![\"Until](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-65471a50b9c19ef399b8-1900x1080.jpg\")
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Recently, I\u2019ve come to appreciate from games like Despelote, Closer the Distance, and Afterlove EP show that games as a medium isn\u2019t just viable for poignant storytelling, it\u2019s uniquely suited to fully immersive narrative experiences. Until Then carries that forward with a striking 2.5D coming-of-age story that blends love, grief, and friendship in 2010s Philippines, with a subtle supernatural undercurrent that I\u2019ll try not to spoil.<\/p>\n
The game follows Mark, a slacker teen who coasts through school with little ambition and plenty of isolation, spending most of his time gaming and procrastinating. As the story unfolds, he connects with a growing cast, texting and messaging friends on social media including forming a bond with newcomer Nicole. Every so often light gameplay will occur, such as skewering fishballs with a stick, rhythm game sequences when Mark is learning to play piano, or playing a series of games at a local fair, all of which add a brief amount of variety that fit into the narrative. But Polychroma\u2019s richly detailed pixel art is the real showstopper, bringing the Philippines to life through vibrant, lived-in spaces, where cultural touchstones and food-centric moments create a deeply immersive, emotionally resonant world, whether you share that background or not. Though it takes its time, the story\u2019s endearing cast draws you in, building toward a devastating emotional payoff that lingers long after.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re reliving your teenage years or still living them, this visual novel feels instantly familiar. Over my 18-hour playthrough, Until Then made me laugh, pause in awe, and even tear up. While the coming-of-age narrative stands strong on its own, the added breathtaking pixel animation, engaging mystery, and cultural backdrop firmly cement it as essential for anyone who loves narrative-driven games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013 Raymond Estrada<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Recently, I\u2019ve come to appreciate from games like Despelote, Closer the Distance, and Afterlove EP show that games…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620173,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[210661,174597,210662,59,59577,59578,98060,86,56,54,55,210663,192576,58826],"class_list":["post-620172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-adorable-adventures","tag-directive-8020","tag-dungeon-clawler","tag-gb","tag-idxbox","tag-indie-selects","tag-invincible-vs","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-until-then","tag-wax-heads","tag-xbox-series-xs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620172\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}