Review of Fading Afternoon

Yakuza art house, anyone?

Fading Afternoon
Developer: Yeo
Publisher: Circle Entertainment
Release date: June 6th, 2024
Price: $19.99 via Nintendo eShop

The Asian gangster subgenre is sadly underappreciated in the West. The criminal underground is expertly reconnoitered in films like Wong Kar-wai’s Fallen Angels, Jia Zhangke’s Ash in Purest White, and at least a third of Takeshi Kitano’s body of work. As would be expected, each movie highlights themes like group loyalty, the possibility of physical harm, and the excitement of crime.

But the existential nature of these movies may surprise you. Everybody thinks life is fleeting. Happiest moments are usually treasured, be it the tranquility that comes from taking a long puff on a cigarette or the beauty of a brilliant sunset. The world is often a disgusting place that sometimes compels us to commit horrible acts. But the genre also reminds us that it’s full of transcendent beauty.

Transient Style

One of the first things you may notice about single developer Yeo’s Fading Afternoon is its exquisiteness. Arrest of a Stone Buddha and The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa provided earlier glimpses into the intricacies of organized crime; the latest Switch release does the same. You take on the character of Seiji Maruyama, a hitman or high school gang leader who returns to his hometown after a protracted prison term.

You’ll be treated to a breathtaking view of life almost every few minutes. Yeo captures the allure of city living time and time again, whether it is in the form of a playground covered in freshly fallen snow or an evening lit by the glow of hundreds of high-rise windows. The game’s expansive views surely wouldn’t look out of place in a full-length motion picture. Considering Maruyama’s final illness, every background also evokes poignancy. Things seem more magnificent when you realize that this may be your final chance to view them, after all.

Take Charge of the City, Go Fishing, Discover Love

One other thing you’ll quickly realize is how little assistance Fading Afternoon provides. Yeo’s designs are the antithesis of triple-A gameplay, shunning guidance, in-depth explanations of mechanics, and nearly any indications of linear development. Azuma, the head of the family mob, will have a brief chat with you at the start of the game. He tells you that while you were incarcerated, the clans of Ando, Harada, and Tanaka took over your area. Azuma requests your assistance in taking back control of the city after giving you some spending money and a month’s rent.

However, you have total control over how you choose to spend your final days. Yes, there are certain fundamental structural components. Due to his middle age, Maruyama’s maximum health is shown on screen, where it begins around halfway full and steadily decreases with each day. Your energy will be depleted by damage from fights and other activities, but you can replenish some of it by resting, going to the onsen, or getting some meal at a nearby restaurant. The only other restriction on Fading Afternoon is its ability to visit three sites in a simulated week. You will first have to travel about by rail. However, if you make enough money, you can buy a car to get around in. You can save for more treats than just that one.

Because of the defiantly hands-on style of the afternoon, you will have almost total autonomy and little direction. Unlike the clear instructions given by most game NPCs, discussions with other characters are realistically abrupt. Yeo obviously wants you to slyly set off various events and uncover new people within the game’s intricate ecology. But a member of the yakuza ought to be prepared for everything, right?

Choices Count

It’s highly probable that you won’t get any sort of conventional expositional payoff during your initial playthroughs. It’s likely that the game will end abruptly. However, you can choose to change the course of the story with each fresh playthrough, abandoning your sinister plans to find love or flee the city and spend your final days fishing. To avoid giving anything away, there are a variety of possible paths Fading Afternoon can take. For a few, exploring these various options will be well worth the admission fee.

The fighting in the game, however, may turn off players who were drawn to Afternoon because of its flexible storytelling. Sure, the gunplay and pugilism serve as a decent metaphor for fighting; yet, before players can neutralize attackers brandishing knives or avoid a thrown bottle, they must practice and time their moves well. The moveset of the game is undoubtedly excellent, enabling Maruyama to counter, throw, grapple, punch, and roundhouse opponents.

But since there is just one difficulty level in the game, some players may find it difficult to understand how to defeat the many enemies. Enemies grow stronger as you persevere and pose a greater risk of health theft, which may irritate players with inexperienced reflexes. Sometimes, basic tasks aren’t made with convenience in mind, and the game leans too much on context-based inputs. Fading Afternoon should ideally make use of more than two face buttons on the Switch.

In summary

Fading Afternoon can seem aloof, like an experienced yakuza lieutenant, with little help to give to newcomers. This method may seem intimidating at first, but it’s definitely planned, pushing you to explore the game’s finely detailed universe. Even though there aren’t many character stats available, the role-playing is quite good.

The publisher sent a review code for Switch, which was used to play Fading Afternoon.

Review Overview

Gameplay – 80%

Controls – 70%

Aesthetics – 85%

Content – 80%

Accessibility – 65%

Value – 80%

77%

GOOD

Summary : Fading Afternoon could be worth a try if you’ve ever desired Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Yazuka series abandoned the humor and instead produced art-house poignancy. Don’t explore the depths or high-def verisimilitude of SEGA’s renowned franchise because Yeo is a lone creator. However, there’s an underlying melancholy here as an elderly yakuza member chooses how he wants to live out his final days.