You see all kinds of games during the Penny Arcade Expo in Boston and if you were expecting a game that takes cues from a romantic comedy, you would be lying but that’s what Half Past Fate from Serenity Forge does.
You start out waiting for your friend to show up at the local coffee shop before you head to work for a big meeting but oh no, there is a big line and you’re going to be late. That isn’t going to stop you from getting your coffee so you start talking to people in line, trying to get them to allow you to take their place in line to no avail, except for the guy right in front of you. You need to wonder around the coffee shop to solve the problems of the other patrons in line to get them out of the shop and you getting your coffee faster. If this doesn’t sound like an episode of “Friends” then I don’t know what does?
But the fun doesn’t stop inside the coffee shop; you need to interact with people outside the coffee shop as well as around the area to find solutions to everyday problems. For an example, the line in the coffee shop wasn’t moving because the girl on line didn’t have the right amount to pay for her coffee. You step in to find her change somewhere in the coffee shop to pay her tax on her coffee, something she didn’t plan on. The characters you play as are typical guys that mess around with each other; the types that have know each other for years and want to see the other end up with someone special.
That’s why the writing feels right at home in this rom-com style game where best friends can mess with each-other thinking the barista is the same girl everyday and knows what their order is when she has no idea who they are or what they order every day. Half Past Fate controls well for a point and click style game but this type of game will earn its keep in the writing. Other than the characters having interesting names, you would think this was a romantic comedy movie you were playing rather than a game. You might even be able to use some of the moves in the game to spice up your love life but I wouldn’t recommend it!