This is a beautiful and poignant game that explores themes of grief, acceptance, growing-up, community, and forgiveness. It stars a cast of incredibly compelling characters whose deeper complexities aren't all immediately apparent. For anyone who appreciates games as a type of storytelling device, Until Then is a wonderful experience. It is full of both heart and mystery. By the end of your time with this game you will care about the characters themselves as much as unravelling the mystery plaguing them.

However, there are a few caveats. First: this game has a very slow start. While I believe there is a lot of narrative merit to this approach, it can make the first couple hours drag a bit. Many of the characters--especially the protagonist--are at their most unlikeable. The plot and activities you engage in are mostly mundane. It gets much more exciting later on, but it is never a *fast-paced* game.

Second, the rythm mini-games, oh god, the rhythm minigames. They are terrible, awful things. And if you value 100% achievements you are going to need to perfect them. You will hate them all. One miss-pressed button and suddenly you're wading through loads of dialogue boxes just to try again. My suggestion is to just play the game through without worrying about them and then come back after you've beaten it with scene select. At that point you'll also have unlocked the dialogue skip button which will make your life a lot easier.

Overall, if you enjoy playing visual novels, then this is a great experience. A nice mixture of heartfelt emotion and intriguing mystery with a plot twist that keeps you on your toes. Recommend.