Afterimage Review (PC)

Games like Ori and the Blind Forest, Hollow Knight, Blasphemous and Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights are well known among fans of the Metroidvania genre. To gain the same level of popularity of any of these titles, a game must either come up with something new and revolutionary or offer a silky-smooth gameplay experience.

Afterimage doesn’t really come up with anything new, but every mechanic has been carefully implemented to serve the player and be as less frustrating as possible. For those who played any of the above-mentioned games, Afterimage is more akin to Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight rather than the much darker Blasphemous and Ender Lilies.

Set in the fantasy world of Engardin, Afterimage puts players in the role of Renee, a young woman who wakes up without any memories of her past. Afterimage plays the amnesia card like many other games before it (especially JRPGs), but its major fault is that it makes it very hard to understand what’s going on.

Accompanied by a strange creature named Ifree, Renee embarks on a journey of discovery and redemption. Created by a deity, the world of Engardin was left in the care of four guardians that watched over the inhabitants and kept order. Unfortunately, the last of the deity’s creation, humans, started a war against the guardians, which culminated with The Razing, a massive explosion that brought a swift end to the conflict and to mankind at the same time.

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The blast has affected the Well of Mankind, so the survivors of the conflict can no longer reincarnate. Many years after the event, the settlements founded by these survivors are now attacked by mysterious forces. Renee is the only survivor of the attack on her village, but for whatever reason, she can reincarnate when killed.

To recover her forgotten memories and find her lost mentor, Renee must visit other human settlements and ask about the whereabouts of the mysterious figure who trapped her mentor’s soul. Unfortunately, the beautiful land of Engardin is now full of corrupt creatures that devour everything in their path.

Afterimage plays like a traditional Metroidvania game, so expect a lot of platforming, exploration and combat. One thing that I really loved about Afterimage is that it rewards exploration. You can find anything from new gear, currency, rare items, and even talent points if you decide to explore every nook and cranny.

The character progression system is pretty deep, yet simple to understand. Every time you level up, you get one talent point that you can use to unlock new powers or improve Renee’s survival or offensive abilities.

I was a bit worried that the improvements in the skill tree are insignificant, but an upgrade of 1-2 points of damage can mean the difference between 2 and 3 attacks to kill an enemy. This is huge because in Afterimage you don’t have the ability to parry attacks, you can just dash attacks. Killing an enemy before it can land an attack is crucial, especially at the beginning of the game when Renee only has the most basic abilities available to her.

What makes Afterimage a bit different than other Metroidvania games is that you can equip two types of weapons and one spell. You can use all three in any combination, although I found offensive spells lacking. There’s a wide range of weapons available in the game, some drop from enemies, others can be found in chests and drop from bosses. More importantly, these weapons change the way the game is played, as some are slower, while others are faster. I also found that weapons with longer reach are very useful against certain enemies.

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Speaking of which, Afterimage has a pretty expansive beastiary, as each zone introduces a new array of enemies with different attack patterns. Just by playing through the story and exploring as much as I could, I was able to kill just about every boss encountered from the first or second try, so Afterimage isn’t really a hard game.

However, some bosses might require players to return when they have leveled up a bit more or unlocked additional abilities. I didn’t have these issues because I like to return to areas that I wasn’t able to access after gaining new abilities (i.e. double jump, dash). The game also has a pretty decent map where you can mark things like an elevator or a door that you don’t have the key for, or even chests.

It makes exploration a lot easier since Afterimage’s maps are quite large, and you’re bound to forget where exactly was that door that needed a key. Depending how much you explored and how you fared in the game (don’t forget to talk with all NPCs), you’ll be getting one of the multiple endings.

Controls are pretty tight and accurate, but I wished the “colliding” damage wouldn’t exist in the game. With just a dash at your disposal to avoid enemies’ attacks, it’s pretty hard to keep Renee safe. Whenever she collides with the enemy, she takes a little bit of damage. Trying to dash through an enemy often results in failure and when you collide with an enemy, you’re pushed back a bit and stunned for 1-2 seconds. When you’re fighting a boss, getting stunned even for just a second can prove fatal.

When it comes to visuals, Afterimage is gorgeous. The 2D hand-drawn art style makes all landscapes look amazing. Add to that the great soundtrack and you have a recipe for success.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion