Afterimage

"So long as you don’t compare it to the more standout entries in the genre, Afterimage deserves some consideration from fans who devour this kind of experience regularly. The gameplay is best described as solid, the difficulty skewed towards those …"

"Afterimage is an action RPG with a massive world with tons of areas and hidden areas to explore. The story is very confusing, but the huge variety of enemies, weapons, and attacks make the game enjoyable to play."

"Afterimage is a game with many and varied virtues: aesthetically it is beautiful, its addictive combat, soulslike mechanics and difficult bosses are a challenge... But in the same way, it does not do anything especially innovative, nor surprising, diluting a …"

"Afterimage is a fascinating and content-rich metroidvania, capable of keeping us glued for dozens of hours through fantastic worlds, an elegant combat system, challenging bosses, and platforming stages to master. All beautifully blended and delightfully packaged, making Aurogon Shanghai&s;s adventure …"

"Even if there are a few rough spots, Afterimage is a magical Metroidvania that shines. Most of the issues require a little patching but the core remains engaging. The combat works because the enemy variety compliments Renee&s;s moves, and overcoming …"

""Debute Metroidvania for fantasy lovers.""

"The game doesn’t do anything new to put its own spin on the Metroidvania formula; it looks gorgeous and plays fine, even if a bit bland, but that just isn’t enough in a world full of Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, …"

"Afterimage is a game that requires some level of patience, taking a bit of time to embrace its potential and relying later on players&s; willingness to backtrack and sniff out secrets. For those willing to invest, the high points provide …"

"A metroidvania that follows the basics of the genre to the letter and with a great artistic taste. Getting lost in the world and doing trial and error until you find the right path will be the norm, but that&s;s …"

"A relatively enjoyable Metroidvania that is still noticeably rough around the edges."

"Afterimage looks fantastic, plays well, and is a ton of fun in its best moments. However, the lack of direction in its large world leads to constant pathfinding annoyances. In a genre filled with great titles, it&s;s a solid option …"

"Afterimage excels in its presentation but suffers from a genre-wide reluctance to innovate on its gameplay. The story can feel a bit alienating but is nevertheless interesting and presents characters you’d be hard-pressed not to love."

"If not for some design flaws, Afterimage could have been an exemplary metroidvania. Not knowing where to go most of the time and the confusion of the story prevented it from getting a higher rating, but for fans of the …"

"Unlike a lot of games that pull together pieces from the Souls-like formula and the Metroidvania template, Afterimage manages to give equal weight to each half. Better yet, it mostly delivers on the best parts of both sub-genres."

"Afterimage is a solid and aesthetically amazing metroidvania. Despite some minor flaws, it&s;s a title absolutely worth playing for all the fans of the genre."

"If you’re looking for an adventure that will keep you busy, Afterimage will fit that bill quite nicely. A single playthrough will take you roughly 30 hours to complete. With such a sizable quest, heaps of hidden items to uncover, …"

"I had a good time with Afterimage. Its levels got more and more interesting as you progressed, the characters you’d run into were well-acted and I liked the interactions Renee had with them. There’s a lot of game to go …"

"With a more than 26-hour runtime, Afterimage kept me hooked to my seat as I ventured through the beautiful world with elegantly designed creatures and battles everywhere I turned. For the price of entry - Afterimage is one of the …"

"Afterimage is an artistic and intricate Metroidvania game, and it is good at being challenging and also approachable."

"You have to give props to developer Aurogon Shanghai for putting a lot of secrets and areas to explore and conquer, as well as a New Game+ and a couple of extra endings to unlock that try to make sense …"

"While it absolutely has some visual appeal, the familiarity and general lack of spark in play makes it underwhelming"

"Afterimage does enough to stand out in a genre that is quickly becoming overcrowded, with its surprisingly deep combat and excellent visual design. It doesn&s;t reinvent the wheel but will likely find a loving home in the hands of Metroidvania …"

"Sure, Afterimage has plenty of flaws. It’s a little too difficult at times. Its choice to lock fast travel behind a rare potion is frustrating. And it’s all too easy to feel like you’re at a dead end. But despite …"

"Afterimage is a Metroidvania with attractive 2D visuals and crisp combat, and it really wants to make sure you&s;ve earned any victories you get. The action is tricky, especially with the numerous bosses that are smarter than what you may …"

"Afterimage is a truly beautiful experience, one worth taking the time to enjoy. There are some frustrating moments like a lack of clarity in direction or forced moments of experience grinding, but a compelling story and fascinating world kept those …"

"Although not without flaws, Afterimage manages to stand out in the panorama of 2D adventures in metroidvania sauce, thanks to its wonderful backdrops, good level design and playful set-up."

"While we did grow a little weary of the overwhelming amount to explore and backtrack through in Afterimage, we didn&s;t grow tired of whacking its wide range of enemies, nor did its gorgeously hand-drawn environments - which Switch unfortunately struggles …"

"Afterimage looks great and is fun enough to play, but it&s;s a bit lacking in creativity and makes some questionable design decisions."

"Afterimage has all the elements of a great metroidvania. More than that, it&s;s also a game with excellent graphics and setting, which undoubtedly makes it one of the best games recently released in the genre."

"Not just a pretty face: Afterimage is not only a beautiful metroidvania, but also a very competent one, clever in taking inspiration from the right sources and able to deliver a world that you never get tired of exploring. Good …"

"So much of its obtuse systems and mechanics are poorly explained (or outright not explained at all) that you&s;ll need to really want to understand everything to be able to power through and figure it out. Afterimage will undoubtedly have …"

"All in all, the world of Afterimage is gorgeous and thrilling to explore. I just wish the game’s storytelling was as compelling as its setting."

"Afterimage is a great Metroidvania with a beautiful artstyle and a large world that you can enjoy it in. While there are a few issues with it, the progression and combat make it a fun experience overall. If you want …"

"Afterimage is a vibrant and vast Metroidvania adventure that rewards you the more you dig into it. A must play for fans of the genre. (Review Policy)"

"The Aurogon Shanghai studio definitely created Afterimage as a work made of a lot of effort and beauty. The intention to produce such a vast and dense metroidvania doesn&s;t always contribute to the game as a whole but it delivers …"

"Afterimage is one of the most surprising titles of the first half of 2023. We unexpectedly found ourselves facing a 2D action-adventure game with a metroidvania structure and some soulslike elements, content-wise massive, developed with care and intelligence. Derivative and …"

"The visuals are beautiful and the melodies follow suit. The controls are very responsive and at no point I felt like the glitches were the result of a problem with those. Whether for those who like the subgenre or for …"