Given what you said about the confusing story presentation and the name of the publisher... I'm going to guess that it makes a lot more sense in Chinese and the people who translated it to English spent more time on making sure the translations had complete sentences and less time on making sure it made sense in context.
I think you're spot on. I understood the story (or at least what I think it was going for), but I definitely feel like the translation hindered it in key moments where it felt like they could have built up better to specific plot points. Or some of the endings kind of feeling tacked on; not tacked on as far as what could happen but in the characters' emotions which could have been built up better. IE there's a pivotal moment where it feels like there's something that's supposed to be a grand reveal and Renee doesn't really seem to react to it besides "oh," that would have lead better into the three Ifree endings and the choice you must make to receive it. Regardless I had a blast and just unlocked NG+ after getting what I assume are the two main endings for Renee and Ifree. I haven't started that yet, but it starts you at level one so I assume it's different content.
Afterimage is a combat and progression, and exploration driven experience, I would argue elements like story, characters and world building are irrelevant in a game like this, you could replace the narrative with anything and it would still be for the most part the same game
@@thisisntnoahI accidentally sequence broke something in emerald falls (twice I found out) so I have no clue what’s going on with the story LOL I h thy ink I just went backwards through like two entire areas
I haven't played it myself but this review was several months ago so its possible the devs had somebody go over the script and fix translation errors.@@paledrake
@kevinerickson84 that's soo funny you mentioned that game.. I uses to play with a friend on share screen (ps5) and bc I was ahead of him, I used to always call him my "afterimage"😂😂
This is why the actual review matters so much more than the score. It's an ARPG/metroidvania. A genre where 99% of the time the story is "there's an evil force or being that's threatening to do bad things. We must acquire X,Y, and Z so we can destroy it." If the combat is fun and fluid and customization is deep and interesting, it's probably at least an 8/10 for me.
That and I'm actually suspicious if the reviewer actually played past the first few areas or not. There was no comments on the absolutely massive map and the NG+. Also the story makes more sense as you go along and spamming square in-front of a boss is a death sentence later in the game.
I am definitely going to be picking this up. Story doesn't bother me much, as I have recently played through Record of Lodoss War and Ender Lillies and neither of those stories made any sense to me (or perhaps I wasn't paying attention 😁)
Ender Lillies' story is very hidden behind finding and reading the collectible was it tablets? As well as cutscenes with the spirits when you acquire them. I found it quite good and amassed almost all tablets (missed a few). If you don't go into that aspect yeah, the story will make less sense.
@@Greed97 I have platted both DS1 and DS3 and still needed to read up online about what the story was. I picked up bits here and there from items and NPC dialog, but perhaps I am just a dumbass with picking up story details in these games.
I played it half way now ( i guess i m not even half way)... and the game itself is so fun! Try it guys... this game has leveling system which lead to talent tree that can unlock more moveset for each of the 6 weapons. You can equip two of them as main weapons (two buttons) and mix the combo. Also, this game has such a hugeeeeeeeee map! Dang... I think it has one of the biggest map in this genre.
Way to big and way to fun 🤩 love it 🥰 this game as all in one feels more like metroidvania mix RPG Wuxia fantasy world. Is this mapple story, Dragon Blaze, Muramasa Rebirth , Crusader quest, Crown Princess 👑, is this Dust:AET!!! God dam my brains is going Joy 🥹 full blisss…!
Heads up to kickstarter backers. The codes for switch and Playstation have been delayed for a day or two, but as compensation, you'll get a code for steam along with the switch or Playstation. Xbox and PC users should get the codes today.
Gonna get it! Was wishing for a gem in the likes of Aeterna Noctis, but it seems fun too :) Hope it's financially doable to maintain this channel, it's one of the best quick review channels I go to when looking for titles, whilst barely having any obvious bias indicators (preferences for genres, game design techniques, style approaches), which *a lot* of other reviewers struggle with. Especially the amount of reviews is astounding.
I feel too much emphasis was placed on the narrative/story for this type of game. While I agree with the critiques, it likely isn’t why many chose to play the game. This is definitely not a score I align with. Little over halfway through and I can’t see this dropping below a 7.5 for me. Honestly, I’m super impressed by many elements.
I could really care less about story elements in these types of games, as long as gameplay, progression and exploration are solid then that's what really puts a game ahead of others
I'm about a dozen hours (?) into the game. It is HUGE. I thought Aeterna Noctis was big, but i think this is much bigger. Fun exploration. I actually thought the little map marker thing was totally sufficient once i got the hang of it. I just dedicated a marker for each of the types of obstacles i thought might be navigable via some upgrade later (something out of reach, something behind a locked door, etc). I didn't feel like i needed to zoom in any further. If anything, i found it annoying that the map goes out to general zones if you zoom too far out - it makes it annoying to search for all of the symbols you want to see, as you have to first zoom in and slowly pan around. I haven't read even a single word of the dialog / lore dump. I've skipped literally 100% of the story, and i haven't felt like it was necessary at all. There are apparently quests, but i seem to complete them by talking to an NPC and mashing skip the entire time. So maybe the story is confusing (i wouldn't know), but it isn't required to go through the game. Very fun for the exploration aspect. Despite the variety of weapons, i find the combat mostly tedious. Most regular enemies are super easy, and i button mashed / damage tanked at least half the bosses so far. Still absolutely worth playing.
