Review Shadows of the Afterland

Back when I was younger, I played a fair amount of point-and-click adventures. Especially LucasArts games were among my favourites. Hours upon hours were spent trying to become a pirate, stopping a tentacle from conquering the world, or whipping my way through ruins to uncover the real fate of Atlantis. If I wasn’t playing LucasArts games, I would immerse myself in the large library of Sierra point-and-click adventures.

When Danny reached out to me about Shadows of the Afterland, I took a quick look at what I could expect. The first images I saw instantly reminded me of one of my all-time favourite LucasArts point-and-click games, Day of the Tentacle. If you take a look at the screenshots in this article, it’s easy to see where the developer drew their inspiration from. I didn’t have to think twice about spending some time with the game, but is it as good as the classic that inspired it? Let’s find out.

A familiar first impression

Shadows of the Afterland tells the story of Pilar, a hardworking maid, and Carolina, a police officer, both of whom die at the start of the game. For reasons unknown, their ghostly spirits get mixed up, and it’s up to you to find out what happened and how Carolina died. After all, how can you die if you haven’t even been born yet?

The story mostly takes place in the afterlife, but at several points you get the opportunity to travel to the land of the living.

Possession mechanics and puzzle flow

These moments are where the game truly sets itself apart. Once in the land of the living, you can possess humans to interact with objects, as it’s impossible for you as a ghost to physically pick up items or talk to others. This mechanic adds a welcome layer to the otherwise classic point-and-click gameplay.

That said, I found it disappointing that these moments were both limited and very short. I would have loved to see more of them, as it was genuinely fun to hop between NPCs, have them interact with one another, and solve puzzles by trading items between them. Without these sections, the game becomes a fairly straightforward and bare-bones point-and-click adventure. While the puzzles are logical, they are also quite easy and mostly revolve around examining objects, combining items, and talking to other ghosts to progress.

One-click interaction

Most of the gameplay is handled with a single mouse click. There is no verb menu or verb wheel to define your actions. I usually appreciate having the option to look at a person or object to gain extra information, separate from interacting with it. Here, clicking an object immediately picks it up, and clicking a character instantly starts a conversation. It’s not a game-breaking issue, but it is something I personally value in point-and-click adventures, as it helps flesh out the environment you’re in.

Art direction, audio, and length

Speaking of the environment, Shadows of the Afterland features a colourful, cartoonish art style that clearly channels the old-school LucasArts look we know from games like the aforementioned Day of the Tentacle. The various locations you visit are nicely designed and visually appealing. From a Spanish Zoo to a library and even a nursery where baby spirits are born (don’t ask). Each area has its own distinct atmosphere. These locations are supported by a strong soundtrack and some solid voice acting.

Because of all this, it was especially disappointing that the game is so short. It took me between four and five hours to reach the end of Shadows of the Afterland. While the story does get wrapped up within that time, I was left missing some key explanations, such as why the two main characters’ spirits became connected in the first place. Overall, the story is decent, but it doesn’t stand out among the stronger narratives the point-and-click genre has to offer.