First, the good news: Afterparty is coming to Steam on October 22!
Now the not-so-great news: you’ve died and are about to burn in Hell. Instead of getting cozy with the concept of being eternally flayed, you must elbow your way into Satan’s house party and convince him to grant you re-entry to Earth. But (lucky for you?) the only way he’ll consider it is if you can outdrink him.
That’s the premise of Afterparty, our next original game after Oxenfree.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/762220/Afterparty/
We wanted to let players inhabit their own darkly comedic adventure--like Superbad, but as a playable bender through Hell’s weirdest districts. To that end, here are the key creative pillars we focused on while making Afterparty.
Playing as two besties
First, it was imperative to our crew that you embody not one, but two characters via Afterparty’s leads, Milo and Lola. Over the course of your night in Hell, you’ll explore the peaks and valleys of long-term friendship in ways that haven’t been seen in games before.
Playing as a duo let our writers and designers explore not only the upside of long term friendship, but the pitfalls of knowing too much about each other. The game will pay close attention to how you shape your Milo and Lola; who you relate to more, whose plans you follow through with, and ultimately how you navigate the benefits and compromises of their friendship. By the end of the game, their relationship will be completely formed by your choices.
A new vision of Hell’s denizens
Afterparty’s version of the afterlife draws from all religions, but is firmly rooted in reality. It was a blast developing our own set of rules, deviating from the familiar pitchforks and fire in most interpretations of Hell. Our dead people and demons have jobs, families, and argue over the good parking spot like the rest of us. But they also throw Death Day parties for serial killers.
An unpredictably wild night
Whereas our last game, Oxenfree, had a unifying dilemma that the whole cast was trying to overcome, we wanted to make the situations in Afterparty reflect a much larger cast with their own unique problems. Milo and Lola just happen to stumble through these moments on their own journey, and the game is structured to feel more like a binge-worthy streaming TV series filled with an unpredictable cast.
Win over the demonic band manager who brokers deals in exchange for souls. Dance for the EDM DJ in the middle of the throbbing two-story pile of limbs. Start a fight during the reunion of a grown man with the demon that possessed his toys when he was a kid. Every bar or street corner can lead to another set of strange characters who can help Milo and Lola on their greater journey.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/762220/Afterparty/
If going out to bars and socializing (albeit with digital demons) sounds better than what you've got going on these days, then we invite you to:
Love,
The Night School Team