![]() ![]() The party keeps moving whatever choice I made, and I had to live with the consequences of that, all the way through to a satisfying ending that made my decisions feel like they had some weight to them. Though even when it felt like I “messed up” an encounter, Afterparty didn’t throw me to a Game Over screen. Thinking I made the right choice by saving the soul of an innocent man from eternal damnation actually proved to make my, and much of the supporting cast’s predicament more difficult in the endgame. Even when picking what I thought would give me the best outcome, or be the most honorable thing to do – which were not always the same thing – Afterparty would find devastating ways to tell me how I had messed up. I say “victory” in quotes, though, because almost every choice in Afterparty comes with some moral complicating factors. Afterparty switches throughout its story to either character depending on who is the most integral to the current chapter, and constant dialogue options that appear as thought bubbles above their heads allowed me to take some sense of ownership as the story progressed.Īfterparty throws a couple of minigames into the fray, with “victory” just one beer pong match or dance competition away. Pick Your PoisonNight School hasn’t revolutionized Oxenfree’s gameplay formula with Afterparty so much as evolved it, and as a lover of story-focused adventures I enjoyed navigating Milo and Lola through Hell, while almost in constant conversation with either one another or supporting characters. He’s easily one of my favorite devils in awhile. ![]() And the less said about Dave Fennoy’s wonderful portrayal of Satan the better – it’s best left to be discovered. How cabbie Sam and personal demon Wormhorn play into the story is better left as a surprise, but actors Ashley Burch and Erin Yvette, respectively, deliver both hilarious and gutting moments that had me caring for demons in a way I never would have expected to. “Night School has littered the blood and rum-soaked streets of Hell with hilarious characters who show often surprising depth as the story progresses. Moments as disparate as Lola lovingly throwing jabs at her friend or Milo trying to bury his worries about where their friendship was (platonically) heading back on Earth add depth and realism to a world involving a bunch of drunk demons. They’re also both great at playing with the many turns the story does and can take, depending on both planned story events and optional dialogue choices. Milo and Lola are endearingly played by Khoi Dao (Detective Pikachu’s Tim Goodman) and Janina Gavankar (Star Wars: Battlefront II’s Iden Versio), respectively, and they quickly find a rhythm and chemistry that makes their friendship feel as lived-in as intended. Part of that is thanks to the biting, fun writing, which rolls as smoothly as if Aaron Sorkin added fast-talking kids to his repertoire. “ This Is the Bad Place!Night School has done an impressive job of making its stars, Milo and Lola, clearly defined people while also allowing you to take on a level of meaningful control in their dialogue choices. From the chain sports bar’s interior being garishly lit by all the HDTVs on the walls to a dingy pool hall to some surprising clubs, every interior is distinct and breathes life into the land of the dead.For a location that has been mined in plenty of pop culture, Night School’s Hell feels unique, and completely like the post-bar, 2 am, dingy cityscape it’s often supposed to evoke. Night School’s vision of Hell is bright and colorful – and not just thanks to all the lava oozing around – and each bar and district of the Underworld is intriguing to explore. An early decision I made to help a demon instead of a human woman completely cut off a later quest for me, though thankfully Afterparty’s roughly seven-hour length makes replaying to see that mission, and plenty of other paths locked behind your choices, less of a chore and more of an intriguing alternate cut. There’s an emphasis on dialogue options, as the continuous chatter often involves giving input on everything from small-scale character moments to larger, story-impacting choices. Well, nothing on Earth or in Hell is that simple, and Milo and Lola’s winding night takes them through several bar-filled districts of the underworld and turns into an emotionally trying, morally complex adventure. ![]()
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