Oh no, game narrative that doesn't make sense, really bad game, how can you make a game with confusing story? And you are telling me we need to read items description to understand the game lore? Bad game design 6/10 Meanwhile Noisy pixels gives elden ring 10/10...
The zoomed-out perspective is an odd choice for this game. Look at how underwhelming the boss fight is at 3:40 because of how much of the screen is just background. This kind of far shot works for Metroid because Samus can fire her weapons from long range, but it doesn't fit a melee character.
it need it the bosses will hand you your ass if its zoomed in because they are difficult and if they go off screen you wont see what move they are going to pull off and they will just run you down and kill you in 2 hits.
I generally liked noisy pixel reviews but this one has me stumped. How can a game of this quality and scope get such a low score just because the story didn't make sense? The visuals are absolutely breathtaking, the music is gorgeous, the combat and platforming is super fun and responsive and the level design is great with a HUGE map. It didn't even crash once and only lagged every so often. Those issues with the bosses can so easily be patched and the story is literally the least important thing about a MV. A 6.5 is insulting, this game deserves an 8.5 AT THE VERY LEAST!
He also said the enemy and boss design is poor, and there is a severe lack of challenge. A game isn't automatically amazing because it's big. The game is style over substance, quantity > quality. It looks great sure, but it has so many negatives. 6.5 is more than fair. There's like 40 dead ends per area. Devs don't know how to intertwine maps correctly. You get exp for killing regular mobs and that leads to being super overpowered, the game gets trivialized. It's not as good as you're making it out to be.
@@jacob5061 i didn't have as many dead ends, i explored thoroughly and did a good job marking things on the map. I always knew where to utilize new movement abilities and never once got stumped with no where to go. The game isn't the best metroidvania because it's big. But its a damn good one that happens to be huge. And whenever a MV is good i just want more of it and this game delivered
Good review im about 40 hours in. 9.5/10 for me so far. I smash the X button during dialogue. My only complaints are the map lacks NPC and shop locations and the healing ability time is way too long (i know theres an upgrade but still)
Afterimage had one main problem and that was that it was too long. I could feel the Elden Ring influence for sure, both the good and the bad, with how Afterimage so badly wanted to evoke a feeling of a grand odyssey, an epic. It succeeded in giving me that feeling, I'd say, but it didn't do enough after the initial impressiveness of the size of the world wore off. It's the only Metroidvania I've ever played where while there weren't any specific flaws that irked me, it just got wholly stale before I finished the game. 24 hours in, still no end in sight, I gave up from sheer boredom (which while sort of impressive in it's own right, that there weren't other significant flaws to scare me away much sooner, is also a very damning problem for the game). I'll keep my eye on the developers of the game because they're clearly very talented and passionate. I expect that they'll release a very artful product in the future
I'm maybe 2/3 into the game and I don't find the story confusing for the most part. It was hard to grasp in the beginning, but once you learn more and more about the world it all clicks. I've personally played WAAAAY more confusing and convoluted games. Also did the reviewer actually finish the game? The further in you get the more things get clarified and generalized. Also no comment on the absolute massive map or NG+ is very sus ngl. It feels like the reviewer just played the first 2 areas of the game and called it a day. The footage also doesn't really show much besides the two first areas, so that might actually be true. Also spamming square on a boss only works in the beginning. Some bosses are just brutal later on and don't give many windows for dmg or demand a lot pur of you to dodge their heavy hitting attacks.
I've been confused about people not understanding the story as well. From what I could gather it seems to be a case of lazyness(unwillingness to read text in a game). It also doesn't help that the story is structured in a way that the plot doesn't make sense without the lore(if you don't understand the history of the world the plot won't make sense). The plot of the game is a kind of puzzle mystery; all the pieces are there you have to make sense of them. There's a fantastic video which summarises the entire story and lore of the game. th-cam.com/video/G9qk8xDQ7aw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=5LB1GcWxFt4X-ZBQ
@@tomovlada It kinda has that From Software lore-structure, but instead of telling its story throufh item descriptions and the environment it instead does this with dialogue and journals you find. It's very much a puzzel and you'll discover more as you go on. It's funny how something like Elden Ring got praised for this while indie games like Afterimage gets criticized for honestly doing a better job. There are item descriptions in Afterimage too, but 95% of the time it's fluff unrelated to the lore/story or just extra bits. Most are self-contained unless directly linked to something mentioned in the story.
Thank God someone else felt this way about the narrative in this game. I thought it was just me. This is the prettiest, most nonsensical game I’ve played in a while.
Didn't like this game. Combat was too easy the whole way until NG+. Huge map makes the game take too long to feel rewarding with something really useful. Beautiful art and cool movements tho, 6.5 is on point.
