Forever Ago review

I’d like to think of video games as a medium for quite literally anything. It doesn’t always have to be a 100-hour-long RPG or a competitive multiplayer shooter. Sometimes the story the developers want to tell is rooted in an experience that slows things down and immerses you in the eyes of the protagonist. Video games are a form of art, after all.

Announced all the way back in 2020, Forever Ago is the debut project from Third Shift, a narrative-focused indie studio, and a fantastic one at that. The game puts you in the shoes of an old man named Alfred. He's in his mid-seventies, drives a van that's seen better days, and is on a lonesome journey of self-discovery and coming to terms with loss. He’s also something of a Mr. Scrooge, which I can totally relate to. From a distance, the Up comparisons are probably unavoidable, but trust me that it’s not just a blatant copy of Carl and Ellie.

Alfred heads north, working through a journal of places that mattered to him and his wife Audrey. Along the way, he meets a plethora of unlikely characters that opens up different perspectives of what life and love mean. Co-founder Kai Brueckers has said the studio wanted an elderly protagonist specifically for a story about grief and redemption, and that the route grew out of a trip he took down the Pacific Coast. In fact, rolling credits rewards you with a screen with an In Loving Memory of, meaning this story was in fact based on real events and people.

The game spans 9 chapters and can be completed in 3 to 5 hours. Each chapter brings you to a different location that’s a little set piece of its own, taking place both in the past and present, allowing you to truly relate to what Alfred is feeling and going through. After beating the game, you can go back via chapter select, but starting a new game will overwrite your current save file. Unfortunately, there’s only auto-save at certain checkpoints with no manual save. There were multiple times during this short and sweet playthrough I was in tears, so that’s where I’ll leave you with the story. No more spoilers from me!

Much like Annapurna’s Mixtape earlier this year, Forever Ago is light on the gameplay end and can be seen more like an interactive film or walking simulator than a game with deep and complex mechanics. As you travel from location to location, you’ll take pictures, solve light puzzles, interact with the environment, play with an adorable dog, and simply just reminisce about a time long ago. It’s deliberately slow-paced, which is evident from the get-go, so if you were expecting something else, you should probably look elsewhere.

The camera is probably the most important piece of equipment on your trip. It’s Alfred’s lens into the past as certain objects unlock memories you play through as vignettes. After each chapter, you can select up to 4 photos to keep in your journal, all of which culminate in the epilogue. You can snap pictures the traditional way, or even get a little goofy with selfies and various facial expressions!

On the PlayStation 5, Forever Ago comes in at a cozy 4.3 GB and supports power saver mode. Trophies are rewarded for doing more than just the main story, so feel free to be creative when you can! DualSense features such as the controller light bar and speaker are utilized, along with light rumbling and vibrations. 

There are some slight frame dips in certain chapters, but I ran into no bugs or crashes otherwise. The only complaint I have is the wonky detection of certain interactive prompts. For example, I have to pan the camera at a very specific angle for the “Open Door” prompt to appear. It’s not a deal breaker, but it can be a little frustrating at times.

If you take a look at the initial announcement trailer, Forever Ago looks completely different. What used to look like claymation is now a uniquely stylized animation that fits the overall vibe of the game. Locations between past and present look aged since Alfred saw them, and facial features actually line up with the spoken dialogue, which is only in English, by the way. Every scene feels handcrafted and deliberate, which feeds into how beautiful this game is visually.

Piotr Michael does an impeccable job at voicing Alfred, who carries the majority of the game with his self-narration. Of course, Cissy Jones does a fantastic job as Audrey as well, along with the rest of the cast. Oh, and the composer, Clark Aboud, who worked on Slay the Spire, created an original soundtrack for this game, and it doesn’t disappoint.