Death has always been an integral part of my thoughts — not the morbid sort, but as a musing of what comes after. Developer fahmitsu presents What Comes After — a short, yet poignant tale about a young girl named Vivi. She falls asleep on the late night metro, and is awoken to the sight of passing souls sitting where her fellow passengers would be.
As she speaks to each passenger, she gleans more into the lives that they have lived — and the regrets that followed them here. Vivi herself seems to be suffering from depression, as she shuffles along from person to person. Despite this, her response to the various creatures and people is kind and warm — yet she denies herself this.
The more she explores the night train, the more profound and thought-provoking each conversation becomes. I won’t spoil it for you, but a baby challenged my core values about life. What Comes After has Vivi meeting a ghostly conductor — an old lady who was none too happy to see her onboard. Sending her away to explore, Vivi comes across the barkeep — a young man who served the dead their last meals.
She (and I) were both skeptical of what this last meal would be. Vivi takes a bite regardless, and is sent back to her memories of her mother cooking that very dish. Her drink brings back more memories, and at this point I was a blubbering mess. Not long after, she heads back to her carriage. She is awoken by the conductor — and the latter tells her it was her fate to be on board, for it was Death that kept her alive.
As she disembarks the train, Vivi fulfills her promises to live again. I had to put down my Switch at this point, because my eyes were filled with tears. As the credits rolled, I am reminded to cherish life, and to live without regrets.
Though I often wonder what my dish would be.
Grab What Comes After on Steam and Switch!