Afterlife 2: Rickard’s Journey

Afterlife 2: Rickard’s Journey is a narrative platformer that continues the story of protagonist Rickard Bronson as he returns to the Thirteen Realms of Hell to thwart the plans of a mysterious enemy who stole the Cruciforms. Unlike its predecessor, which featured balloon-based traversal, this sequel adopts a traditional side-view platformer style, with Rickard navigating on foot. Set in a dark, otherworldly environment, the game includes unlockable features and additional modes, blending exploration with a plot-driven quest to complete his journey from the original game, Afterlife: Rickard’s Quest.

Afterlife 2: Rickard’s Journey: Review

Introduction

A decade before indies dominated digital storefronts with pixel-perfect precision, a lone adventurer traded his balloon for boots and plunged back into the depths of Hell. Afterlife 2: Rickard’s Journey (2009) stands as a defiantly ambitious sequel to Afterlife: Rickard’s Quest (2004), a freeware gem from UK-based solo developer RjB Software. Shifting from aerial exploration to grounded platforming, the game marries gothic lore with razor-sharp mechanics, inviting players to uncover a conspiracy at the heart of a meticulously crafted underworld. This review argues that Afterlife 2 remains an unsung triumph of late-2000s indie design—a narrative-driven platformer that leverages its hellish setting to explore themes of vengeance, moral ambiguity, and the cost of heroism.

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Development History & Context

Studio Vision & Constraints

Founded by developer Richard Boakes, RjB Software operated in an era when indie studios lacked the infrastructure of modern platforms like Steam or itch.io. Boakes’ vision—rooted in classic platformers and pulp adventure serials—focused on expanding the Afterlife saga while addressing critiques of the original’s balloon-centric traversal. Development began in 2006, requiring three years of part-time labor with occasional community input (notably credits mention “Sciere” for contributions). The game was ultimately released as freeware, a bold choice that prioritized artistic reach over profit.

Technological & Industry Landscape

Built for Windows in an era dominated by AAA console franchises, Afterlife 2 leveraged accessible tools like DirectX 9 to sidestep the graphical arms race. Its 37MB footprint (post-installation) defied 2009 norms, where titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum demanded gigabytes of space. This minimalist approach allowed RjB Software to focus on refined mechanics rather than cutting-edge visuals—a philosophy echoing contemporaries like Cave Story (2004) and foreshadowing the indie boom of the 2010s.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot & Characters

Protagonist Rickard Bronson returns not as a naive adventurer, but a traumatized veteran haunted by unanswered questions: Who stole the Cruciforms—artifacts sealing Hell’s Thirteen Realms—and why? The narrative escalates into a psychological odyssey, revealing a shadowy antagonist manipulating events from Rickard’s Quest. Supporting characters deepen the lore: a sardonic demon guide dissects Hell’s bureaucracy, while a tormented minstrel imprisoned in bone cages embodies the realm’s cyclical suffering.

Themes & Symbolism

The game’s infernal setting transcends mere backdrop, interrogating themes of eternal recurrence (realms resetting upon failures) and moral compromise. Rickard’s “Deadly Hunting Umbrella”—a weapon repurposed from aristocratic sport—mirrors his own fall from curiosity-driven explorer to vengeance-obsessed operative. Even collectible Cruciform Shards double as narrative keys and power-ups, symbolizing the blurred line between salvation and corruption.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core Platforming & Combat

Abandoning the balloon mechanics of its predecessor, Afterlife 2 adopts a Metroidvania-lite structure. Rickard navigates via wall-jumps, double-jumps, and umbrella-assisted glides, while combat demands rhythmic precision: bombs arc dynamically, requiring players to account for enemy movement and environmental traps like titular “bloody open combat arenas” (Free Game Synopsis). Later abilities, like the “Hellfire Burst” and ethereal cloak, reward backtracking—a design praised by Retro Replay for its “refined, mechanically rich” progression.

Boss Design & Additional Modes

Boss battles fuse puzzle logic with reflex tests. A standout duel against a multi-headed Cerberus forces players to stagger attacks between phases, exploiting momentary lulls in its flaming breath. Post-game content—including “Nightmare Mode” (removing checkpoints) and split-screen multiplayer—extends replayability, though the latter suffers from simplistic arena designs.

Flaws & Limitations

The UI feels dated, with cluttered HUD elements obscuring visibility during chaotic sequences. Keyboard controls (default) lack customization, though mouse support provides marginal aiming assistance for projectile attacks.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

Visual Direction

Afterlife 2 blends cartoonish character designs with macabre environments. Hand-painted backdrops evoke Dantean layers: sulfurous swamps churn with procedural fog, while skeletal fortresses gleam under necrotic moonlight. Retro Replay highlights “glow-in-the-dark runes” that serve dual roles—lore fragments and gameplay guides—showcasing RjB Software’s knack for environmental storytelling.

Sound Design & Music

A minimalist score oscillates between eerie drones (exploring desolate crypts) and thunderous percussion (boss encounters). Though lacking voice acting outside grunts and gibs, the soundscape excels in subtlety: distant wails hint at offscreen threats, while umbrella clashes emit satisfying metallic clangs.

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Reception & Legacy

Launch & Critical Response

Despite its freeware model, Afterlife 2 garnered niche acclaim. Retro Replay lauded its “tight controls, atmospheric visuals, and richly detailed” world, though mainstream outlets ignored it—a fate common to pre-itch.io indies. User reviews were nonexistent on MobyGames at launch, reflecting its obscurity.

Enduring Influence

The game’s legacy lies in its DNA: Afterlife 2’s marriage of narrative depth and unlock-driven progression echoes in modern indies like Hollow Knight (2017) and Blasphemous (2019). Its split-screen multiplayer mode—a rarity for 2009 platformers—also presaged the couch-coop resurgence of the 2010s.

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Conclusion

Afterlife 2: Rickard’s Journey is a testament to the power of constrained ambition—a game that leverages its hellish premise to explore weighty themes while refining the precision-platformer genre. Though minor flaws (chiefly UI and control rigidities) anchor it to its era, its intricate world-building, rewarding progression, and thematic boldness cement its status as a cult classic. For historians, it remains a vital artifact of indie gaming’s pre-Steam adolescence; for players, it’s a challenging, witty descent into an underworld worthy of redemption. Verdict: A flawed but essential pilgrimage for platformer devotees.