Developer: Aurogon Shangai
Publisher: Modus Games
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
Tested on: PS5
Afterimage – Review
Metroidvania has always been a popular genre, giving players a satisfying feeling of progression and wonder. That is why a lot of indie developers try their hand at this formula. The genre has seen an increase in popularity again over the course of the last few years, and we have featured our fair share of these titles. This time we’ll be taking a closer look at Afterimage, an action-packed 2D game that lets players travel through a destroyed fantasy world, trying to uncover its mysteries.
Story
Afterimage tells the Story of Renee and her companion Ifree, who travel through the world of Engardin, looking for the mysterious women that burned down their village. During their travels, they encounter a whole collection of characters and restore Renee’s lost memories, while also trying to uncover the secrets of the destroyed world after the gods left it.
Sadly, none of the story development or worldbuilding is done in a very clear way. Environmental storytelling has been popular for years but it is hard to do well. You need to balance the vagueness of the information you give with clear hints about the world to make your players able to figure out things for themselves. This is where Afterimage drops the ball. The lore and story are delivered through short character interactions and memory flashes that deliver too little context. The information you get feels really disconnected and throws way too many unfamiliar terms around.
While hardcore fans can probably make much more sense of the story than casual gamers, it does feel like there is something missing. It would have been nice if there was something like a codex that gets updated throughout your adventure, allowing you to fall back on it to figure things out. The lack of cohesive storytelling might also be due to the fact that the game focuses more on its action-packed gameplay.
Graphics
It feels like you have one of two choices when creating the art style for a Metroidvania game, as most developers either opt for pixel art or anime-like visuals. Afterimage goes for the latter and delivers something gorgeous to look at. The characters and enemies are greatly designed with a lot of personality, and this especially shines through during conversations where you’ll see full character models. The same goes for the world, where every section has a clear theme and a lot of variety.
Sound
Afterimage’s soundtrack is quite good. Every part of the world has a unique sound that helps with the immersion which makes the levels stand out even more. A big orchestral score emphasizes the mysterious feeling of the story, which is certainly a plus. Along with this soundtrack is a touch of voice acting. All of the performances are good and help give the characters a bit more personality, fitting with their design.
Gameplay
Afterimage is a 2D action game that fits right at home in the Metroidvania genre. During the dozens of hours it takes to beat the game, you’ll be fighting your way through hordes of enemies, unlocking new abilities to further explore the vast world.
The combat in Afterimage is pretty straightforward. Your basic attacks are greatly influenced by the two weapons you have equipped, ranging from fast attacks to heavy hitters. To further enhance these attacks, you can unlock special moves through a skill tree. Each time you level up, you’ll get a skill point that can be exchanged for upgrades. The first time you encounter this skill tree you’ll be a bit overwhelmed by its sheer size, but once you realize each branch focuses on a different weapon, it gets much more manageable.
The overall combat experience is pretty decent, although not that deep. The fact that you gain levels rather quickly does give a constant feeling of progress. Combined with level caps in the skill tree that force you to explore different paths and weapons, Afterimage delivers a pretty interesting progression system. Although, the special moves you unlock don’t feel that great and they are also hard to master. The big reason for this is the fact that you not only take damage from enemy attacks but also from just touching them. This might mean that a forward slashing attack turns into a frustrating dent in your health if you stand too close.
While progressing through the lands of Engardin you’ll encounter obstacles that you can’t pass. Later on, you can get abilities that help you pass these obstacles, and in turn, the game expects you to go back and explore even further. All of these abilities are the classics, like jumping higher or being able to slide under obstacles, but Afterimage plays it rather safe and just sticks to very classic mechanics in this regard.
Conclusion
Afterimage delivers a solid 2D Metroidvania experience. With its vague story, it’s clear that Afterimage focuses more on delivering a stellar visual performance and fun gameplay. The big problem, however, is that the game doesn’t do anything groundbreaking and ends up becoming one of the many games available in its genre. Gamers who are looking for a basic yet solid Metroidvania will have a good time, but those looking for something unique that switches up the status quo will be left disappointed.
Afterimage - Review,
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