Another review mentioned the upgrade nodes can be used all over, so when you hit a level 25 node or whatever your free to pick anything else. Is this accurate? They also mentioned it's not explained anywhere that that was a thing you could do
Certain abilities can be upgraded more than once. They are level-locked from further upgrades. So, the level 25 one you've mentioned, it can be upgraded twice, once at the beginning and once after you've reached level 25. The game doesn't tell you, but you can upgrade the skills after that one even if the level 25 one is not fully upgraded.
I just finished the game and im glad that im not the only one who is not understanding the plot well. Hopefully someone is going to make a explanation about the plot of the game.
this game is absolutely incredible!! certainly better than a 6.5....wtf!! it completey surprised me with its gameplay and phenomenal world both in size and designe!! there is always another area to discover, another boss to fight, another weapon,armor or NPC. the VAs gave it their all! the music is just soothing. the backgrounds are impressiv! beautiful colour palette. it is technically not as good as a game as hollow knight but it became my favourite metroidvania even dethroning hollow knight!! and i LOVE hollow knight!!! i know heresy !! ... i cant believe it myself! it is on the easy side tho. especially when you powerlevel! which you can! no stupid Xp scaling! and combat sure as hell is not as precise as hollow knight's . if you like metroidvanias you sure as hell will like this one maybe even love it.
Story makes no sense but who cares ? Map is huge, the game rewards you for exploration and overcoming challenges. After a while you figure out even the most confusing things about plot or system. It plays fast, sound is great, graphics and biomes all awesome. It's a 9,5 not a 6,5.
What they SHOULD have done is spent way LESS time on writing the novel that players have to read and spent MORE time explaining WTF we're supposed to be doing in this game. I have collected a SHIT TON of items and ZERO idea wtf to do with ANY of it. There's a lot more to why this game sucks as much as it's great.
Although story isn't what is imediately important, I think it is what keeps games like these alive over the years. Take a Castlevania conversation for instance, the franchise has an extremelly simplistic story, but multiple characters with multiple timelines under a very interesting premise. If you hear the name Belmont, you already know you are going to get some good stuff, and that wouldn't be the case if Castlevania never bothered to properly contextualise its action and give meaning and development to its characters. It's a shame that such a vibrant and gorgeous game is going to fall flat in that regard. It is bound to be completely forgotten
I dont understand the complaint about the map markers. Like yea the story is hard to follow and it isnt for everyone( but well worth putting the time into it) but the map markers? they work like a charm, even after 40hours of playtime I have no issue with them at all. Sounds a bit like super nitpicking for flaws. Dont get me wrong its definetely not without any ( I wish some areas would be connected with the next one you're meant to tackle instead of sending you through a high level area first for example) but the map markers are definetely no reason to complain about
I agree with you wholeheartedly. My view on both of these games is very similar, fun gameplay with a decent challenge, but I did not care about the story in the slightest
I initially had this preordered but after seeing some of it canceled it as i wasn’t fully sold on it anymore…looks like i was right to do so. It seems like a decent game if i can get the physical version on discount at later date so i guess I’ll wish list it. I canceled this and the monolith soft remaster coming later this year for loop8 as it just looks more interesting than a lot of these smaller projects like this game and trinity trigger.
This review seems to be the worst, every other I watched give it better score so I will pick this up. It feels like this reviewer is not really into metroidvanias in general.
This game is pretty good, although its a little too "anime" style for me.... which isn't that bad, except for the voice acting! Its gawd awful... almost ruins the entire game. But there are many elements to the game that keep me going
it sounds like the combat is easy & I like easy combat games, it is not on my list of games to buy & play. Ha ha Note I am working on Cat Quest 2 after completing Cat Quest, I like video games that are easy & enjoyable to look at.
I played this game on next fest, but felt incredibly annoyed by it as budget Navi DID NOT shut up, constantly interrrupting my exploration, I might pick it up down the line. My opinion on story in metroidvanias is I don't mind if it's there as long as it's done well and I've played some with great stories, but ultimately story is not needed beyond giving you something to motivate your exploration, which can be incredibly simple, but it DOES need to not get in the way of the gameplay. It's a genre where the environmental storytelling of your journey across the world is far more interesting and important.
I don't know wether or not to get it I need a new metroidvania in my life .. I've basically played all the main ones and lots of hidden gems but I need a new one last last 3 months new one.. any suggestions anyone?
- Grime - Supraland - Lunacid - Blasphemous These I would consider to be hidden gems (maybe not Blasphemous) but still 10/10 bangers. I got more suggestions, literally the only genre I play. Hmu.
Not metroidvanias in the classical sense, more castlevania but still very fun to play. Mega Man 11 Shantae and the pirate curse (there are a few games all with good reviews) Ghost n Goblins remake Monster Boy and the cursed kingdom Duck Tales remaster Ori 1 and 2 are my favorite metroidvanias but I guess you played them if you play a lot of these games.
