Afterlight was made by students from the Academy of Interactive Entertainment for Windows. I spoke with Matt, an Academic Counselor of the academy about their project.
For Afterlight, the game was developed in a week. It was a pretty short demo of the game, but definitely one I enjoyed.
Afterlight is a game about the player being trapped in a catacomb where darkness is a poison that can take your life. The lanterns are your source of light to find your way to an escape.
The blocky aesthetic made it very reminiscent to other games, and it was an enjoyable dungeon game with platforming and puzzles.
The guidance in the game was great, utilizing the sigils and ghost statues to hint players on where to go.
On my first attempt, I had intended to abandon Terry, a ghost trapped in a cage. But, in trying to progress forward, it became prevalent that Terry was essential to move forward. Took a few deaths to get that through to me.
The ambience music of the game with the sound bites for certain objects definitely helped. I loved the rattling sound of the door since it sounded closer to rattling bones which was fitting for being in a place with lava and bones.
Terry being voice acted was a nice touch as well. The little voice acting helped fill in the silence, gave a little more character to the game than if it was without.
I only had a few issues while going through the game. The first was Terry automatically returning to me after throwing him to solve puzzles. Without any prompt from me, Terry would come off the weighted platform back into my hand. This was easily fixed with some repeated tries of throwing him and dying to respawn at checkpoints. Thankfully, death was not a heavy punishment in the game.
I encourage for anyone looking to try out a small 3D platformer to check out Afterlight. The students should be proud of the project they’ve created to present at Pax West 2025!
What are your thoughts about showing student-created games? Would you be willing to try the game for yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below or in our Boss Rush Discord!
Featured Image Source: Academy of Interactive Media
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