Until Then Review (Escrowm)
I pirated this game and finished it in 3 days or 20 hours give or take. I could've finished it in a day but I wanted to savor it. This damn game moved me to my core so much that I bought it even without a sale going on and just to write this comment, I'm keeping the game open in the background, listening to its theme. God, where do I even begin?
I saw this game on an Instagram post. I liked it's art style so I said sure, I'll give it a go. I didn't knew what it was about, or even what kind of a game it would be. So I've downloaded it, loaded it to my steamdeck and at 11PM I started playing.
the second I opened the game I was sure this was going to be a good one, And I wasn't mistaken, This is the best indie game I've ever played and I don't think anything will top this. Why? Because I understood every character. Not all of the parts. But that is part of understanding isn't it?
To be honest, I've never been the type to get emotional in games or movies or in real life in general. Let it be Undertale, Omori, Last of Us, and other games that moved people, they just didn't work on me. I just couldn't connect, dare I say it, understood them. Sure, they had bad things happen to them and it was saddening to watch but I couldn't care less about them. But I saw myself in Mark. The lack of insipariton, feeling that you've done everything, felt and seen everything in this lifetime. I understood him, more than any other character I've seen or watched or read. Not only that, his friends are exactly the ones I had.
Ridel who has many friends and circles and a good career thanks to his dedication to filming. But even though he likes his best friends more than anyone, he can't spare time for them.
Louise the perfect smart girl who has a uhh lets say cheeky? best friend Sofia.
Nicole, who has supportive parents that doesn't give up, and started the spark on Mark but had to "never meet" eachother because of circumstances.
And finally Catherine. the full of energy, never negative, always trying, never taken seriously, silly friend who always comes with bruises, scars and untold stories.
Each character has so much debt that they all feel real.
The gameplay loop is great, the art, the music, the dialogues, gameplay mechanics everything about this game is perfect. I would love to talk about this game for hours but I think it's time for me to move on too.
Thank you for making a masterpiece like this.