At first, it is really just an ordinary high school life. Waking up in the morning, spending time in a slightly messy room, being chased by assignments, and having trivial interactions with friends. That kind of “seemingly omnipresent daily life” is carefully depicted, carrying an atmosphere that makes you involuntarily feel nostalgic, thinking, “Ah, there were times like this.” However, what makes this work interesting is the way that small senses of oddity gradually blend into that daily life, and by the time you realize “something is wrong,” you get the sensation that you have already reached a point of no return.

The turning point of the story is “a certain encounter” that greatly changes the life of the protagonist, Mark. With that as a trigger, the world quietly but surely crumbles. The phenomena of people disappearing and memories becoming blurred are not flashy directions, but rather a type of horror that slowly encroaches, making you strongly feel an impatience that “by the time I realize it, it might be irreversible.” That is exactly why this story is not a mere mystery, but allows you to taste a sensation of being drawn into the situation yourself as a player.

What is particularly impressive in this game is the depiction of the relationships with the characters. It finely expresses how the distance narrows through text messages and social media, or conversely how people pass each other by, rather than just exchanging conversations. There is a sensation close to reality where “a minor word changes a relationship,” and because those accumulations affect the flow of the story, weight is naturally born in each and every choice. Once you begin to consider the emotions behind casual interactions, you become so immersed that it doesn't feel like a mere game

The presence of the smartphone used within the game is also a major characteristic of this work. Actions such as looking at social media posts, leaving comments, and checking emails lead directly to hints or branches in the story. Since even a trivial act like whether or not to press “Like” has the potential to affect later developments, it surprises you that actions usually done thoughtlessly can hold so much meaning. The point of naturally incorporating modern tools into the story is highly impressive.

This work depicts themes such as affection, friendship, and loss head-on. While acting as Mark, moments of worrying “was this really for the best” arrive numerous times, and there are also scenes where you must move forward while harboring regret at times. Being confronted with the reality that acting for someone's sake does not necessarily lead to a good result, you are made to strongly feel the weight of the very act of “choosing.” The mini-games interspersed between the story are also crucial elements supporting the atmosphere of this work. Playing at stalls or taking on small tasks, all of them are contents like cutting out a frame of daily life, possessing a familiarity that makes you think, “There were times like this too.” By having these elements within a tense story, players can deepen their understanding of the world view further while catching their breath.

On the visual front, a unique style that fuses hand-drawn pixel art and 3D expressions is adopted. While being dot art that invokes nostalgia, a three-dimensional depth is born through expressions of light and shadow, creating an atmosphere that feels somewhat like the boundary between reality and dreams. By having music overlap there, an air that is calm yet somehow tinged with sorrow spreads, quietly nestling close to the player's emotions. The world that serves as the stage takes inspiration from the culture and scenery of the Philippines, and diverse locations from the hustle and bustle of cities to nature-rich regions appear. The time spent traveling by bus, the air of the streets, and the ways people live are finely depicted, resulting in a structure where you can feel that people are living in that place, rather than it being “just a background.” While being a foreign atmosphere, it possesses a mysterious charm where you feel nostalgia somewhere.

Rather than relying on flashy developments or stimulating directions, “Until Then” is a work that slowly enters the heart by carefully depicting the boundary between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Before you know it, you are seriously thinking about the characters, worrying over your choices, and swinging between joy and sorrow at the results—such an experience awaits. It is a title that leaves a quiet and deep impression, as if the afterglow continues to linger for a while even after finishing the story.