Afterdream

This might be the biggest review I'll ever write.
The first time I played a game of Jesse (Distraint) was in 2018. I was looking for a random horror game to play on my phone in the middle of the night, and I ended up finding Distraint. Even after 5 years this is still one of my favorite games and I can't describe in words what it felt like when I played it for the first time.
Today I had the opportunity to play another game by Jesse and once again he has released another masterpiece. Afterdream is a strange game (in a good way), and just as it scared me, I had to stop the game several times to cry. It's a completely different experience for anyone who has recently dealt with grief, and I speak from personal experience.
Afterdream is definitely one of my favorite games released this year. The gameplay is fun, tense, and exciting all at the same time. I really identified with the character's story and that made my experience 100% better. Congratulations to everyone involved in this game!
My mother died in March, and we weren't very close. The game perfectly described how I was feeling, especially the guilt. I wish I had told her I loved her, but now it's too late. Seeing the urn with Dad's ashes made me identify with everything in the game even more. After playing Afterdream, all the guilt I felt went away. I feel lighter, I've been thinking a lot, and I've come to the conclusion that this guilt never made any sense. And that if I had to deal with weird dreams to see her one last time, I would do it without a second thought.
I'm writing this now, crying and hugging my mother's urn of ashes. I would do anything to see her one last time, to hug her, to tell her how much I love her, and this game has only made me more certain of that.
I'm not a bad person for not being able to see her before she died, and that's something I've been thinking about for months. :(
All I can say is thank you. I've been carrying the weight of guilt for months and it was driving me to the bottom. Afterdream showed me that while guilt is sometimes unavoidable, it's not always necessary to carry that weight. I finally feel free of all the pain and remorse I felt for those six months.
From the botton of my heart, thanks again!
Also, if you ever consider translating into PT-BR, please contact me. I make it a point to volunteer and translate for free to give more Brazilians the chance to play such an incredible game. <3

I already played the game in the SteamFest and liked it, so of course I'm here buying it on day one! So far, I completed the first two scenarios and the level of quality of the demo is held, while the mystery of the story intensifies. I'm curious to see how things will develop in the game. Graphics, interface and game design all give a nicely polished impression so far. Everyone who is unsure if the game is for them, just try the free demo, which is still available and you will not be disappointed :D

Fun and mildly spooky game, with relatively easy puzzles. Played once for fun and quickly once again to pick up a couple missed achievements. Enjoyed both.

Afterdream is a heartfelt game about love, loss, and regret. It reminds us how important it is to tell those we treasure that they matter. I have enjoyed Jesse Makkonen's previous titles (especially Distraint and Distraint 2) and I was not let down by this one. I disagree with the Steam tags of 'Psychological Horror' and 'Horror.' Although there are nightmare-like sequences, there are no jump-scares or violence. I would call it a 'story-rich' puzzler with a heart!
It is a traditional 2-D adventure that uses a handful of keys (WASD, E, Q) and does not support the mouse or controller. This is not an ideal interface, in my opinion, but the game was worth struggling through my lack of left-hand dexterity. Puzzles are very reasonable and most rely on environmental clues or inventory items. There is one stealth scene at the end but it was fairly easy.
Afterdream follows a girl who has recently lost her father. Working with a counselor, she goes through a series of dream sequences to help process her feelings. The art is exceptional, the sound track is spot-on, and the story is one that most of us can relate to. There are no voice-overs, which I thought was a smart design decision. One cool mechanic is the camera that allows you to change specific aspects of the environment by taking a picture. Your camera's flash also provides a light source in dark scenes.
For completionists, familiarity with the descriptions of the achievements should be enough to get 100% on your first pass if you are paying attention.
The game does not auto-save on exit. Instead, each section has a designated location for saving your game, on demand. The only drawback is that a single save file is used. This means that there is no 'circling back' for missed achievements. If you don't get them on your first time through, you'll be starting a new game to try again. My first pass took a bit over 4 hours. My second time took considerably less because I already knew what I was supposed to do.
I highly recommend Afterdream to those who enjoy a relaxed pace adventure and don't mind shedding a few tears along the way.

A brief yet intriguing oneiric journey. It underscores the value of spending time with loved ones. Not too scary, making it accessible even for those new to the genre.

Since I can define myself a long-date fan of Jesse Makkonen (I'm pretty sure I played all of his games, at least here on steam), I think I can say with enough confidence that this is his best game so far. It masterfully mixes together the haunting silent-hill-esque atmosphere and world design that has made this dev a true colossus of indie psychological horror games, with a truly brilliant puzzle design that will keep your brain fully engaged for the whole duration of your playthrough. This game contains all the trademarks of Jesse's productions: grey and gloomy side-scrolling levels full of incredibly curated details, absurd creatures coming from your worst nightmares, and a melancholic and bitter-sweet plot that literally explodes in the end, with such energy that it will most surely steal some tears even from the most hardened hearts. Every time I play a new game from Jesse I truly feel honored for the wonderful experience, and this new entry here makes no exception. I felt like all the best features of all his previous games were cleverly amalgamated here, like he gathered all the feedback he had received along the years to create his masterpiece. If you are a very sensitive person that enjoys good narration, you can't go wrong with this game, do yourself a gift and try it. And if you enjoy it, consider trying all his previous games too, you'll understand everything I said here. TOTALLY recommended, one of the best psychological horror - puzzle games you can find on this platform. Another excellent work Jesse, keep them coming ;)
Cheers guys!

As a fan of the Jesse Makkonen's DISTRAINT games I felt compelled to play this follow-up. In the same vein as those games, Afterdream is a gorgeous, dreamlike (heh) puzzle-horror that is definitely recommended for those who like their horror a little more low-key.