Review of What Comes After (PC)
Claire Brownstone, Contributing Editor
Nobody knows what is awaiting us at the end of life’s journey, but there have been countless imaginings of the afterlife throughout human history. What Comes After offers another contemplation of death, but the game is described by the developers as “a love letter to all of you who think you're a burden for other people.” Despite the grim topic, the story is heartwarming and compassionate, and truly a journey about finding self-love and a reason for living.
An example of the extremely sweet dialogue that you can overhear at the beginning of the game.
What Comes After, developed by Rolling Glory Jam and fahmitsu,is a walking simulator. The gameplay mechanics being limited to walking left or right, and interacting with the various characters in the game. As such, it’s an easy game to pick up even for those who don’t play games regularly. You play as Vivi, a young-looking girl who lives with her mother and sister in a large city. The entirety of the game takes place on a commuter train. In the beginning, you steer Vivi through the cars, and can overhear the conversations between passengers. At some point, Vivi finds an empty seat, and falls asleep.
An example of the extremely sweet dialogue that you can overhear at the beginning of the game.
After waking up, Vivi finds herself in the same car, but it appears very different from before. The entire aesthetic has darkened. She soon realizes that all the passengers have been replaced by ghosts. Vivi runs into an employee of this ghost train, who explains that after the train runs its last stop in the evening, it then turns into a transporter for those who have passed away that same day to…you guessed it….what comes after. The employee explains that it was a mistake that a living girl was left on the train, and she will have to wait until the train turns around before she can return home. In the meantime, she suggests speaking with the passengers to pass the time.
There are a wide variety of beings on the train, and thanks to some magic, you can converse with them all. There are adults, children, infants, pets, wild animals, and even plants that all seem willing to share their story with Vivi. Their reactions run the entire spectrum from hating life to those who felt satisfied with their life and will miss it dearly. They all have little tidbits of wisdom to impart to Vivi, and oftentimes she repays them with comforting sentiments of her own. Sections of this game are reminiscent of the game Spiritfarer, where you help people accept that they are ready to cross over, while also learning to say goodbye. The gameplay mechanics are different, but both share a similar outlook on death. There’s even a character on the train (the chef) that functions a bit like the ferryman in Spiritfarer, serving up dishes to help people recall the good moments in their past in an effort to help them accept their fate.
A conversation with an infant who tragically passed away before experiencing many things in life.
Through the conversations, you start to piece together Vivi’s backstory. She’s contemplated ending her own life, because she believes she’s a burden to her family. The passengers on the train react differently to this revelation. Some who felt their own lives were cut short seemed almost angry that she would consider suicide. Others try to make her think about what impact it would have on the family she left behind, the guilt and trauma they would suffer as a result. Anybody who has experience with the psychological aspects of self-harm will probably notice that these responses are not particularly helpful if somebody is in a crisis, but given the time limitations of this game it’s perhaps understandable that the developers could not adequately address suicide prevention. They simply used Vivi’s lack of interest in living to further the general message of the game – that life is, in general, full of good things worth experiencing. Even her name, which somewhat ironically means “Life” or “Lively,” supports that message.
Overall, the story does feel like a big, warm hug as you’re experiencing it. Even the tragic parts, such as meeting an elephant that had been abused in a circus, is designed to spur the player into action rather than wallowing in depression. There’s such a wide variety of stories that most people who play will likely find one that tugs on their heartstrings. For me, it was a conversation with a small, old dog on the train. As a veterinarian, I’ve unfortunately been present with many families as their animal companions cross to the other side. This small dog in What Comes After describes exactly how I imagine most animals would feel. The last moment this dog remembers is being surrounded by his family. He sees they are crying, but he doesn’t understand why they are sad. He’s also confused as to why his family isn’t on the train with him. Vivi comforts him by telling him that his family will follow him in the future. I actually cried at this part of the game, which was surprising given how short the game is. But it speaks to the strength of the writing that it could capture such an intense moment in just a few short dialogue boxes.
Yes, you can pet the ghost animals.
My main criticisms of this game have to do with a lack of variety in its design. Several of the ghost passengers have the same visual form, simply copied and pasted from one sprite to another, which is a shame because each NPC has such a unique story. It certainly takes away the feeling of immersion in the world. There’s also very limited variety in its sound design. There are only really two songs that play during the whole game, and while they play during the most emotional moments, the rest of the game does feel somewhat empty as a result. You only hear Vivi’s lonely footsteps echo as she traverses the train, which doesn’t match the general tone of the story. The English translation also suffers from several typos. It is important to keep in mind that this game is produced by an indie studio with a budget, so most of these criticisms can be chalked up to resource limitations rather than a shortcoming in the developers’ abilities.
Despite these criticisms, this game is worth experiencing, especially at its price point ($4.99). If you’re looking for a short, relaxing emotional tale with an adorable art style, I would recommend this game. I’m very interested in seeing what this developer comes up with next, and hopefully they get more funding to expand on the excellent foundations of storytelling that they clearly possess.
