Afterparty | Xbox One Review
Three years ago, Night School Studios debuted on the console scene with the adventure game Oxenfree. It received critical praise for its solid voice acting and intriguing supernatural story. The developer recently released its follow-up, Afterparty, which is very similar, but also incredibly original. You’d be hard-pressed to find a game to match this one’s tone and biting sense of humor. But is it worth playing? Let’s find out.
Deal with the Devil
Milo and Lola are dead, to begin with. If that’s not bad enough news, they’ve arrived in the depths of Hell. This version of “the bad place,” however, isn’t all fire and brimstone. Sure, there’s some occasional designated torture and an ocean of fire, but overall it’s not that bad. Despite the available bars and local shops to visit, Milo and Lola are determined to make it back to the land of the living. They decide to plead their case with Lucifer himself. Their only chance is to challenge The Devil to a drinking contest in order to win their lives back.
If this sounds like a ridiculous premise, that’s because it truly is. But it works. The humor present in Afterparty is incredibly on-point. Hell is a thriving metropolis filled with demons as well as the damned; all living harmonious lives for all of eternity. Everyone but our two heroes has accepted their fate, and are shockingly all right with it. It’s a hilarious take on eternity that made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions.
Welcome to Hell
At its core, Afterparty is a point-and-click adventure without the clicking. You spend the majority of your time walking from point A to point B and selecting dialogue choices. There’s an occasional mini-game (mostly involving drinking games), but they’re very simplistic. If you’re looking for a lot of action, this isn’t the game for you. The appeal of this title lies in its narrative and its humor, both of which satisfy immensely.
As expected, different dialogue choices yield new story elements. I completed my first playthrough of the game around the same time as one of my co-hosts, and we had completely different endings. Not only that, but our journeys took us to different places. This makes for some fun replayability to see the varied outcomes from making different decisions.
Damnation, This Game Is Funny
This is some of the best comedic writing I’ve ever seen in a video game. The dialogue is witty, topical, and modern. The one-liners are outstanding and well worth at least one playthrough of the game. But what really sells it is the superb voice casting. There is a ton of heavy-hitters here, including friend of the show Cissy Jones. You’ll also hear incredible performances from Dave Fennoy, Ashly Burch, Janina Gavankar, and countless others.
Buyer beware: this game is not kid-friendly. The jokes are more often than not very off-color, and the language is super R-rated. While it makes for a very funny experience for adults, those easily offended most certainly will be with this title.
Afterparty Final Verdict
I was pleasantly surprised by the final product of Afterparty. I haven’t laughed out loud at a game this hard in a long time, and I definitely wasn’t expecting the ending I received. If you’re a fan of dialogue-driven adventure games, don’t hesitate on this title. The characters and writing make it well worth the price of admission, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in store from this developer.
Afterparty
$19.99
Pros
- Genuinely Hilarious Premise
- Stellar Voice Acting
- Multiple Endings for Replayability
Cons
- Occasional Glitches, Framerate Jumps
- Off-Color Humor Not For Everyone
