Escape rooms are an interesting phenomenon. In case you don’t know what they are, they play as live events in which a group of friends or strangers are put into a locked room, sometimes themed, and have to solve several clues to find a way out. These rooms have become a social night out for millions of people.
But they were inspired by video games; games which have used this formula since back in the day. And now things have gone in full reverse – some games being inspired by live events. After You basically consists of three escape room areas in which you have to solve a ton of clues to escape the areas. But there is a spooky, rather strange story holding the strands all together.
It is worth noting that After You, or After You – Level Escape as it may be known, was made by a single developer. Before you even begin the game they state that this is a difficult game, and you will need your brain on full alert to get through it. I can agree with the maker – After You is definitely a tricky game in terms of puzzle solving. You will need to read every note and analyse everything you see or feel in order to work out what to do next. How you feel about the challenge will dictate how much you will enjoy the game.
You play the role of Aron, a man who wakes up in his house and realises he is completely on his own. His family aren’t around, and when he heads outside, there is no one there either; the streets look abandoned, like everyone has been raptured away. You then go on a journey to try and work out what has happened to the world. Through notes and clues, you start to piece together information. But the truth of the event is revealed much later on, via an interesting coda that is surprising and works.
There aren’t any hints about what to do in After You, nor any clues if you get stuck. You are basically just left to explore, finding the answers you ned to the questions that come your way. How do I open this safe? Why can’t I get fuel for the car? How do I switch this computer on? The game is played in the first person and takes place over three chapters – the first is the suburban street where you live, the second a gas station stop in the middle of the night, whilst the last is a place of work.
Exploration is key here. As is reading. Lots of reading. Most puzzles involve finding a keycode for a safe or doorway and sometimes these feel rather standard to solve. But in other moments, everything about After You – Level Escape feels quite abstract, rarely relating to anything. One example is when you come across a murder scene; the trick to the code being to count the body outlines, something I would have never guessed without a helpful guide. Some might call this cheating, but I like to call it ‘not losing my mind’. For those who like to spend their time working through various actions and combinations, After You will excel. For those of us who just can’t do that, you’ll be best to look away now.
As the creation of a lone developer, the game’s visuals are very decent, with clean environments and some nice lighting. There are some nifty little details in the interiors and areas of great level design. It creates a strange, lonely, atmosphere as well, built on via visual storytelling, whilst the audio is kept simple; working a good score and the odd effect.
If you love a challenging puzzler in which you are left to search hard for clues, then After You could be the game for you. I would suspect most will need to rely on a guide, but even then, the story and visuals are both good enough to draw you in. This is a tricky game though, one that could well keep you going for some time, as you try to understand what is needed for progression.
But then, it’s pretty cheap to purchase, and so if you are an escape room fanatic, After You could well be worth a punt.