Also 2 games everyone should play is little nightmares 1 & 2. They are such amazing games and incredible gaming experiences. Almost a surreal feel while playing, super unique games and lots of fun and scary. Go in blind, watch no trailers or reviews because it will just spoil a lot of cool stuff, play 1 first then 2. You will thank me later, this is the only time you can trust a trust me bro!
If the gameplay and progression is good then I can look past the story. Don’t get me wrong I love a good story but there has been plenty of fun games that the story totally sucked.
@@NoisyPixelNews well after playing for a few hours today id say your score isn't too far off. I think i need to play a bit longer but as of now i would agree with you. Update: I'm a fool. After 4 hours of play in loving this game. Reminds me of aeterna noctis.
came here for a game review, left very frustrated and annoyed! you use a ton of words, but dont actually say anything.... and instead of just reviewing the game, you spend the entire first half of the video trying to explain your confusion and then blabbing about storylines. listen, spend less time trying to sound good using alot of words that are totally unecessary, and actually use your time to just review the game and show its positives and negatives. as of right now, you are terrible at doing game reviews.
came here for a TH-cam comment, left very frustrated and annoyed! you use a ton of words, but don't actually say anything.... And instead of just commenting you spend your entire first half of the comment babbling about your feelings. Listen, spend less time talking about your feelings and using words that are totally unnecessary and actually use your time to just write a comment and show something that isn't completely emotional. As of right now, you are terrible at making comments.
From reading the comment, glad I am not the only one who thoroughly enjoyed the game. Despite the fact that the story is extremely confusing, the rest of the game felt incredible. I think the game itself is not too difficult, but is still hard enough for most people to struggle with some bosses. My guess is that this is because of the level system, and the dev wanted players to be able to kill any bosses that they can get to, regardless of their levels. (I actually killed a lot of the bosses that I was not supposed to kill yet, and yea they were hard but not impossible). The only time I have seen the game actually broken its own rule as a metroidvania is that one tunnel vertical tunnel that requires super jump to get access to, but it is entire possible to cheese it by riding enemy up it. For some reason the game just insta kill any enemies that go in the tunnel, which annoyed me a little. Aside from that, I can still access the majority of the map that don't require prerequisite trigger to enter. Very solid game
Why does the whole opening give the vibe you just didn't like the game because the story didn't make sense to you and that my friend IS NOT WHAT PEOPLE PLAY METROIDVANIAS FOR 😂😂😂😂 YOU GET PAID TO DO WORK OF THIS QAULITY ?!?!?!?! CRAZYYYY
![ประสบการณ์ จ้าง Developer ที่ผมจะไม่มีวันลืม [ภาค1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bzivN4KDg-k/mqdefault.jpg)
Given what you said about the confusing story presentation and the name of the publisher... I'm going to guess that it makes a lot more sense in Chinese and the people who translated it to English spent more time on making sure the translations had complete sentences and less time on making sure it made sense in context.
I think you're spot on. I understood the story (or at least what I think it was going for), but I definitely feel like the translation hindered it in key moments where it felt like they could have built up better to specific plot points. Or some of the endings kind of feeling tacked on; not tacked on as far as what could happen but in the characters' emotions which could have been built up better. IE there's a pivotal moment where it feels like there's something that's supposed to be a grand reveal and Renee doesn't really seem to react to it besides "oh," that would have lead better into the three Ifree endings and the choice you must make to receive it.
Regardless I had a blast and just unlocked NG+ after getting what I assume are the two main endings for Renee and Ifree. I haven't started that yet, but it starts you at level one so I assume it's different content.
Afterimage is a combat and progression, and exploration driven experience, I would argue elements like story, characters and world building are irrelevant in a game like this, you could replace the narrative with anything and it would still be for the most part the same game
@@thisisntnoahI accidentally sequence broke something in emerald falls (twice I found out) so I have no clue what’s going on with the story LOL I h thy ink I just went backwards through like two entire areas
It's making complete sense to me and I've not even finished it yet.
I haven't played it myself but this review was several months ago so its possible the devs had somebody go over the script and fix translation errors.@@paledrake
This will end up being a hidden gem. Definitely picking it up.
Nothing "hidden" about it, its the best mv yet this year and its getting recognition
Loving this right now. Reminds me of aeterna noctis in a way. 🤘
@kevinerickson84 that's soo funny you mentioned that game.. I uses to play with a friend on share screen (ps5) and bc I was ahead of him, I used to always call him my "afterimage"😂😂
Gameplay wise is definitely one of the better recent metroidvanias
This is why the actual review matters so much more than the score.
It's an ARPG/metroidvania. A genre where 99% of the time the story is "there's an evil force or being that's threatening to do bad things. We must acquire X,Y, and Z so we can destroy it."
If the combat is fun and fluid and customization is deep and interesting, it's probably at least an 8/10 for me.
For sure that may be the case!
There are some with good stories, but yeah it's a genre more focused on gameplay and environmental storytelling than traditional narrative.
