Forever Ago Review

In the genre of “games that will surely make me cry,” a person grieving the love of their life after many storied years together is pretty high up there, just a notch or two below any game with a dog in it. Technically this game is both. Developer Third Shift really came for me with their new narrative adventure Forever Ago, published by Annapurna Interactive. The game follows our protagonist Alfred, an older gentleman who departs on a road trip to reconnect with the most precious and painful memories of his wife, who has recently passed. In her final days, Audrey created a journal for her husband, outlining all of the landmarks to revisit from their decades together. And so we set off, invisibly accompanying a man who has just been emotionally destroyed. 

Forever Ago in Action

Anyone who saw the Pixar movie Up will already be familiar with the “grumpy old guy who’s actually just sad” trope (for TV Tropes sickos, this is the intersection of Grumpy Old Man and Sour Outside, Sad Inside). It’s a well-worn archetype and our lead character Alfred falls perfectly within its mold. Unlike most grumpy old men in media, who I often find tiresome and frustrating, Alfred’s spiny exterior actually does make him more relatable. He may be curt and dismissive most of the time, occasionally even outright rude, but he also has plenty of moments throughout the game where he catches himself and the vulnerability shines through.

He spent his entire adult life leaning on one person, looking to her as his guiding light, relying on her for comfort and support. In the wake of her passing, we watch in real time as he struggles with the fact that he can no longer lean on her, but slowly discovers that his emotional world can continue to grow, even in her absence.

New, unexpected friends come along just in time to show him their own vulnerabilities and deep resilience. And unlike many classic Grumpy Old Men, enough of the old Alfred still remains just below the surface, that he can catch himself in the act of pushing them away and open himself back up to their kindness. Rather than many frustrating hours of watching someone cut off his nose to spite his face, we get to see Alfred genuinely try his best to navigate the very messy, painful, and confusing process of grieving.

Generally speaking, I love to see a game that features a protagonist in their golden years. The vast majority of stories that get told in all forms of media feature solely on the experiences of people in their early and mid adulthood. It’s refreshing to get to explore a period of time and a moment in life that we all may, heartbreakingly, also one day confront. That said, there is a challenge to designing an exploration game with a senior protagonist, and finding the sweet spot between authentically stiff joints and painfully slow movement speeds. Forever Ago mostly finds that happy medium, although there were occasional moments where I found myself wishing that Alfie had stretched before heading out that day.

Vignettes of the past

Exploring the landmarks that Audrey assigned to Alfred’s itinerary plays a lot like the moments of exploration in Mixtape, another 2026 Annapurna Interactive title, though with larger spaces to examine. After a brief introduction to the area and its context within their love story, we’re given free rein to guide Alfred around to uncover his old memories through Audrey’s checklist. As I explored, the game seemed a little conflicted on whether it wanted me to stop and smell the flowers, so to speak, or if it wanted me to stay on task. With no map or quest markers, it felt like I was being encouraged to take my time as I looked around. But I quickly started to get reminders in the UI to check my to-do list in the journal to see what my next task was, leaving me questioning whether I was playing the game as intended.

Forever Ago Trailer

The locations themselves are beautifully manicured while also feeling very lived-in. The detailed foliage and thoughtful lighting effects highlight the magical qualities of these otherwise mundane spaces that set the scene for key moments in Alfred’s relationship. Combined, these elements also all set up the perfect subjects for his photography. Alfred has brought along his wife’s old camera to reconnect with a passion of hers and document his journey. The camera mode allows you to capture some shots to fill in his journal, and also unlock poignant moments that he and his wife shared in these spaces. 

As he progresses in his journey, Alfred’s consciousness becomes flooded with memories of love and connection, but also of conflict and regret. This isn’t some maudlin retrospective on a perfect marriage seen through the often rose-colored glasses of grief, but a complicated revisiting of authentic kinds of moments that arise when two well-meaning people embark on an adventure to entwine their lives together. There may be many games out there about processing loss, and Forever Ago now sits in good company among them. But maybe more importantly, it offers us a look at how a good and loving, while also complicated and sometimes challenging, relationship can shape us. And how to move forward when it has carried us as far as it can go.

Emily was provided with a review key of Forever Ago by Annapurna Interactive

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No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.

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