Fading Afternoon (v2024.01.11)

A bruised, rain-soaked Japanese city becomes the stage for a yakuza story with far more melancholy than swagger. Fading Afternoon follows Seiji Maruyama, a middle-aged ex-con returning to a life that may no longer have a place for him, surrounded by old allies, familiar criminal routines, and the weight of choices he cannot undo. Its side-scrolling pixel-art streets feel deliberately ordinary: restaurants, back alleys, offices, bars, and neighborhoods all support a story about routine as much as violence. The mood is reflective and sometimes bleak, asking whether loyalty, ambition, or even survival still mean the same thing when time is running out.

Most days revolve around deciding where Seiji goes, who he meets, how he spends his money, and whether a confrontation is worth starting. Combat is a demanding beat ’em up system built around punches, kicks, grapples, throws, weapon use, positioning, and managing multiple enemies without being overwhelmed. Between fights, players roam the city, take jobs, eat, rest, gamble, train, and engage with smaller activities that make Seiji’s life feel less like a mission checklist and more like a fading routine. Progress depends as much on personal decisions and relationships as combat ability, while failure, injury, and the passage of time give even casual choices a little more consequence.

What separates Fading Afternoon from most crime RPGs is its willingness to slow down and let silence, repetition, and missed opportunities carry the drama. Its chunky pixel presentation recalls classic brawlers, but the open structure and introspective writing place it closer to Yeo’s The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa than to an arcade-style Streets of Rage clone. Multiple endings encourage replaying with different priorities, whether Seiji embraces old yakuza obligations, pursues a quieter existence, or simply follows whatever path feels right in the moment. Fans of Shenmue’s everyday detail, River City-style street fighting, and character-driven Japanese crime stories should find a distinctive, patient RPG here; newcomers should expect rougher, more deliberate combat than the genre’s flashiest fighters.