Until Then: The Emotional Narrative Indie Debuts on Xbox Series - Review

There are stories capable of warming the heart, others of moving, and some that make you cry like a fountain for the themes addressed with such sensitivity. And probably Until Then is one of those tales, a production capable of transporting the player into the soul of a teenager and making them live a journey of growth, curiosity, mystery, and also trauma caused by loss.

Perhaps we've thought about it many times, but even today, the video game medium continues to surprise us. And Until Then is one of those exponents that doesn't feature adrenaline-pumping gameplay with a high challenge level, no sir, it takes us on a journey, into a daily life made of adolescent situations, school plans, future expectations, outings with friends, and the blossoming of new loves. In short, over the course of 15/16 hours, unexpected situations, joyful moments, and daily insecurities that characterize the life of any high school student will be faced.

The difference lies in the context: we find ourselves in a town in the Philippines after a catastrophic climatic event, presumably tropical cyclone Haiyan (or Yolanda) which in 2013 resulted in over 6000 deaths and a multitude of injured. You can imagine the state of mind of a people after a cyclone of this magnitude, which certainly did not prevent our protagonists from living an apparently normal life, well aware of the necessary economic and social consequences.

Until Then is a rollercoaster of emotions that will certainly not leave you indifferent. Compared to other similar productions, here there is a lot of text on screen and there will be no crossroads or karmic choices, not to mention the not always convincing implementation of mini-games. In any case, and we say it right away, it would be a real shame not to fully enjoy this narrative experience, now also available on Xbox Series.

The Carefree Nature of Adolescence and the Value of Tears

It's 2014, in the Philippines, in a place where society is recovering from a great catastrophe. And in this context, we will step into the shoes of Mark Borja, a 15-year-old boy with an apparently distracted air who experiences the joys and sorrows of any other student his age. The first journey begins, precisely, from Mark's bedroom, from the moment he has breakfast until he goes to school and has to solve some of the most common school problems: handing in an assignment and consequently getting vaguely decent grades.

However, the boy has a distracted manner and sometimes appears a bit lazy, yet his friends and teachers realize how his talent is trapped and ready to emerge at any moment. In the days spent in Mark's company, we will (re)live all those dreams and problems typical of that age, scrolling through social networks in search of news (also leaving likes and comments) and discussing difficulties and moments spent together with friends in common chats.

Until Then, at least in the first half of the adventure, might seem like a simple slice of life, a narrative video game that tells a story that is at times carefree, without ever letting us forget the difficult time being lived. And these difficulties are felt in Mark's life, forced (despite himself) to live alone, as his parents have sought fortune in some foreign country. Different cultures, this is true, but they make us understand how the strength of friendships and the people around us are experienced with the same intensity in any part of the world.

Everything will change, however, when a new student transfers to our protagonist's school. At this point, the game begins to take on a more complex, less ordinary, and more mystical meaning, where some of the people we know suddenly disappear and memories become increasingly tangled and unreliable. What was once more of a "teen drama" will take on a more mature meaning, where the genuineness of new loves blossoming and carefree moments of friendship give way to a more melancholic side that makes us reflect on the introspective meaning of loss.

Talking to you in detail about Mark's life and all his peers is not easy without giving you necessary spoilers, and we believe that, should you decide to embark on this journey, you should be unaware of the situations and moments that will make you cry profusely. The developers, apart from a few situations that we found overly verbose, were very careful in recreating a context where emotions remained indelible over time, with a story so intimate that it leaves a mark on the heart of every player.

Until Then is an experiment not easy to realize and one that took many risks. Its very linear structure might "alienate" more demanding players and those who love to take responsibility for moral choices: but trust us when we say that this story, focused on acceptance and processing certain consequences, will move you like never before. Of course, there are moments where the broth has been slightly watered down, but when the events take hold, then you will be ready to be swept away like a stormy sea. And if that weren't enough, to make the epilogue even more complete, the game offers multiple endings: by starting a new game, you will notice diversified elements and some developments in the events. In short, completing it 100% will take you more time than expected.

With the launch of the Xbox Series version (a version that runs perfectly), unfortunately, the Afterimages DLC has not yet been made available, also expected for 2026 with an unspecified date. This expansion (available for all platforms) will delve into some themes related to resilience in two new chapters (Until Then, in the base game, features five). In addition to expanding the narrative, there will also be novelties regarding activities and mini-games.

Horizontal Scrolling and Gameplay with Few Innovations

Until Then is a narrative graphic adventure that primarily focuses on the emotional and nostalgic factor, and this is clear from the very first minutes. Mark can move left and right horizontally and interact with objects, talk to people from time to time, and examine the depth of social networks: in short, a true and authentic interactive visual novel.

And while the many dialogues manage to craft an interesting story, the same cannot be said for the mini-games, which we found rather bland and at times boring. These mini-games don't find a pleasant place within Until Then and are always easy to solve: we can compete to see who skewers more meatballs at a fast food stall (don't ask us why) or scare more people inside the haunted house. Fortunately, they are well-connected to the events, but we believe that even without them, the story could have conveyed the same feelings: perhaps, the developers were looking for a more playful aspect for what is an all-encompassing narrative experience.

Artistically, Until Then relies entirely on an excellent pixel art aesthetic that manages to communicate (incredible even to state) emotions on the "dotted" faces of the protagonists. Not to mention that, in the most decisive moments of the events, the view switches to a more elaborate, true "cartoon" style graphic, offering us close-ups (and sometimes tears) capable of enchanting even the most rigid of gamers.

The progression seemed very mature to us, perhaps even too much considering that the main actors of Until Then are mostly teenagers who, at times, forget certain idioms (some would even say slang) that characterize the most carefree age. After all, these young people know what suffering means and, despite a difficult context where people fill hospitals due to catastrophic events, they get back up and find a smile behind some squabble or the video game of the moment. And all of this is wonderful!