After Light Fades
A mystical, magical sokoban puzzler about letting go. After the loss of her beloved partner, Alice is left with seven emotionally resonant artefacts. She embarks on a journey to revisit seven of their favourite places and cast each artefact into an abyss, so she can finally be free
As Alice, venture out into a serene world, with 7 artefacts your lost love Aura left behind. As you puzzle through each world, you bring the artefacts from portal to portal, until you reach the special places where each one can be cast into an abyss, allowing Alice to unfold into a freer and lighter person, one step closer to completely letting go of her grief.
Gameplay
A veritable ecosystem of puzzle elements, and an odyssey of understanding how they all work together.
After Light Fades is a sokoban with a rich and magical feast of elements for you to get creative with! Everything from magic mirrors, clones, teleports, angels, transmutation crystals, using fire to melt ice, electrical circuits, magnets, fire propagation, growing vines, and so much more! The uniqueness of the puzzle solving comes not in the typical hero-to-object relationship, but in the relationships objects have with each other - a key can't be pushed but Alice can push energy which can push a key, an angel be used to tow a crystal, a crystal can transmute earth into energy, and so on. These puzzle mechanics are all rich metaphors for Alice's journey of grieving, letting go, and ultimately transforming herself into the higher form of a nature alchemist.
Story
Rather than leading the gameplay, the story takes a back seat and serves as an ambient undercurrent - an emotionally resonant reflection on love and loss, reconnecting with nature, and letting go of the memories that are holding you back.
Alice embarks on her journey after her partner Aura's tragic death in a house fire. Sifting through the ashes, she finds seven ordinary-looking objects, seemingly unharmed by the fire. Compelled by mysterious emotions tied to these items, she resolves to visit seven significant places they'd shared, casting each artefact into an abyss, to let go and find solace.
Each artefact represents a stage of Alice's healing. Feather Fields challenges her toward vulnerability, Glimmer Cove is an oasis of fools-gold treasures, The Crystal Lagoon brings clarity but hardens her heart, Echo Peaks reveals a vista of the turn-and-return patterns of the journey-so-far. And finally, in the the Ever-Shifting Manor, Alice realizes the true extent of her abilities, threading a way home as a reality-transforming alchemist.
As Alice travels, silently-watching guardian spirits recognize her abilities, eventually inviting her into the secrets of alchemy and towards one final revelation that casts her whole journey in a new light!
