Adelaide, Australia - May 22, 2025 - Indie developer Orchid of Redemption is proud to announce that After Light Fades, a deeply moving narrative puzzle game about grief, memory, and transformation, will launch on Steam on June 20, 2025 with a 10% launch week discount.
Get a first look at the elemental puzzles and sokoban-inspired gameplay in the release date trailer:
In After Light Fades, players follow Alice, a grieving woman navigating a surreal world shaped by loss. After the death of her partner Aura in a house fire, Alice discovers seven artefacts in the ashes, each tied to a cherished memory. As she journeys across seven ethereal puzzle worlds, Alice must solve intricate sokoban-style challenges. These puzzles are built around spatial logic and box-pushing mechanics, and each is shaped by artefact-specific abilities that she must eventually give up in a powerful act of letting go.
“This isn’t just a puzzle game about moving boxes, it’s a meditation on what we lose and how we grow. Each of the 7 key mechanics you master, you must eventually abandon. The player feels that loss, and that’s the heart of the experience.” - Al Thumm, Director
After Light Fades blends traditional sokoban puzzle design with a magical toolkit of interconnected systems: mirrors, magnets, vines, clones, transmutation, fire propagation, electricity, teleports, and more! Every interaction between elements reflects Alice’s emotional journey, symbolising how grief transforms and reshapes the world around us.
Players will also have access to a full level editor with Steam Workshop support, allowing the community to build and share their own stories and puzzle creations using the game’s rich mechanic set.
Key Features:
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Seven Emotional Puzzle Worlds - Journey through seven handcrafted fantasy worlds, each representing a stage of grief. From shimmering coves to shifting manors, every world carries its own emotional tone and mechanical identity, culminating in a final act of letting go.
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Deep, Interconnected Sokoban-Inspired Mechanics - Push beyond traditional sokoban gameplay with layered, evolving puzzle elements. Experiment with magnetic fields, elemental transmutation, mirrors, vines, guardian spirits, and more, where objects interact with each other in surprising and meaningful ways.
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Metaphor-Driven Narrative of Healing and Transformation - Experience an emotionally resonant story told through gameplay. Each of the 7 key mechanics you master is eventually relinquished, making each act of puzzle-solving a reflection of the main character’s internal journey through grief and growth.
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Built-In Level Editor with Steam Workshop Integration - Create, share, and explore player-made puzzles with the same powerful toolset used in the main game. Design intricate emotional journeys or mechanical experiments and upload them directly to the Steam Workshop.
After Light Fades launches on June 20, 2025, for PC via Steam for $14.99 USD with a limited-time 10% launch discount. For more details, visit the website and follow on Instagram, Bluesky, X, and YouTube.
About Orchid of Redemption
Orchid of Redemption is an independent game studio based in Adelaide, Australia, focused on crafting simple, rich, and flowing experiences through a "minimum lovable product" philosophy. By stripping away excess, the studio creates games that resonate with clarity and purpose. After Light Fades is their second release, following the award-winning debut title Joon Shining.
Media Contact & Press Kit
Al Thumm - al@lamplightforest.com