I
’vediscoveredtheredthreadbetween
gamesfromNightSchoolStudio.They
featurecharactersinorbarelyoutof
schoolandtheymostlytakeplaceat
night. It’s allinthename!Seriously,Afterpartyand
Oxenfree sharenatural-soundingdialogue,
characterswhowerecoolerthanyouatschool,
terrible jokesandsupernaturalincidentsaplenty.matterwhatyousayasmuchashowyou
sayit.DifferentdrinksmakeMiloorLola
bolder,morecharmingormore
empathetic,andyouneedtochoosethe
rightinjectionofliquidconfidencetoget
someoneonyourside.DrinkDo us part
Your skill at entertaining others through
various drinking games matters as much
as your charm. My demo features a very
rudimentary game of beer pong, during
which I liberally curse out my opponent to
ascertain my dominance. The more drunk
I get, the easier it is to aim, even as the Hell
world gets fuzzy at the edges. There’s just
as much cursing in this game as there is
drinking, which is to say a whole lot. True
to Night School’s style Milo and Lola arecute and fashionable, and they stand out
against the backdrop of Hell.
Like the characters in Oxenfree, sass is
their first line of defence against the
situation they find themselves in. Lola is
the more angry of the two, ready to get
shit done in order to leave Hell as soon as
possible. I’m immediately more interested
Milo’s character development, because he
seems like a bit of a doormat.
Hell is a vibrant place, illuminated by
the neon signs of its bars and coloured
light spilling out into the night, but it
doesn’t demo well. Oxenfree was a bit of a
slow burn, my interest building as I got
more invested in its characters, and I
reckon Afterparty will be the same.
In the demo there’s no way to tell yet
how big the influence of different drinks on
your conversations will be, or if escaping
really is as simple as being good at holding
your liquor. Night School Studio has
already teased the existence of side
missions and several possible endings. I’m
eager for everything that comes with a
truly memorable night out, even the
awkward moments of drunken honesty.
Malindy HetfeldHell is a vibrant
place,illuminated
bytHe neon signs
of its barsplayed
itA gamewhereyoudrinkand
play drinkinggames
AfterpArty
Following their deaths, best friends Milo
and Lola end up in Hell. After they make
the acquaintance of the taxi driver of the
river Styx, they meet a serial killer about
their age and demons with several sets of
eyes at one of the underworld’s many
bars. Getting drunk is better than getting
tortured, but the duo still wants to leave,
and the only way to do so is to out-drink
the devil. Since you can’t simply turn up at
the devil’s private party, Milo and Lola
have to build a reputation first.
When getting to know the more
influential inhabitants of Hell, it doesn’tAfterparty
PREVIEW
RELEASE
2019DEVELoPER
Night School StudioPubLIShER
In-houseLINK
http://www.afterpartygame.comneed to knowLola is putting her college
education to good use.