That and I'm actually suspicious if the reviewer actually played past the first few areas or not. There was no comments on the absolutely massive map and the NG+. Also the story makes more sense as you go along and spamming square in-front of a boss is a death sentence later in the game.
I am definitely going to be picking this up. Story doesn't bother me much, as I have recently played through Record of Lodoss War and Ender Lillies and neither of those stories made any sense to me (or perhaps I wasn't paying attention 😁)
Ender Lillies' story is very hidden behind finding and reading the collectible was it tablets? As well as cutscenes with the spirits when you acquire them. I found it quite good and amassed almost all tablets (missed a few). If you don't go into that aspect yeah, the story will make less sense.
Like all dark souls games, nioh, wo long if you don't put 100% interest in the stories you don't get it
That’s real
@@Greed97 I have platted both DS1 and DS3 and still needed to read up online about what the story was. I picked up bits here and there from items and NPC dialog, but perhaps I am just a dumbass with picking up story details in these games.
@@Estorium no me too I love souls games but almost all are to weird, confusing or cryptic to understand the story
I played it half way now ( i guess i m not even half way)... and the game itself is so fun! Try it guys... this game has leveling system which lead to talent tree that can unlock more moveset for each of the 6 weapons. You can equip two of them as main weapons (two buttons) and mix the combo. Also, this game has such a hugeeeeeeeee map! Dang... I think it has one of the biggest map in this genre.
Way to big and way to fun 🤩 love it 🥰 this game as all in one feels more like metroidvania mix RPG Wuxia fantasy world. Is this mapple story, Dragon Blaze, Muramasa Rebirth , Crusader quest, Crown Princess 👑, is this Dust:AET!!! God dam my brains is going Joy 🥹 full blisss…!
Heads up to kickstarter backers. The codes for switch and Playstation have been delayed for a day or two, but as compensation, you'll get a code for steam along with the switch or Playstation. Xbox and PC users should get the codes today.
Gonna get it! Was wishing for a gem in the likes of Aeterna Noctis, but it seems fun too :)
Hope it's financially doable to maintain this channel, it's one of the best quick review channels I go to when looking for titles, whilst barely having any obvious bias indicators (preferences for genres, game design techniques, style approaches), which *a lot* of other reviewers struggle with. Especially the amount of reviews is astounding.
Played this during the steamfest demo and quickly fell in love with it, will be picking it up
Dope!
I played this back in the Beta days, where I was one of the Beta Tester. It's good to see that the game is turning a lot of heads
I feel too much emphasis was placed on the narrative/story for this type of game. While I agree with the critiques, it likely isn’t why many chose to play the game.
This is definitely not a score I align with. Little over halfway through and I can’t see this dropping below a 7.5 for me. Honestly, I’m super impressed by many elements.
Isn't the story in most medtridvena supposed to be cryptic like 2d souls 😕
I could really care less about story elements in these types of games, as long as gameplay, progression and exploration are solid then that's what really puts a game ahead of others
I'm about a dozen hours (?) into the game. It is HUGE. I thought Aeterna Noctis was big, but i think this is much bigger.
Fun exploration. I actually thought the little map marker thing was totally sufficient once i got the hang of it. I just dedicated a marker for each of the types of obstacles i thought might be navigable via some upgrade later (something out of reach, something behind a locked door, etc). I didn't feel like i needed to zoom in any further. If anything, i found it annoying that the map goes out to general zones if you zoom too far out - it makes it annoying to search for all of the symbols you want to see, as you have to first zoom in and slowly pan around.
I haven't read even a single word of the dialog / lore dump. I've skipped literally 100% of the story, and i haven't felt like it was necessary at all. There are apparently quests, but i seem to complete them by talking to an NPC and mashing skip the entire time. So maybe the story is confusing (i wouldn't know), but it isn't required to go through the game.
Very fun for the exploration aspect. Despite the variety of weapons, i find the combat mostly tedious. Most regular enemies are super easy, and i button mashed / damage tanked at least half the bosses so far. Still absolutely worth playing.
Oh no, game narrative that doesn't make sense, really bad game, how can you make a game with confusing story? And you are telling me we need to read items description to understand the game lore? Bad game design 6/10
Meanwhile
Noisy pixels gives elden ring 10/10...
The zoomed-out perspective is an odd choice for this game. Look at how underwhelming the boss fight is at 3:40 because of how much of the screen is just background. This kind of far shot works for Metroid because Samus can fire her weapons from long range, but it doesn't fit a melee character.
it need it the bosses will hand you your ass if its zoomed in because they are difficult and if they go off screen you wont see what move they are going to pull off and they will just run you down and kill you in 2 hits.
I generally liked noisy pixel reviews but this one has me stumped. How can a game of this quality and scope get such a low score just because the story didn't make sense? The visuals are absolutely breathtaking, the music is gorgeous, the combat and platforming is super fun and responsive and the level design is great with a HUGE map. It didn't even crash once and only lagged every so often. Those issues with the bosses can so easily be patched and the story is literally the least important thing about a MV. A 6.5 is insulting, this game deserves an 8.5 AT THE VERY LEAST!
