14 DAY TRIAL // Afterimage is a visual fiesta of gardens, floral displays and strange landscapes, sprinkled with mundane monsters like frogs, birds and wolves. The first few hours of this 2D action-adventure platformer set in the ruins of a fantasy world called Engardin serve as a great sample of what this 40-hour game has to offer.
Although the game feels pretty invested when it comes to the story, it’s the visuals that have the biggest impact, at least in the opening hours. I’m saving my thoughts about the story until I play the full version because the roughly two and a half hours aren’t enough to judge it.
In Afterimage, you play as Renee, a young woman suffering from amnesia who’s trying to decipher the secrets of Engardin, a fantasy world created by one of the supreme deities. The story trailer that runs at the beginning of the game doesn’t help much, so let’s just say that the plot feels complicated rather interesting.
Gameplay-wise, Afterimage plays like a typical metroidvania game. It reminds me of titles like Ori and Ender Lilies, especially when it comes to aesthetics. You start with your basic equipment and no special moves at all, but as you progress Renee will learn new abilities that will help her visit areas that were previously unreachable.
The controls are pretty tight and developers even included a “high jump” ability that Renee comes equipped with from the beginning of the game. It’s one of the most important moves until the protagonist learns to dash or double jump because it’s how you avoid many of the attacks bosses throws at her.
The first few bosses act more as a tutorial, so they’re not that hard, but the last boss of the demo is much harder. I wasn’t expecting the difficulty spike, which made the kill much more satisfying. Bosses are well-designed and pretty balanced for the “normal” player, so I found that refreshing.
There’s no block or parry mechanic in the game, so you’ll have to try and dodge attacks. Although most of the enemies’ moves are telegraphed, it still requires some finesse to avoid being clipped by an incoming attack.
Renee can equip multiple weapons that correspond to different buttons on the controller. She can also find and equip better armor, use potions and spells, as well as mix various ingredients dropped by enemies. In most metroidvania platformers, when you die, you’ll have to restart your journey from the last saving point. Afterimage is no different, but levels aren’t that large and you can always avoid some of the enemies if you really wish to make some progress.
Renee is not just improving her gear throughout her journey, but also her capabilities. Thanks to the rather basic talent tree, she can upgrade her life total, defense, mana points, and attack power. More powerful upgrades become available at higher levels, including regeneration, something that I don’t think I’ve encountered in this type of games.
Conclusion
One other thing that Afterimage does very well is that it offers players all the tools needed for a traditional metroidvania experience. Also, the game does a very good job rewarding players who explore every nook and cranny.
Afterimage is scheduled for release for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on April 26. The demo is no longer available, but PC players can wishlist the game on Steam.
