Beat ’em ups are seeing a resurgence in recent years, and I’m all for it. Since the days of Double Dragon 2 on the NES, I’ve been hooked on the genre, and games have been lucky to have some stand-out titles like The Bouncer, Fighting Force, and Streets of Rage. Fading Afternoon is a beat em driven by a strong and solemn narrative. What’s it Like? Get your bag, tie up those shoelaces, and prepare to fight as we review Fading Afternoon on Nintendo Switch.
Fading Afternoon follows recent parolee, Seiji, who returns to the world after a stint in prison to find his Yakuza family in tatters, and the world around him changed. Seiji must navigate the world and reassert his family, establish his own following, and find his place again in the world. On top of this, Seiji is battling an illness that reduces his health the further the game progresses, and this illness is used as a motivation for the player. Should you throw caution to the wind and be a man of violence? Or do you do your best to prolong your life? The game is well-written and fleshes out Seiji’s backstory with flashbacks and exposition, and it’s almost best approached as an adventure game peppered with fighting set pieces rather than a straight beat ’em up. This isn’t a bad thing, as the narrative kept me engaged despite stumbling around on my first play-through… but more on that later.
The game follows a time management format, allowing you to only visit a couple of locations a day, or do a set number of activities. While usually, limiting players’ actions can be a frustrating game mechanic, in Fading Afternoon it acts almost similar to Stardew Valley’s stamina system and also makes sense as you are inevitably marching towards a conclusion one way or another. There is only one frustration I had to overcome with Fading Afternoon, and that is the game doesn’t give you a lot of direction on what you should be doing… or really, none at all. In my first playthrough I spent a long time just fighting other Yakuza families, thinking that was all there was to the game, but starting fresh again, I uncovered the narrative by regularly visiting the head of my Yakuza family and visiting recently unlocked locations. The game’s narrative then had me hooked, wanting to know what happens next.
Controls work well on Switch, and your first brawl acts as a tutorial to teach you the way the system works. Seiji is more of a blunt instrument in combat, instead of finesse and martial arts, fights boil down to wild street brawls and tactics like tackling people to the ground and using heavy kicks to drop enemies. I really liked this approach to combat as it felt a bit more wild and desperate like an actual fight, rather than a Hollywood style of choreographed pugilism. You can knock people out, counter attacks and break limbs, disarm sword-wielding yakuza, or just straight up bring a gun to a knife fight and start blasting. If you take enough enemies down, you will be given a hint as to where the leaders may be located, and you can defeat them to secure more territory for your family. I never tired of running into trouble, and for those who enjoy the combat as much as I do, there is a challenge and endless mode where you can compete for supremacy against other Yakuza families.
The art direction of Fading Afternoon is incredibly done. Its amazing pixel sprites are brought to life by superb animation. Civilians hurry through busy streets, the trains are crowded as Seiji travels from location to location, and each setting is unique. There’s something beautiful and tragic about the way the game’s time moves forward, knowing that Seiji has accepted his fate, and the passing of time indicates the inevitability of his situation. You can slow down the march of death by fighting less, eating food, and avoiding smoking, essentially listening to the doctor’s orders. You can play ruthlessly or tactically, each way moving you toward one of 8 different endings which I won’t spoil here.
Another outstanding feature of the game is how it uses its soundtrack to immerse you in the world of Fading Afternoon. Solemn acoustic guitars give you a sense of isolation when you are first released from prison, and the jazz vibe in other places is a great companion when wandering the streets. It manipulates your emotions to feel sympathy for bad people, or just enjoy the raw puglism of viciously punching on with reckless abandon. There is a caveat however, as the music doesn’t seem to change depending on your situation, meaning sometimes you are fighting for your life to the tune of a laid-back jazz bar vibe. It doesn’t really ruin the game but it is something you notice when the action gets heavy.
At $30 AUD, Fading Afternoon is a great experience deserving of multiple playthroughs, encouraging you to get the best ending. For my vision-impaired Yakuza, there are no accessibility options, and despite the bright colour pallet in most areas, I recommend further research to find out if Fading Afternoon is for you.
Fading Afternoon is a great game waiting to be discovered by fans of the genre. Its lack of instructions to progress the story risks alienating the less patient gamer at the start, but those who stick with it will uncover an intriguing narrative, exciting and brutal hand-to-hand combat, and will want to play it again to right wrongs. It is a gripping, brutal, and well-executed game that is well worthy of your time.
So, What’s it Like? Fading Afternoon is like Yakuza, crossed with Double Dragon.
