Forever Ago PS5 Review Finds Adventure Stuck in the Past

Forever Ago follows Alfred, an elderly man mourning his wife, Audrey. After her death, Audrey leaves him a journal with tasks to complete at locations they visited together. The journal sends Alfred on a road trip through small, isolated areas linked to their past.

The locations reflect Alfred’s frustration with changes in his life. Places he remembers no longer look the same, while people from his past have moved on. Completing the tasks brings back memories of Alfred and Audrey’s relationship and the life they shared.

The game takes about four hours to complete. Players explore each area, speak with non-player characters, examine objects and hear Alfred describe his thoughts. Petals found throughout the environments trigger optional memories. Alfred’s instant camera is used during scripted scenes and allows players to take photographs while exploring.

The review found that the memories, journal entries and Audrey’s drawings provide more detail about the couple. Alfred is unhappy and withdrawn in the present-day sections, while flashbacks show a happier and imperfect relationship. Voice acting supports the difference between the two periods. The writing sometimes uses sentimental language.

The review also found that the game offers few choices and spends much of its runtime on cutscenes. Dialogue options appear in only a small number of scenes. The petals that trigger memories are optional, even though the memories provide background on Alfred and Audrey.

Alfred’s default walking speed is slow. Holding L1 allows him to move faster, but the game does not offer a toggle for that setting. Objects that can be examined are marked with floating white dots. In several cases, Alfred must be positioned at a precise spot and facing the correct direction before he can interact with them.

A boat-rowing sequence uses controls that the review found difficult to manage. The scene continues even after the player stops rowing, which reduces the effect of the sequence. The camera provides limited interaction, and many characters do not respond when Alfred photographs them.

The review also recorded performance and audio problems on the base PS5. The frame rate drops in some areas, particularly when the camera turns. Spatial audio can make voices in cutscenes sound distant and difficult to hear. Infrequent save points may require players to repeat a substantial section after restarting the game.

Forever Ago received a 6/10 rating in the PS5 review. The review described its story and older protagonist as the strongest parts of the game, while identifying its limited activities, technical issues and interaction systems as weaknesses.