Until Then
A visual novel adventure set in a post-catastrophe Philippines.
Until Then is a 2024 adventure game from Polychroma Games and Maximum Entertainment. It takes place in the fictional Philippine city of Liamson, following Mark Borja as he experiences déjà vu after a global disaster called The Ruling. The game uses a 2.5D sidescrolling visual novel style with pixel art in a 3D space.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Polychroma Games
- Director
- Mickole Klein Nulud
- Programmer
- Mickole Klein Nulud
- R.V.A.
- Joshua James San Juan
- Dave Von David
- Artist
- Dominique Duran
- Pia Demanawa
- Gerald Dizon
- Adel Garangan
- Sharlene Yap
- Writer
- Mariel Tuble
- Mickole Klein Nulud
- Harold Pongco
- Composer
- Kyle Patrick Naval
- Engine
- Godot
- Platforms
- Linux
- PlayStation 5
- Windows
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Series X/S
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
In Until Then, you play as Mark Borja, a high school student whose parents work overseas, leaving him alone in their home. This side-scrolling adventure blends pixel art with 2D sprites placed in a 3D space, offering more interaction than a typical visual novel. You can move left or right in each scene and click on objects to move the story forward. At key moments, you use a smartphone with a messaging app and a social feed, where you can like or share posts from other characters. To send a message, you must press any key to slowly type out either a preset line or one you choose. The game also includes minigames: skewering fish balls by timing the stick’s position and force, singing on a videoke machine by hitting the right keys when they reach the top, and painting by clicking and dragging specific patterns.
Plot
In February 2014, a series of natural disasters called 'The Ruling' caused widespread destruction worldwide, including parts of the Philippines, though the city of Liamson remained largely unaffected. Mark Borja, a high school student living alone with his parents abroad, and his classmate Louise experience bouts of déjà vu that make their memories unreliable. Two transfer students arrive: Kate and Nicole, the latter feeling oddly familiar to Mark. At a hospital with Louise and her friend Sofia, Mark hallucinates dark, twisted halls. At a funfair with friends Cathy and Ridel, he calms down after meeting Nicole, who says her family were victims of the Ruling and moved to the capital. Mark joins the school's piano club and signs up for auditions. While practicing, he plays an unfamiliar composition written by Nicole for her disappeared best friend Jake. Nicole agrees to be his instructor, and her mother thanks Mark for inspiring her to play again. Louise theorizes that the déjà vu, student disappearances, and the Ruling are caused by colliding parallel universes. Nicole withdraws from auditions, and Mark, accompanying her to her destroyed hometown, lashes out at her for clinging to the past. Realizing his hypocrisy, he comes to terms with his mother's disappearance before the Ruling. Cathy goes missing after her parents forcefully take her from prom; Mark chases her, but she is hit by a truck. Years later, Mark listens to a recording left by Cathy revealing her abusive home life and plays against her recorded racing gameplay. A butterfly lands on his hand, resetting time to the start of the game.
Development
Polychroma Games, an indie studio based in the Philippines headed by director Mickole Klein Nulud, began active development in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Godot Engine. The core team consisted of 10 people with additional contributions. A demo was released for Steam Next Fest in February 2024. The release was initially slated for May 23, 2024, then delayed to June 23, then pushed back two more days to June 25, 2024, for Linux, PlayStation 5, and Windows. A Nintendo Switch port followed on June 26, 2025, and an Xbox Series X/S port on April 23, 2026. The setting is based on Metro Manila in 2014; due to travel restrictions, artists used Google Earth and memory, falling back on typical Filipino architecture for generic locations. Manila was chosen to best represent the developers' experiences. Nulud wanted the setting to be universal so the story could reach people's hearts, making references to Filipino culture while ensuring everyone could appreciate the main story. The game references the Katipunan LRT-2 station, Quezon Memorial Circle, and parodies of Filipino business names. Liamson Integrated School was based on Rizal National Science High School, Nulud's alma mater. The high school setting was chosen to evoke nostalgia. Nulud and senior environmental artist Pia Demanawa focused on communication as a main theme; writer Mariel Tuble described it as coming to terms with change, loss, and the passage of time. The game was described as a cinematic experience with interactive elements. Inspirations included Life Is Strange, Night in the Woods, The Last Night, Your Lie in April, and films by Makoto Shinkai and later Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Character sprites were initially designed with equal pixel density to backgrounds, later changed to allow more poses and expressions.
Reception
Until Then received 'generally favorable' reviews according to Metacritic. OpenCritic assessed strong approval, with 90% of critics recommending it. Prior to release, the Steam Next Fest demo received favorable reviews. Katharine Castle of Rock Paper Shotgun praised the 'gorgeous mix of expressive pixel art and 3D environments' and the interactivity, echoed by Hope Bellingham of GamesRadar+. Thomas Kent of Hardcore Gamer praised the 'compelling narrative that explores the intricacies of teenage life.' Ed Thorn of Rock Paper Shotgun highlighted the story, progression, and interactivity. John Cal McCormick of Push Square gave an 8 out of 10, praising the 'authentic portrayal of teenage life' and 'well paced story.' Jason Rodriguez of Eurogamer described it as a coming-of-age story about love, loss, friendships, and fears, lauding Filipino pop culture references but criticizing the English dialogue for using 'more Western terms instead of the local vernacular.' Mitchell Demorest of Slant Magazine shared this concern, noting some phrases came off too literal, and raised pacing issues. Rodriguez and Jess Reyes of IGN cited the game as a significant example of Filipino representation in video games, with Rodriguez noting it as full-on Pinoy representation since Anito: Defend a Land Enraged. Bellingham, Castle, and George Yang of GameSpot compared it to A Space for the Unbound.
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