Annapurna Interactive has published games in multiple genres, but it's best known for its narrative-focused titles. They're stories full of emotion that could've been done in traditional movie form, but the developers went for a more interactive route instead. Forever Ago is the latest title from the publisher, coming from first-time developers Third Shift, and we had a chance to check out a short preview of the game before it releases next month.

You play the role of Alfred, an elderly man who sets off on a road trip in his camper van. The demo starts off with you waking up at a roadside motel next to your journal, which contains a list of things you're hoping to accomplish. This includes finding a specific flower and sitting at your favorite spot in a nearby diner while ordering your favorite dish. They're fairly normal tasks, but they're special to Alfred because of the memories associated with them.

It doesn't take long to realize why the things on Alfred's list are so special. The demo shows that even though you're dealing with the idea of sentimentality, this isn't going to be a melancholy trip. You hear Alfred complain about changes, but this isn't an "old man shouting at clouds" scenario where the complaints are silly. The memories you uncover end up being sweet, and the characters you meet don't veer into annoying territory. The demo may be short, and we're purposefully leaving out major details so we don't spoil the demo, but you get the feeling that the full game will have plenty of moments that'll tug at your heartstrings.

The presentation certainly helps give the game a specific identity. The graphics have an animated look but not necessarily a cel-shaded one. The characters and environments look simple, but the style is inviting with warm colors. Meanwhile, the music is pleasant, and while the demo doesn't feature too many characters, Alfred's voice actor really pulls off the feeling of someone determined to fulfill that final request while also slowly lamenting change.

This type of game is the usual domain for a walking simulator, where you look at items, perform tasks by going to a specific location, and generally talk to everyone you meet while sometimes choosing what to say. However, the game tries to inject a little bit of gameplay to give you something else to do in addition to walking between points A and B. You'll occasionally find flower petals that kickstart a memory you have of the place you're visiting. You have a camera that you can use to take random photographs. Finding all of the petals in the area activates a minigame where you need to use your camera's viewfinder to find specifically shaped piles of petals to conjure up a clearer memory of the past. It's enough of a gameplay hook to keep one engaged beyond what the story is offering within the confines of this demo.

The demo shows off one problem that players may have: environmental hotspots. You can easily see where you need to press a button to view things like maps, signs and ads, but actually getting the game to recognize that you're in the spot's vicinity can be problematic. The prompts sometimes don't appear when you approach it head on, and there are moments when you need to move at very odd angles or hit a tiny spot before the game lets you activate the hotspot. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is annoying to have to go button-mashing, and this is something that really get addressed before the game's full release.

As it currently stands, Forever Ago is going to be a fascinating tearjerker of a game. The demo does a good job of showing off the sentimental power of what appear to be mundane things. The addition of a photography element for some of those memories gives the player just enough to make the experience more than just a walking simulator. While the environmental hotspots could be more responsive, the presentation is great from an artistic viewpoint. There's a month to go before Forever Ago is fully released, and we can't wait to see where the story goes.