He also said the enemy and boss design is poor, and there is a severe lack of challenge.
A game isn't automatically amazing because it's big. The game is style over substance, quantity > quality. It looks great sure, but it has so many negatives. 6.5 is more than fair. There's like 40 dead ends per area. Devs don't know how to intertwine maps correctly. You get exp for killing regular mobs and that leads to being super overpowered, the game gets trivialized. It's not as good as you're making it out to be.
@@jacob5061 i didn't have as many dead ends, i explored thoroughly and did a good job marking things on the map. I always knew where to utilize new movement abilities and never once got stumped with no where to go. The game isn't the best metroidvania because it's big. But its a damn good one that happens to be huge. And whenever a MV is good i just want more of it and this game delivered
Good review im about 40 hours in. 9.5/10 for me so far. I smash the X button during dialogue. My only complaints are the map lacks NPC and shop locations and the healing ability time is way too long (i know theres an upgrade but still)
This has been patched, now the NPCs and merchants show on the map.
@@orbitalchiller wow really? Awesome. I 100%’ed the game shortly after that comment
Afterimage had one main problem and that was that it was too long.
I could feel the Elden Ring influence for sure, both the good and the bad, with how Afterimage so badly wanted to evoke a feeling of a grand odyssey, an epic. It succeeded in giving me that feeling, I'd say, but it didn't do enough after the initial impressiveness of the size of the world wore off. It's the only Metroidvania I've ever played where while there weren't any specific flaws that irked me, it just got wholly stale before I finished the game.
24 hours in, still no end in sight, I gave up from sheer boredom (which while sort of impressive in it's own right, that there weren't other significant flaws to scare me away much sooner, is also a very damning problem for the game).
I'll keep my eye on the developers of the game because they're clearly very talented and passionate. I expect that they'll release a very artful product in the future
This is a very fun, varied and huge game, and deserves at least 8,5.
Afterimage might take the top spot as my favorite MV; not as immersive as HK but the gameplay feels oooh so goood. pick it up if you're on the fence!
I'm maybe 2/3 into the game and I don't find the story confusing for the most part. It was hard to grasp in the beginning, but once you learn more and more about the world it all clicks. I've personally played WAAAAY more confusing and convoluted games.
Also did the reviewer actually finish the game? The further in you get the more things get clarified and generalized. Also no comment on the absolute massive map or NG+ is very sus ngl. It feels like the reviewer just played the first 2 areas of the game and called it a day. The footage also doesn't really show much besides the two first areas, so that might actually be true. Also spamming square on a boss only works in the beginning. Some bosses are just brutal later on and don't give many windows for dmg or demand a lot pur of you to dodge their heavy hitting attacks.
I've been confused about people not understanding the story as well. From what I could gather it seems to be a case of lazyness(unwillingness to read text in a game). It also doesn't help that the story is structured in a way that the plot doesn't make sense without the lore(if you don't understand the history of the world the plot won't make sense). The plot of the game is a kind of puzzle mystery; all the pieces are there you have to make sense of them.
There's a fantastic video which summarises the entire story and lore of the game.
th-cam.com/video/G9qk8xDQ7aw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=5LB1GcWxFt4X-ZBQ
@@tomovlada It kinda has that From Software lore-structure, but instead of telling its story throufh item descriptions and the environment it instead does this with dialogue and journals you find. It's very much a puzzel and you'll discover more as you go on. It's funny how something like Elden Ring got praised for this while indie games like Afterimage gets criticized for honestly doing a better job.
There are item descriptions in Afterimage too, but 95% of the time it's fluff unrelated to the lore/story or just extra bits. Most are self-contained unless directly linked to something mentioned in the story.
Thank God someone else felt this way about the narrative in this game. I thought it was just me.
This is the prettiest, most nonsensical game I’ve played in a while.
Didn't like this game. Combat was too easy the whole way until NG+.
Huge map makes the game take too long to feel rewarding with something really useful.
Beautiful art and cool movements tho, 6.5 is on point.
So basically it’s a great game. Thanks
Basically lol
Another review mentioned the upgrade nodes can be used all over, so when you hit a level 25 node or whatever your free to pick anything else. Is this accurate? They also mentioned it's not explained anywhere that that was a thing you could do
Certain abilities can be upgraded more than once. They are level-locked from further upgrades. So, the level 25 one you've mentioned, it can be upgraded twice, once at the beginning and once after you've reached level 25.
The game doesn't tell you, but you can upgrade the skills after that one even if the level 25 one is not fully upgraded.
Most of the endings make no sense 🤣 but still a good game first playthrough 80 hours of pure fun not counting there is new game +
I just finished the game and im glad that im not the only one who is not understanding the plot well.
Hopefully someone is going to make a explanation about the plot of the game.
