Afterlove EP
A visual novel about grief, music, and moving on in Jakarta.
Afterlove EP is a visual novel released on February 14, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. It was created by Indonesian developer Pikselnesia and published by Fellow Traveller Games. The story takes place in Jakarta and centers on Rama, a young musician who must produce an extended play for his band within twenty-eight days, one year after the death of his girlfriend Cinta.
The game blends side-scrolling visual novel elements with dating sim, rhythm game, and adventure mechanics. Players control Rama, a musician in a band with Adit and Tasya. After Cinta dies from a health emergency, Rama returns to his bandmates a year later and learns he has twenty-eight days to create an EP for an upcoming performance. Success determines whether he stays in the band. Rama also hears Cinta’s voice, which interrupts his actions and conversations, and he often responds to it.
Players decide Rama’s activities within a limited schedule: one action in the morning and one in the evening. They can interact with characters, travel across the game map, or attend therapy. Dialogue can be fast-forwarded, and Rama can sprint. Dialog options are available. Rhythm game sections require tapping and holding directional buttons from left and right, but performance does not affect character dialogue. Dating sim elements let Rama develop relationships with three possible suitors, influencing the narrative.
Rama dreams of starting an indie band. In Jakarta, he and his friends perform at a café gig, which Cinta attends despite feeling unwell. The gig succeeds, and Rama is invited to celebrate at a bar. Unbeknownst to him, the celebration turns tragic when Cinta dies that same day. Her death leaves Rama struggling to move on. Though his friends and bandmates try to help, he remains stuck for over a year, neglecting his music, mental health, and relationships.
Development began when game director Mohammad Fahmi, known for *Coffee Talk* and *What Comes After*, first announced the project as *Project Heartbreak* in April 2021. It was later revealed as *Afterlove EP* in December 2021, with a planned 2022 release. Fahmi died in March 2022, halting work for two months. Narrative designer Galuh Elsa (Sasha Ariana), a writer on *What Comes After* and *A Space for the Unbound*, then took over lead development.
- Developer
- Pikselnesia
- Publisher
- Fellow Traveller Games
- Release date
- February 14, 2025
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
- Genre
- Visual novel, dating sim, rhythm game, adventure game
- Setting
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Protagonist
- Rama
Lore & Background
Afterlove EP is a side-scrolling visual novel that blends dating sim, rhythm game, and adventure game elements. The player controls Rama, a young musician in a band with Adit and Tasya. His girlfriend Cinta dies from a health emergency. A year later, Rama learns he must create an extended play within twenty-eight days for an upcoming performance, with his band membership at stake. Rama hallucinates Cinta's voice, which interjects his actions and conversations, and he often responds to it during dialogue.
The player decides Rama's activities, limited to two actions per day—one in the morning and one in the evening. Actions include interacting with people, traveling across the game's map, or attending therapy. The player can sprint or fast-forward dialogue and choose dialog options. The game includes rhythm game sections where the player taps and holds directional buttons arriving from left and right, though performance in these sections does not affect character dialogue. Dating sim gameplay allows Rama to develop relationships with three possible suitors, influencing the narrative.
The plot begins with Rama and his friends opening a gig at a cafe in Jakarta. Cinta attends despite feeling unwell. The gig succeeds, and Rama is invited to celebrate at a bar, but Cinta passes away that same day. Her death leaves Rama struggling to move on, neglecting his music, mental health, and relationships, while his friends try to help him.
Reader's Guide
Afterlove EP received 'generally positive' reviews for the Nintendo Switch version and 'mixed or average' reviews for the PC and PlayStation 5 versions on Metacritic. OpenCritic assessed the game as receiving strong approval, recommended by 68% of critics. Nintendo Life's Michelle See-Tho noted a 'jarring juxtaposition' of mundanity and heavy themes such as trauma, calling it a 'successful strangeness'. Nintendo World Report's Alex Ororna commended the therapy session writing as authentic for medical professionals. Push Square's Graham Banas criticized the rhythm gameplay for imprecise hitboxes but downplayed this due to the sections' infrequency, praising the writing for dealing with heavy themes respectfully, though noting nuance and subtlety waver on occasion. The music was classified as shoegaze, emo, and post-rock. Rock Paper Shotgun's Edwin Evans-Thirwell described the visual art style as hand-drawn and the music as gentle indie rock. The game's development was shaped by the death of creative director Mohammad Fahmi in March 2022, with narrative designer Galuh Elsa taking over lead development. The game took four years to develop, with two years of planning, and features music by Jakarta-based indie band L'alphalpha.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally announced as Project Heartbreak in April 2021.
- Creative director Mohammad Fahmi died in March 2022 during development, causing a two-month pause.
- The game features seven songs by Jakarta-based indie band L'alphalpha, four of which were made after Fahmi's death.
- The game's setting includes specific locations in South Jakarta such as Blok M and Ayodya Park.
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