Afterlife Dreams: Anna - Part I is an action, indie, and adventure game for PC that places players inside the mind of a 12-year-old girl named Anna during an experimental medical procedure. The story follows her deep dream state where she loses memories of her past life and explores a surreal world to recover while confronting the illness that brought her there. This first episode sets up an episodic narrative that will continue in future releases, with purchase covering only Part I.
Gameplay
The core loop combines platforming, combat, and exploration across environments that begin as colorful candy-themed lands and shift toward unsettling monochrome zones. Anna starts in Sweet Harbor, a candy-filled area populated by quirky residents, before facing threats from ruthless creatures. Platforming sections allow players to enable a landing mark for easier jump aiming when needed. Combat involves chaining water attacks drawn from Anna's lungs, deploying dynamite, setting objects ablaze, and rolling to dodge hits. Managing lung capacity becomes central, as water attacks deplete the supply while breathing restores it, requiring careful balance to prevent hypoxia or edema.
Progression ties directly to memory recovery. As Anna advances, she recalls details about her parents, past locations, and activities, which strengthens her resolve. Secondary missions supplement the linear main storyline, encouraging thorough exploration of areas like dense forests with heavy fog, cabins, lighthouses, and caves. A helpful cat companion named Kami accompanies her through these sequences. Voice acting supports extensive dialogue with the eccentric characters, though the option exists to disable it entirely.
Game Modes
The game operates as a single-player experience focused on story progression through its episodic structure. No multiplayer components appear in the design. Players follow the linear narrative while completing optional secondary missions that expand on the dream world's mysteries and the threats posed by invading creatures. The structure emphasizes solo adventure with platforming challenges, resource management during combat, and narrative-driven exploration rather than competitive or cooperative modes.
Story and Setting
Anna awakens inside her own mind after medical staff induce sleep, entering Sweet Harbor where candy landscapes and friendly but inept citizens greet her. The arrival of hostile monsters disrupts this whimsy, turning parts of the world into grim, colorless wastelands. Players assist the candy residents by using scattered Arcobaleno Fruits to navigate toxic zones and ultimately confront the invaders. Later areas include a once-beautiful coastal region stripped of color and a foggy forest where seven campers have vanished, prompting rescue efforts across cabins, caves, and other landmarks. The narrative builds mystery around the monsters' motives and Anna's forgotten past without veering into outright horror.
Is It Worth Playing?
This title suits players who enjoy single-player action-adventure experiences that blend platforming precision, light combat resource management, and a personal story of memory and recovery. The lung-based water system adds a distinctive layer to fights, forcing strategic pauses between attacks and recovery. Environments that evolve from bright and playful to increasingly eerie provide visual variety, supported by character interactions and voice work. As an episodic release, Part I delivers a self-contained portion of the larger tale while hinting at expansions ahead. Those drawn to indie games with unique mechanics and narrative focus on inner worlds will find the described systems and progression rewarding, particularly if they appreciate exploration and secondary objectives alongside the main path.