“Unleashing Creativity: The Distinctive Vision That Inspired Transformation”

Afterlove EP, a ‘combine-tape noticeable gloss’ from the studio behind Coffee Talk, was first unveiled in 2021. However, just a year after its announcement, the team faced an unimaginable challenge: the unforeseen and heart-wrenching passing of studio founder Mohammad Fahmi.

Fahmi had brought together the team at Indonesian indie studio Pikselnesia with the singular aim of creating Afterlove EP, and following his departure, the team decided to continue its development and realize his creative vision.

With only two weeks remaining until the game’s release, we spoke with Pikselnesia producer Ivor Dwitomo to discuss how the studio is commemorating Fahmi’s legacy through Afterlove EP. Our discussion explored themes of grief via creativity, translating Jakarta to the small screen, music, and more.

Nintendo Life: To start, we were profoundly saddened to hear about Mohammad Fahmi’s untimely passing in 2022. Could you share his impact on the game and how the team at Pikselnesia has strived to realize his vision?

Ivor Dwitomo, Pikselnesia: Fahmi was not just a significant leader for the team; he had an exceptional vision too. He understood the direction of Afterlove EP from start to finish. Everything he knew and relayed to the team about Afterlove EP was documented in the Game Development Papers before he passed.

As a producer, whenever Fahmi and I had discussions with the team, I took notes and shared them back. We collaborated seamlessly. His vision was clear. Following his passing, we experienced tremendous difficulty because much of the script was still in draft form, yet we held fast to his vision. It required a considerable amount of time and support from the writers to translate the vision into dialogue. The dialogue was crafted under the guidance of Story Lead Sasha, who worked in close proximity with Fahmi as the Story Designer for Afterlove EP.

Now, it is completed. The process took almost four years, with two of those years dedicated to planning the development.

The game navigates profound themes such as love, grief, and moving forward. Does it take an emotional toll on you as a developer to engage with such powerful emotions daily, and how did you ensure that these themes were accurately represented in the game?

Emotions play a large role in our daily lives, especially while developing this game, but we’ve grown accustomed to it. Feelings like grief, joy, sadness, anger, moving on, etc., are all part of the experience. We remain committed to fulfilling Fahmi’s vision.

To ensure these themes were accurately represented, Fahmi and Sasha collaborated on the narrative for Afterlove EP. Sasha understands the direction Fahmi wanted to take. Before Fahmi passed, the narrative (the initial direction) was completely outlined and documented, and again, we relied on his vision and Sasha’s understanding of it since they worked closely together.

Afterlove EP’s gameplay encompasses several different genres, from visual novels to rhythm games. What was the biggest challenge in merging these styles into one cohesive experience?

Fahmi envisioned that it would be fantastic to incorporate a real band into the game to collaborate

Rama, the main character in this game, is a young, talented musician, so naturally, the narrative relates to music as well. That was the central theme. The greatest challenge, in my opinion, was collaborating with actual musicians, a real band, L’alphalpha, to compose the lyrics that reflect the game’s story.

This was a new experience for both me and the team. It was also a fresh challenge for the band to integrate their music with the various elements of the game.

The game draws heavily from real-world locations within its Jakarta backdrop. Would you say that the city itself acts as a character in the game? How crucial was it to portray the city to showcase its unique essence?

Definitely, Jakarta is more than just the setting of the game; in many ways, it seems to take on a character of its own. We’ve focused primarily on South Jakarta, highlighting its unique blend of modernity and tradition. From Blok M (referred to as ‘Blok W’ in Afterlove EP), MBloc, to the small stalls of Warung. By bringing Jakarta to life within the game, we hope players worldwide can resonate with the city and truly feel its authenticity.

Music plays a crucial role in the game’s narrative and it’s L’