Afterparty

Demons want to have fun and get wasted.

Afterparty is a branching narrative drinking game set in Hell. Our protagonists are Lola and Milo, two recently deceased college graduates and lifelong best friends. With no memory of how they got there, Lola and Milo seek to escape Hell, but the only way home is to out-drink Satan himself. Most of your time will be spent talking and partying with the denizens of hell, with the occasional game of beer pong or a dance-off to mix things up.

As others speak two possible responses appear above Lola or Milo’s head. The responses themselves are either positive or negative, agree or disagree. The third option, which changes depending on what drink you’re sipping, is usually the most entertaining.

Hell is full of life. The pub talk is entertaining: people of all shapes and sizes walk the streets, the conversations flow smoothly and there’s a bar to suit every taste. As you drink your way home and through their interactions with others, you quickly grow to understand Lola and Milo as well as the dynamics of their relationship. For a game predominantly about drinking, as I played I grew concerned that Afterparty was over-glorifying it all. But my concerns were quickly addressed.

It is the definitive night out simulator. You try new drinks, travel between bars, and connect with incredible people. Then, after a few more drinks, things escalate and you start to do progressively stupider things. The repercussions aren’t a real concern, it’s a bit of fun, you’ll be leaving soon anyway. You’ll probably never see any of these people again. But inevitably the revelries draw to an end. As a new day arrives they are forced to face reality and their problems. It gets surprisingly sobering.

I had high expectations for Afterparty. I was expecting a comedy title, but the very real relationship between Lola and Milo, the humour that had me chuckling and the audacity from Night School Studio to go where they did, at the risk of their player’s discomfort, made Afterparty more than I thought it could be.