inspire you to not only enjoy the genre- but to get involved in bringing scary movies to the world? Jessica : I literally said to my " Truth or Dare " producer, "If the Soska sisters can make " Dead Hooker in a Trunk " with nothing, then I can make " Truth or Dare ". So needless to say that those girls have been a huge inspiration in everything I do behind the

Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (1990)

Sometimes, a director/producer will surprise you- such was the case during " Terrorpolooza 2012 " when I watched Charles Band's " Meridian: Kiss of the Beast " Catherine Bomarzini has come home after her father's death. Needing company, she asks Gina to stay with her. Soon, the two meet a wondering troupe of performers that Catherine invites to dinner at her castle. Catherine find herself pulled into a love triangle and an ancient curse that only she can break. After watching movies like " Evil Bong ", and " Demonic Toys ", I really wasn't expecting too much from this Charles Band movie- but I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story is actually quite interesting with lots of potential for eerie scenes, and character development. It's a nice twist on the classic " Beauty and the Beast " story. It's a bit slower than most of Band's other works, but moves smoothly and draws you with it. I have to ad

The Phantom of the Opera

Not too long ago, I reviewed the silent horror classic, "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror", and wound up being in the mood to view a few other of the silent horror films in my collection. The next one I watched was "The Phantom of the Opera", starring Lon Chaney, Sr, and released in 1925. A mysterious stranger has been threatening the star singer of the Paris Opera House- someone who has signs his letters simply as, "The Phantom". This stranger wants to clear the way so his protege, Christine Daae can ascend to stardom herself. Soon, her love for the Comte de Chagny collides with The Phantom's desire for Christine forcing both to take drastic actions in order to be with the one they love. " The Phantom of the Opera " actually underwent three periods of re-shoots and editing, due to poor reception and test viewings. In 1930, a sound version was created- often assumed to be what is called "The Eastman House Print". It is

Search This Blog