Developed by Philippines-based studio Polychroma Games, Until Then is a cinematic narrative adventure that has received both local and international acclaim. Its story follows a fateful meeting that sets off a chain reaction, upending Mark’s life. Uncover the hidden truth with Mark and his friends and race to unravel the mystery before it’s too late.
Developed by: Polychroma Games
Played on: Steam
Length: 25 hours
Until Then truly felt like a masterpiece from start to finish. After the release of A Space for the Unbound in 2022, it was difficult to find another game that felt as emotional and heavy while having that Southeast Asian touch of culture that I could relate to.
The story is an alternate retelling of the year 2014 in the Philippines, with a major catastrophe striking the whole Earth known as the “The Ruling”. Governments around the world are dealing with their own issues caused by “The Ruling” but you’re just a highschooler who games way too late into the night and just needs to finish up your assignments.
Its main story follows Mark Borja and his day-to-day life in school when suddenly he begins experiencing déjà vu moments as a new student arrives at his school. The way the story unfolded piece by piece, yet keeping the mystery intact, was beautifully done and it left me wanting more during the first playthrough. Yes, FIRST playthrough.
For a team of roughly ten full-timers and what seems to be their second narrative-based game (based on Steam), the amount of content and writing packed into the game felt unreal for an indie studio. The pacing of each chapter was decently long and presented in an immersive and cinematic style, accentuating moments of deep thought, drama, and even awkwardness.
Small caveat to my love of the game’s story is how it “ends”. When you first play through the entire game and reach its ending, you are shown the credits of the development team before the game asks you: “do you want to continue?” Not thinking much of it, I clicked “no” until I was told later that the ending I got wasn’t the true ending of the game.
It did cause some slight confusion on my part, because I assume that video games are over the moment the credits roll. Instead, I had to play through the game a few more times to get the true ending. Perhaps a slight rephrasing or slight difference in presentation might help communicate that better.
The game’s visuals features 2D pixel characters living in a 3D semi-pixelated world which blends seamlessly enough for the players to be invested into the game’s story and world. Even though I am Malaysian, but walking around the streets and school corridors in-game felt similar to what I grew up with during my government school days.
The characters, in particular, were portrayed beautifully. The chemistry and banter between the three main characters felt authentic, giving us a glimpse of their shared pasts through inside jokes, while reminding me of the types of conversations I had back in high school.
Their growth as the world “glitches” and the discovery of their quirky little traits — such as one of the main characters being a pluviophile (someone who loves rain) — also adds plenty of realism to this piece of fiction.
No narrative game review is complete without touching on the music and sound design. The original soundtracks created for the game were masterfully composed to bring out the emotions of the characters and the scenes it accompanies. The music did such a good job in strengthening the emotions of a scene, that it almost served as a warning: This is where you want to pay full attention. This is where you want to cry.
From the relatable characters to the touching writing, Until Then presents an immersive narrative experience and a loveable cast to root for through the hardships they encounter. If you’re thinking of picking this one up, I’ll point you to the motto on their Steam page: immerse yourself in a cinematic visual experience.
This article was contributed by Darren Barker, your sleepy coffee-drinking game design student and co-founder of The Cham Drinkers. Follow him on X/Twitter where he posts and retweets about the ASEAN Game Dev scene and cats.
