Until Then

Until Then is an adventure game released in 2024, created by Polychroma Games and published by Maximum Entertainment. The story takes place in Liamson, a fictional city within the Philippine National Capital Region, and centers on Mark Borja, a high school student who experiences recurring déjà vu in the months following "The Ruling"—a global catastrophe that caused widespread destruction and loss of life across the Philippines. The game blends visual novel storytelling with a 2.5D sidescrolling format, using pixel art rendered in a three-dimensional space.

Development began in 2020 under director Mickole Klein Nulud. The team prioritized Filipino representation while aiming to craft a cinematic, universally relatable experience within the visual novel framework. The game launched on June 25, 2024, for Linux, PlayStation 5, and Windows. A Nintendo Switch port followed on June 26, 2025, and an Xbox Series X/S version arrived on April 23, 2026. Critics praised the game for its interactivity, narrative, and Filipino representation. A paid story expansion, *Until Then: Afterimages*, was released on June 18, 2026.

**Gameplay**

Until Then is a side-scrolling adventure game with pixel art graphics, featuring 2D sprites set in a 3D environment. It is classified as a visual novel but includes more interactive elements than typical entries in the genre. Players control Mark Borja, a high school student living alone while his parents work overseas. Movement is limited to left and right within each scene, and the player can interact with specific objects to progress the story. At certain points, the player can use a smartphone with a messaging app and a social media platform, where they may like or share posts from other characters. During messaging, the player must press any key to slowly type out Mark's messages, which are either predetermined or chosen by the player. The game also includes minigames, such as skewering fish balls by timing the skewer's position and force, singing on a videoke machine by pressing correct keys as they reach the top of the screen, and painting by clicking and dragging specific patterns.

**Plot**

**Act One**

In February 2014, a series of natural disasters called "The Ruling" devastates much of the world, including parts of the Philippines, though the city of Liamson remains largely untouched.