When a games story perplexes even the noisy pixel staff. XD
afterimage maps huge, take your time plays this game and enjoy your long journey, 9/10
this game is absolutely incredible!! certainly better than a 6.5....wtf!!
it completey surprised me with its gameplay and phenomenal world both in size and designe!!
there is always another area to discover, another boss to fight, another weapon,armor or NPC.
the VAs gave it their all! the music is just soothing. the backgrounds are impressiv! beautiful colour palette.
it is technically not as good as a game as hollow knight but it became my favourite metroidvania even dethroning hollow knight!! and i LOVE hollow knight!!! i know heresy !! ... i cant believe it myself!
it is on the easy side tho. especially when you powerlevel! which you can! no stupid Xp scaling!
and combat sure as hell is not as precise as hollow knight's .
if you like metroidvanias you sure as hell will like this one maybe even love it.
Story makes no sense but who cares ? Map is huge, the game rewards you for exploration and overcoming challenges. After a while you figure out even the most confusing things about plot or system. It plays fast, sound is great, graphics and biomes all awesome. It's a 9,5 not a 6,5.
Sounds like you're describing a Kojima game
Story is just a plus for me, gameplay visuals and music are amazing and i get to play as a cute waifu so I'm very fine with it
What they SHOULD have done is spent way LESS time on writing the novel that players have to read and spent MORE time explaining WTF we're supposed to be doing in this game. I have collected a SHIT TON of items and ZERO idea wtf to do with ANY of it. There's a lot more to why this game sucks as much as it's great.
Although story isn't what is imediately important, I think it is what keeps games like these alive over the years. Take a Castlevania conversation for instance, the franchise has an extremelly simplistic story, but multiple characters with multiple timelines under a very interesting premise. If you hear the name Belmont, you already know you are going to get some good stuff, and that wouldn't be the case if Castlevania never bothered to properly contextualise its action and give meaning and development to its characters.
It's a shame that such a vibrant and gorgeous game is going to fall flat in that regard. It is bound to be completely forgotten
I think the same can be said for Bloodstained
Saw this on sale for xbox. Story is the least important part to me, will buy. Thanks for the review.
You helped me decide not to buy it. To me, lore and story are crucial. If those things don't work well, it's not for me. Thank you so much!
L comment 😭
its metroidvania w rpg elements
not the other way around
majority of games releasing these days has rpg elements
even horror
I dont understand the complaint about the map markers. Like yea the story is hard to follow and it isnt for everyone( but well worth putting the time into it) but the map markers? they work like a charm, even after 40hours of playtime I have no issue with them at all. Sounds a bit like super nitpicking for flaws. Dont get me wrong its definetely not without any ( I wish some areas would be connected with the next one you're meant to tackle instead of sending you through a high level area first for example) but the map markers are definetely no reason to complain about
oof that rough, hows the translation? it bothers me a lot when its MTL tier
Ok I’m buying it since it’s on sale
Imho combat is great and flashy, but there are no enemies as one would expect from a metroidvania. Like at all, biomes are nearly empty
Idk about that. There’s tons of stuff movin around to slaughter.
Ender Lillies is similar and the story wasn't relevant imo. Still an outstanding metroidvania. This looks phenomenal and deserves a try. :)
I agree with you wholeheartedly. My view on both of these games is very similar, fun gameplay with a decent challenge, but I did not care about the story in the slightest
My only criticism is that the enemies movement is very clunky, does not look great and fluid like the main character. It's like a lazy "animation".
I initially had this preordered but after seeing some of it canceled it as i wasn’t fully sold on it anymore…looks like i was right to do so. It seems like a decent game if i can get the physical version on discount at later date so i guess I’ll wish list it. I canceled this and the monolith soft remaster coming later this year for loop8 as it just looks more interesting than a lot of these smaller projects like this game and trinity trigger.
What's the monolith soft remaster?
This review seems to be the worst, every other I watched give it better score so I will pick this up. It feels like this reviewer is not really into metroidvanias in general.
Afterimage For PS4 PS5 Nintendo Switch Deluxe Edition Everyone Modus Game. Sales Price $29.99
This game is pretty good, although its a little too "anime" style for me.... which isn't that bad, except for the voice acting! Its gawd awful... almost ruins the entire game.
But there are many elements to the game that keep me going
it sounds like the combat is easy & I like easy combat games, it is not on my list of games to buy & play. Ha ha Note I am working on Cat Quest 2 after completing Cat Quest, I like video games that are easy & enjoyable to look at.
On the fence for a metroidvania either this or Gal Guardians
Why not both?
Score is kind of harsh.
ll why is all the world maps RULER FLAT
I played this game on next fest, but felt incredibly annoyed by it as budget Navi DID NOT shut up, constantly interrrupting my exploration, I might pick it up down the line. My opinion on story in metroidvanias is I don't mind if it's there as long as it's done well and I've played some with great stories, but ultimately story is not needed beyond giving you something to motivate your exploration, which can be incredibly simple, but it DOES need to not get in the way of the gameplay. It's a genre where the environmental storytelling of your journey across the world is far more interesting and important.
