Hell has always been an odd topic for video game designers. 99% of the time, the underworld tends to be represented by demonic monstrosities, human suffering and a lot of torture. Doom tends to be most gamer’s first thought, then maybe the strange musical number from Saints Row. I can genuinely think of one game that gives the Devil’s domain more depth than just a place for human’s to be punished for their sins. That game is a not so well-known indie game called Afterparty. It’s coming to Switch soon and is on Xbox Game Pass if you’d like to give it a go! It’s a short game so I can wait whilst you go enjoy the experience 😉
Made by the same folks behind the brilliantly spooky Oxenfree, (which I’ll write about some today if you’re interested!), Afterparty places you in the shoes of Milo and Lola, two best friends who find themselves in the afterlife a lot sooner than they expected. Unable to remember how they died or what they did to end up in hell, they set out to find some answers and maybe a way back to the mortal realm. As it turns out, there is a way home. All you must do is outdrink Satan in a series of drinking games, like beer pong. It’s not like he’s the Lord of Hell and has been drinking since before any of the molecules in your body even existed.
Throughout the game, you will control Lola and Milo, in order to solve problems, have … interesting conversations with demons and to down cocktails to gain powers (like courage, flirtation or complete arrogance). You know, normal drunk student behaviour. I’m surprised there isn’t an option to steal a traffic cone as kleptomania seems to be a big thing for student’s on nights out. That and having serious conversations with statues, to the point of expecting them to reply. Drunk people are weird, what can I say. Since I don’t drink much, I can’t relate that much to the drunken escapades of Lola and Milo, but my housemates can.
As much as the best friends are the stars of the show, the supporting cast of demons, fellow dammed souls and monarchs of hell are what really bring the story to life. Sam and Sister Mary Wormhorn steal the show. They are a testament that even in hell itself, well written NPC’s can raise the story to a level of quality that game mechanics alone could not achieve.
Sam, voiced by the wonderful Ashly Burch, is a taxi driver that offers to give Lola and Milo a lift to the different islands that form hells inner circles, cause you know, swimming through the river Styx doesn’t tend to end well for anyone. There’s a lot more to Sam than meets the eye, as her relationship with Satan himself is a bit more… complicated than you’d think for a demonic Uber driver. From providing exposition about the monarchs, to encouraging the friends to not give up, Sam is a character that is worth listening to, especially if you’re as invested in the fates of Milo and Lola as I was.
As you play through the game, you discover that Sam is one of the original monarchs of hell. Cast out of heaven with her siblings by God, she decided to build a small church so that souls who still wished to commune with God, could do so, whether he would listen or not. Satan didn’t take it well and conscripted Sam to her taxi driver position, endlessly driving back and forth, never settling in one place. Bit of a dick move if you ask me but then again, he is Satan. Now, as the player, it’s up to you whether you choose to befriend Sam but if you don’t be kind to Sam, I’ll hunt you down and send you to hell myself.
Sister Mary Wormhorn is an entirely unique character, even in hell. She is what is known as a “Personal Demon” – assigned to ensure that Milo and Lola are continuously tormented throughout their time in hell. She is a manifestation of their inner torments, thoughts and negative experiences, able to create unique scenarios and dredge up horrific memories that the duo would much rather forget. In general, Wormhorn acts as a “summary” to each act of Afterparty’s story. She judges you for your choices, your conversations and the consequences that you will face later.
However, she also gives you more detail on the friendship between Lola and Milo as she puts it to the test. Her goal is to split the two of them up, to break their spirits and generally just torment them. Every tiny disagreement between the friends is noted by her and used later to widen the gap between them. If you side with Lola early on, Wormhorn will remember. At one point she even tries to get it on with Milo’s conscience (yes, his conscience gets ejected from his body by a cocktail) just to piss off our dynamic duo.
Ironically, Wormhorn is the closest this game comes to a moral compass. Although Lola and Milo aren’t bad people, they’re still in hell. Some of the choices you can make are morally grey and that’s the point that Afterparty tries to get across a lot. There is no “correct” choice. No matter what you do, someone will get hurt or miss out. Wormhorn doesn’t let you forget that.
Human emotions are complicated. Our choices are never cut and dry. Afterparty really dives into this, with your decisions and conversations never having a perfect solution. When it comes to the afterlife, none of us are sure what lies in store for us, nor whether our decisions on earth will save us from that eternal hellfire. Though if hell is in any way like Afterparty’s interpretation, maybe I’ll be ok. At least until my own personal demon clocks in to work and goes to town on my …less than perfect mental state.
Give Afterparty a chance. After all, wouldn’t you want the devil to take pity on you?
Until next week,
CaitlinRC.