Until Then is a beautiful narrative adventure set in a captivating pixelated world inspired by the Philippines. Playing as main character Mark, you have to deal with the everyday insecurities of high school until he begins to realize something more mysterious is going on. Between juggling homework deadlines, navigating relationships, practicing piano, and investigating strange occurrences that happen in between, the developers also sprinkled adorable mini-games throughout the story. aims to create depth and joy from what could otherwise be mundane moments.
For example, a walk to the fishball counter to appease your hunger turns into a fierce competition to see who can fill his or her fishball stick the fastest. Get more meta, play the arcade game with Cathy & Mark to find out who is the fastest racer. And, of course, what would a carnival outing with friends be without all the classic fair games like whack-a-mole?
Beyond pure entertainment, Until Then’s minigames also resonate in unique ways, and those on the development team have their own opinions on which minigames stand out from the rest.
A mini game for interactive world building
Mickole Klein Nulud, Game Director of Polychroma Games, has a nostalgic connection to the ticket machine from chapter 1 of the game. “I always used them during my college days so it’s nostalgic,” Nulud said. “I copied its user interface details from the real world to the game, which was a very interesting process for me.”
In-game moments, such as ticket machines, are included to help break up the dialogue-heavy flow of the game and create moments of interactive world-building. “It sets up the experience that players will receive, where the mini-games can be as mundane as possible but as realistic as possible,” Nulud added.
A minigame that shows character development
Senior Environmental Artist Pia Demanawa’s favorite mini-game, the haunted house in perya, is reminiscent of Philippine culture.’Perya’ is a Tagalog word meaning ‘fair’, like carnival page. These week-long events take place year-round and are a unique part of Filipino celebrations. From game stalls and rides to food stalls, perya is a place of fun and entertainment for people of all ages.
Until Then brings this to life in chapter 10. Mark runs into one of the new students at the carnival and, after some banter, bets that he can scare many of the people in the house. more haunted than her. You then have two minutes to chase the NPCs around the creepy maze, scoring points for each successful scare.
“On its surface, [the haunted house] uses elements of Philippine mythology such as Kiwig [a shapeshifter that preys on humans] and Minokawa [a giant, dragon-like bird that can swallow the moon and sun]”, Demanawa shared. “The mini-game’s art designer herself, Vanessa Sumo, really encapsulated what a low-budget, Filipino-themed haunted house would look like from the inside with the bahay kubo template and the animals. Random chicken. The art director, Dominique Duran, also found inspiration for the aesthetic in the 2012 RPGMaker horror game Ib, and I think it’s a great homage to the classic story game. cult classic.”
Without revealing too much, this competitive, haunting minigame creates a special moment for Until Then frontman Mark, telling more of the story not through typical dialogue interactions but through Character interaction in minigames.
“So I don’t think this chapter would be complete without it,” Demanawa added. “There is a need to see the character development and charisma of these two particular characters. It makes you happy for them, and I think, it also makes you root for them.”
Minigames foreshadow events in the story
Some mini-games can be so complicated that it’s easy to miss. Joshua James San Juan, Programmer, enjoys interacting with the school bulletin board. “It’s fun and satisfying,” he shares, “like the ‘pop’ sound that makes when you remove the pins and watch the posters fall everywhere.”
For players who pay attention to the details on the board, you may even find some enlightening clues about what will happen later in the game. “I think it’s a clever way to show or hint at current events and what will happen in the future without stating it directly,” San Juan said. “It also provides a bit of knowledge about the story’s background to help them understand the world better.”
Minigames are just for resting
No surprises here. Kyle Patrick Naval is the game creator and has a special love for the jeepney rhythm minigame. “I love playing rhythm games, and creating music for that particular mini-game was an incredibly fun process,” he shares.
Some mini-games may not necessarily have a narrative purpose but can add variety to gameplay and help players relax after stressful moments. “I think it gives the character a little escape from what they’re going through, enjoying the little things, as they say,” Naval said. “It gives players new mini-games to explore and play and look forward to what else they can explore in the game.”
There’s never a dull moment in Until Then. From friendly competition and engaging mini-game mechanics to breathtaking vistas and tear-jerking story moments, expect an emotional and interactive rollercoaster. Until it launches this summer on PS5.