I don't know wether or not to get it I need a new metroidvania in my life .. I've basically played all the main ones and lots of hidden gems but I need a new one last last 3 months new one.. any suggestions anyone?
- Grime
- Supraland
- Lunacid
- Blasphemous
These I would consider to be hidden gems (maybe not Blasphemous) but still 10/10 bangers. I got more suggestions, literally the only genre I play. Hmu.
Ender Lillie’s?
Lone Fungus - absolutely amazing. Released a short while back.
Not metroidvanias in the classical sense, more castlevania but still very fun to play.
Mega Man 11
Shantae and the pirate curse (there are a few games all with good reviews)
Ghost n Goblins remake
Monster Boy and the cursed kingdom
Duck Tales remaster
Ori 1 and 2 are my favorite metroidvanias but I guess you played them if you play a lot of these games.
Also 2 games everyone should play is little nightmares 1 & 2. They are such amazing games and incredible gaming experiences. Almost a surreal feel while playing, super unique games and lots of fun and scary.
Go in blind, watch no trailers or reviews because it will just spoil a lot of cool stuff, play 1 first then 2.
You will thank me later, this is the only time you can trust a trust me bro!
8.5 imo
Hmmm. I prefer any game's story to be at least decent. I'll skip the game. It's difficult to play a game without a good story.
I’m loving it so far
Good thing I don't play games for the story
Am I the only one who thinks this game is a hybrid of Genshin Impact and Hollow Knight?
If the gameplay and progression is good then I can look past the story. Don’t get me wrong I love a good story but there has been plenty of fun games that the story totally sucked.
you're not wrong
bro u go and fight cuz u can, that's 90% of games which don't explain itself xD
thx for the review i don't care too much for the story of 2d games i love the gameplay and the art style
For 20 bucks? I'm on it...
how's the gameplay besides combat? how's the exploration? platforming? map cohesion? this review could have been better
There is nothing besides combat. Extremely bad metroidvania
Just a heads up...
Even the vídeo title, word for word:
th-cam.com/video/T3xMOzary6Q/w-d-xo.html
Thank you!
Eu gostei da iniciativa, traduziu pra minha língua e não encontrei em outro canal, obrigado pela indicação
6.5 out of 10 no way dude, this game a masterpiece 9/10 or 10/10 from me. Especially if you like Metroidvanias.
6.5 score, confusing story, lack of challenge & boss freeze bug?... I guess I won't pick up the game then? Thank you.
I'll be the judge of that! 😂. Been waiting for this one. Going to find out what he's talking about after work.
Sounds good :)
@@NoisyPixelNews well after playing for a few hours today id say your score isn't too far off. I think i need to play a bit longer but as of now i would agree with you.
Update: I'm a fool. After 4 hours of play in loving this game. Reminds me of aeterna noctis.
Damn i kickstarted this. Sorry for wasting everybodys time!
its not a bad game this review is kinda shit
Lol
Do you move using the stick? That's bad, 2D games should use the D-Pad for movement by default.
It's alright, in Ori it works great with very smooth controls.
It's not the first time a game with beautiful art style and protagonist is not that good in other parts
But the characters are so cute though 😭
wait the game released already?
Today
Obviously so.
Great game- but the story is stupid and impossible to understand.
came here for a game review, left very frustrated and annoyed! you use a ton of words, but dont actually say anything.... and instead of just reviewing the game, you spend the entire first half of the video trying to explain your confusion and then blabbing about storylines. listen, spend less time trying to sound good using alot of words that are totally unecessary, and actually use your time to just review the game and show its positives and negatives. as of right now, you are terrible at doing game reviews.
came here for a TH-cam comment, left very frustrated and annoyed! you use a ton of words, but don't actually say anything.... And instead of just commenting you spend your entire first half of the comment babbling about your feelings. Listen, spend less time talking about your feelings and using words that are totally unnecessary and actually use your time to just write a comment and show something that isn't completely emotional. As of right now, you are terrible at making comments.
Very mediocre metroidvania
From reading the comment, glad I am not the only one who thoroughly enjoyed the game. Despite the fact that the story is extremely confusing, the rest of the game felt incredible. I think the game itself is not too difficult, but is still hard enough for most people to struggle with some bosses. My guess is that this is because of the level system, and the dev wanted players to be able to kill any bosses that they can get to, regardless of their levels. (I actually killed a lot of the bosses that I was not supposed to kill yet, and yea they were hard but not impossible). The only time I have seen the game actually broken its own rule as a metroidvania is that one tunnel vertical tunnel that requires super jump to get access to, but it is entire possible to cheese it by riding enemy up it. For some reason the game just insta kill any enemies that go in the tunnel, which annoyed me a little. Aside from that, I can still access the majority of the map that don't require prerequisite trigger to enter. Very solid game
Why does the whole opening give the vibe you just didn't like the game because the story didn't make sense to you and that my friend IS NOT WHAT PEOPLE PLAY METROIDVANIAS FOR 😂😂😂😂 YOU GET PAID TO DO WORK OF THIS QAULITY ?!?!?!?! CRAZYYYY