DeVuego

Shadows of the Afterland is a wonderful adventure game. Beautiful visuals and sound-design set the stage for thoughtful puzzles, controlled with a simple interface. Taken together they involve adventurers in a beautiful story about love transcending death.

ILA doesn't overstay its welcome with its 3-4 hour length. The core gliding remains satisfying throughout, the cosmetic collection elements provide just enough motivation to explore a little deeper, and reaching the end feels earned without any artificial padding. Despite some rough edges with the camera and those unnecessary snowboarding bits, this is a genuinely cozy platformer that nails the most important part of a game like this: making its core movement mechanic feel good.

Even with the game’s short play time, I’d be hard pressed to recommend Skeler Boy. It wore out its welcome immediately for me.