While the setting and inspirations are Filipino through and through, the themes of friendship, love, loss, and acceptance in this visual novel are universal.
“Kung sakaling mapadaan baka ikaw ay aking tawagan, dahil minsan tayo ay naging tunay na magkaibigan” (“I might call you if ever I’m in the area, since there was a time when we were the best of friends”). The lyrics to “Minsan,” a song by legendary Pinoy band Eraserheads, kept playing in my head while I was reviewing Until Then. This visual novel from Polychroma Games presents a coming-of-age story, a tale of love and loss, friendships and fears, all sprinkled with life from my country: the Philippines. It’s enough to make me reminisce about my student years and sing the national anthem.
Until Then’s narrative tells of The Ruling, a catastrophe that has caused disasters worldwide. On top of that, there’s an unexplained phenomenon in which people suddenly disappear, while others confuse events from the future and events that have already happened.
