My personal game of the year.

I don’t like to use often overused hyperbolic statement like "masterpiece", however in this particular case, the description might be entirely warranted.

Until Then delivers one of the most memorable, believable, and realistic portrayals of human relationships i’ve ever seen in the medium. Despite incorporating mild supernatural elements, the game remains deeply grounded, offering an authentic exploration of the daily struggles we all face. It’s a deeply heartfelt experience about love and loss, hope and sorrow, life and death. Theres no bombastic action to be found here-just a love letter to life itself. This is a story that reminds us how even the seemingly insignificant moments of our lives, which might otherwise be lost to time, can become one of our most dearest and cherished memories.

I admit, I was initially quite skeptical about the introduction of a supernatural subplot, especially given how grounded and realistic the characters were. Thankfully, not only is the supernatural element handled brilliantly, but its resolution is nothing short of genius. (Just like everything else about the game)

With that said, I can’t go into detail about what this game is really about without ruining the game for you with spoilers, so I will focus on a few important highlights without revealing anything crucial:

The story, characters, and writing are simply magnificent—one of the absolute best, if not the very best, in the medium.
The visuals are jaw-dropping, featuring perhaps the best use of pixel art I’ve ever seen. The immaculate pixel art work brings even the subtlest facial expressions to life in a way that most AAA productions with realistic art styles can only dream of.
The music is absolutely beautiful and helps out elevate the emotional impact of the game to next level.

As the rest of the review suggests, this is a very...special game, in more ways than one, and while my intention is to avoid any spoilers in this review, theres one very important piece of information that needs to be said: once you finish the game and see the credits roll, you need to know that this is not the end of the game. In similar vein of games like Nier Automata, you need to play through the game three times in total to experience the full story. Thats the only thing i will reveal about the story to you.

Until Then is a remarkable achievement in storytelling. In fact, the entire message of the game is so strong it wouldnt surprise me if some players would finish the game with their entire outlook on life changed . Its a game that left a permanent emotional impact on me, and I have no doubt it’s a game I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

You know...occasionally i hear people ask: whats that one game you should play before you die? And i honestly believe i just found it.