Developer Third Shift has created a heart-wrenching experience with Forever Ago, a narrative heavy road-trip adventure that has you reflecting on your past while learning to adjust to a new future. It is light on environmental puzzles, but uses them effectively to tell the story of Alfred and his late wife, Audrey. I was able to play thirty minutes of a demo build of the game, and I loved every moment.
In Forever Ago, you play as Alfred, an older gentleman who recently lost his wife, Audrey. Alfred relies on his journal which details all the adventures he is planning to have in honor of his late wife’s memory. Paired with a quaint yellow van and camera, Alfred sets off to relive the moments he spent falling in love with Audrey by revisiting some of their favorite locations that helped set the foundation of their relationship.
Heavy Emotional Beats
The demo opens up to Alfred staring pensively out the window as he prepares for his first adventure without his wife. He grabbed his journal, and I decided to flip through the pages to get a better sense of his adventures, and of their marriage. But in the journal was something that left me stunned: a note written by Audrey from her death bed.
The note reads exactly how I imagined a final letter to a loved one would read, filled with all of the bravery, fear, and grief one might reflect on while looking at death’s door. She described how debilitated she feels seeing life — and Alfred — continue on knowing she will be gone soon, and how appreciative she is of having her husband by her side throughout this whole journey. Audrey ends the letter with her wishes for Alfred’s future adventures.
The more I read the letter, the more my eyes began to swell with tears. I have not personally experienced anything like Alfred’s loss, but I imagined it, knowing this fate awaits both me and my partner someday — hopefully — in the far future. I was all of two minutes into the demo, but after this moment, I was fully emotionally invested. Narrative-heavy games like this are exactly why I love video games as a medium. It’s an opportunity to experience empathy, whether it’s something you’ve already experienced or an event yet to come.
A New Life
Throughout the rest of the demo, Alfred seeks to cross a few things off of his list. You mostly spend time retracing the moments Alfred spent with Audrey, presumably during one of their first road trips together. By finding clues — in the form of Red Mariposa petals, Audrey’s favorite flower — that remind Alfred of his past, you can relive core memories with his wife.
Your camera plays a key role. Whenever you find a cluster of Mariposa petals, you can pull out the camera, take a photo, and watch a vignette accompanied by voices of the conversation from the past. Some of these moments didn’t feel too fully fleshed out, but they helped me better understand the relationship between Alfred and Audrey, and the type of person Alfred was before decades of life caught up with him.
A Beautiful World
You meet various characters that add charm to the little towns you visit throughout your journey. Alfred’s interactions with everyone reminds you of how much has changed throughout Alfred’s life. His (and Audrey’s) favorite booth at a restaurant is now reserved for loyalty club members only. The jukebox no longer works. This world reflects the changes we’ve seen in our own modern times, and these characters’ responses to that change felt too real. I appreciate how these side characters and interactions give the player a chance to paint a more developed picture of Alfred as he chats with strangers. Alfred tries to remain optimistic and motivated to complete this adventure on Audrey’s behalf, but he cannot help but be reminded of his age as he compares the freedom of his youth to the commercialization of every facet of modern life. This one was starting to hit close to home.
The one environment in the demo felt calm and serene. The area reminded me of the grand canyon, with a small town that lives near the cliff’s edge populated with a passable motel, an empty diner, and a scenic overlook. I heard trees swaying in the breeze and birds chirping. The background noises and sounds worked together to mentally transport me to this national park. It put me at ease as the tranquil setting and peaceful sounds immersed me into this world — and reminded me of how badly I want a vacation.
Coming Soon
Any media that is able to make me cry in the first few minutes gains my trust. With the full game releasing soon, I cannot wait to see what else the game’s narrative has in store. From the preview videos, it seems like there are plenty of additional places to explore along with their own puzzles, more characters — in both past and present — that appear in Alfred’s journey, and more story beats that I’m sure will pull at my heart-strings. For any fans of narrative-driven games, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Forever Ago will release on October 8, 2026 for Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Epic Games Store.
