As a balloon flying, dare-devil adventurer, the main character in this game laughs at danger despite enemies who wish nothing more than to stop him; Rickard Bronson. They want to stop him from collecting all the balloons in each stage and defeating all the enemies so he can advance. Yet only Rickard can stop these forces of hell from reaching earth and only he can collect the ten stolen Cruciforms, which separate the gates of hell from our world. Can he recover them all and still survive? In Afterlife, collecting the ten Cruciforms is your goal, and it will not be an easy journey across several levels, facing many enemies, in your hot-aired balloon. With some very fun game play at the heart of the game, some challenging levels that will challenge your skills and some great tunes, this game makes for a very fun experience for any gamer who wants a lengthy and a challenging game.

Once you start up Afterlife you can change the controls for your little balloon if you wish. Once you choose the single player mode to start the game, you will first play the training mode. In training mode, you will get familiar with how the balloon moves and the different weapons that are available and get an idea of what this game is like. Once you pass the training mode, the game will begin, as will your job of collecting the ten Cruciforms. You will travel across many different levels, fighting many enemies at times, and later encounter some interesting challenges that will require you to plan how you will proceed.

The goal of each level is to defeat every enemy that is on screen, after which a warp hole will appear that will allow you to advance to the next level. However, if you wish to get a complete level score, you will have to collect all the balloons that are floating around in the stage before you destroy all the enemies. Be careful though, all it takes is one touch from an enemy or running into a hazardous object like lava to destroy your balloon and force you to restart the level all over again.

The whole idea of flying around in a balloon using not only bombs, but a super powered umbrella may sound a bit cheesy, but is actually quite fun. The game play is quite entertaining, from the different enemies you see to the different challenges that you face in each level. The enemies get smarter as you proceed and you may have to plan which enemies you have to defeat first before they defeat you. All it takes is one hit, so the challenge is quite high in this game, especially in the more advanced stages.

Each level itself grows more challenging as you proceed further and further in the game. While some of the levels are quite tough, they are beatable; they require careful movement of the balloon and careful firing at the enemies at times. There are plenty of stages for you to see before the game is finished and lots to see along the way. The challenge is difficult but nothing frustrating and for most gamers this should not be a problem.

The music was also quite nice to listen to; the tunes are a nice mix, and it does not distract from the action on screen. The sound effects also sound good and they do not seem out of place with the action on screen.

The only minor frustration that may irritate some gamers is the one hit and your dead concept. It can be quite challenging in some of the later levels, when you are close to finishing a level and accidentally hit an enemy or touch the lava, but this just means you have to be more careful when you are playing the game. While it would have been nice for perhaps a life meter for the balloon, the concept is fine in my books.

This is a very fun game and I did enjoy playing through the many levels, so check it out and see what its like.

UPDATE

The game has gone through a major revamp, and is now called Afterlife: Rickard's Quest.  This new version features several bug fixes, as well as adding new goodies such as playable balloons, enemies and abilities.  You can read the full list of changes by going to the game's page, then clicking on 'History'.