Serenity Forge’s Half Past Fate is a charismatic slice-of-life romantic comedy that takes you through the journeys of six unique characters. While each character has a different story, players will find themselves forming connections between each of them. This eventually culminates into a final adventure with each character.

The game is broken up into a series of vignettes, or short scenes, that provide insight into a character’s life. All of this takes place over the course of eight years. Half Past Fate throws you in the deep end, forcing you to create your own context as you navigate the game’s environment. Players get a unique first-person perspective in each vignette, completing a series of ‘fetch quests’ to progress the narrative. While people usually see fetch quests as filler material or part of monotonous, boring gameplay, fulfilling each of these little quests fits naturally into the style of play.

Half Past Fate is set against a beautiful and unique blend of 2D sprites and 3D stages; for a game with an “old-school” pixelated feel, it offers more depth and perspective than similar art styles. This art style, combined with a soft color palette and a driven, but pleasant, soundtrack (think Stardew Valley’s music, but with purpose) allows players to have a whimsical, immersive experience in budding romance.

With this said, my main criticism of the game is that there’s little “steering” that comes from the game; objectives, while numerous, can be hard to navigate throughout the game. The game forces players to take initiative and be their own lead through the variety of vignettes. Despite this, it still feels natural to the experience.

Overall, Half Past Fate allows players to re-live the bubbling giddiness that comes with new romance. It also easily showcases the joy that comes with the human connection.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

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