I bought this game from a fanatical bundle sale this my first metrovania and loved every moment it took 77 hrs to complete. I reached level 99, collected every ability/afterimage and seen all 10 endings. It has beautiful art style, music and great combat. I used the whip/dual sword combo with magic.
Afterimage has become my favorite metroidvania. My first playthrough was 60hrs! Second was 30. I've 100%'d everything and got all achievements (something I've never bothered to do for any other game). It may not be a perfect game but it's truly an incredibly fun one.
Having a blast with this on switch. Only odd thing about the game is how slowly you get upgrades and abilities. Not a deal breaker though bc it just makes eventual upgrades more meaningful
Nice review, you've summed it up perfectly. I had a really good experience with it... and yep I agree, the map is huge... I was the same in that I was 30 hours in and still discovering new areas, loved it. The game has good music, fun platforming.. enjoyable combat and equipment... it was fun getting the afterimages.. My only gripe, and it's very minor.. but I wish it made a bit more of a deal when obtaining new abilities.. kind of like what the Metroid games do, you know.. a cool little jingle or somesuch.
The weird thing about this game is, if you are a metroidvania lover, its one of the best games of 2023. But if you dont play a ton lf metroidvanias then most give it a 6 of 10...
I’m a big metroidvania fan, have probably played and beaten around 50 of them, I liked afterimage for the gameplay, however I found the story to mostly be nonsensical, I’ve put over 30hrs into this game from exploring and gotten 2 of the endings and still mostly have no idea what’s happening lol, it was fun but unfortunately not fun enough for me to try to get 8 more endings when I can just play something else.
"I dont understand the hate" Goes on to list a fair amount of objectively negative aspects of the game lol. Seriously though, I appreciate the in depth review. I was on the fence with this one, but now i'm gonna pick it up.
On any given day, this is either my favorite or second favorite game of 2023. Likewise, any given day it might be my all-time favorite Metroidvania. I hit the kickstarter as it was closing because it looked like a discount and was actually coming relatively soon, but I didn't really expect it to be stunning. Glad that I took the plunge, because otherwise I probably would've missed out on such a brilliant game.
Had this in my wish list since the preorders went live and forgot all about it until I saw some bad reviews recently so glad I saw your video you have completely sold me on this the game looks amazing and ticks every box I’m after in a metroidvania thanks for this comprehensive analysis from a guy one year later :)
After just 100%ing this game and reading some of the reviews and "criticisms" from average joes I'm convinced the discourse on this game has been due to them being awful at metroidvania's or video games in general. Absolute superb game with a few localisation issues difficult to grasp story elements on a first run through
I picked this up for peanuts and currently about a third of the way through, after seeing reviews I thought this would be very average, its nothing short of amazing, its like the Elden Ring of Metromania's, looks beautiful and is absolutely huge. Its crazy that gamers took a strong dislike to something so good.
Afterimage best metroidvania 2023 (my opinion) , already play in 2 month lv 76, try clear all quest and open 100% maps "enjoy your long journey and don't rush"
Completely blew my mind The exploration of the world was the closest I got to hollow knight took me 44 hours to beat got all the endings and I enjoyed every moment
This is a great review. This game is amazing. Perfect metroidvania. Thank you for explaining the story too. I have no clue what's going on, I just enjoy the gameplay
Actually Soulslike storytelling's unique features are item descriptions and scattered NPCs talking to you like you are part of the world leading to a mysterious but not too cryptic narrative that keeps immersion. Visual storytelling is more of a Super Metroid/Prime staple.
I got this with March 2024 Humble Bundle which includes Nioh 2, Black Skylands, and Citizen Sleepers. And this hidden gem was among them. Seriously grab the humble bundle I love combat-oriented Metroidvania. Hollow Knight was a game I couldn't enjoy because of screen shaking that can't be disabled. I'm feeling good about this one
Thank you so much for this review. I'm starting thus once I wrap up Death's Gambit Afterlife (a game I was inspired to revisit after seeing one if your videos; it really clicked the third time around)
Honestly, 1 of the better mv game out there, so I don’t know why it has so much hate. To me, the variety of combat system and the vastness of the map are both pros and cons. When it’s harder to get skill points, honestly you just focus on 2 main weapons and dump the others. And the map is too big with annoying mobs so backtracking is a problem here.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I was kickstarting it. It was weird kickstarter since atleast my region you could seemingly buy physical release way ahead of when i got the game. There were some other issues also but they did compensate me with 1 extra steam key. So i cant complain. Have mot had time tp try it but it seems sweet.
Thank you so much for clarifying a lot of missinformation. The negative reviews really dissuaded me from trying this out, and I think most complaints comes from misunderstanding or lack of interest in engaging with the game's qualities. I'm gonna pick it up when it's on sale. Great review as always.
You summarized it well: this game is for vets. I was at a point where I didn't know where to go so just followed any new path, and I came through 3 different bosses in 3 different paths and they all kicked my butt. I was left with no choice but to grind like 10 levels and from that point on, I felt like I was again in balance with the game difficulty. And yeah this game is huuuuuuuuge. I was surprised by that. That's why I can see why newcomers may not like it. But as someone who loved Hollow Knight and Ender Lilies, this one is a stunning surprise as well. I 100% the game with 50 hours (didn't try Trial of Souls tho, I'm not into boss rushes)
Okay so I'm a RPG fan, turned based and strategy JRPGs, and got this game for its beautiful anime style. With this and Eiyuden Chronicles Rising, I'm slowly realizing I like Metroidvanias...
Then I HIGHLY recommend Ender Lilies. A JRPG fan told me that he felt right at home with it because gathering spirits in the game felt like adding new party members. And its aesthetics should be right up your alley. And music.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru Dude I just got it from the Nintendo store because of your recommendation... this game is so gorgeous. And unlike Afterimage, I actually know what I'm supposed to do lmfaoooo
Not enough is said about the huge number of enemies in this game. So many games rely on the same size enemies all game but every biome has six unique enemies alone
Finally got around to playing this one and I have to agree, genre enthusiasts will definitely enjoy it a lot. I will say, I don't think the story is well presented; poorly translated dialogue, lots of unfamiliar terms thrown around right off the bat and collectable texts that are often incomprehensible. The music is fine, the visuals are great but as a metroidvania it feels absolutely phenomenal to play. Movement is fluid, exploration and backtracking are rewarding and the world might just be the largest MV I've ever played, at least comparable to Aeterna Noctis or La Mulana 2 (though I wish there weren't a rare consumable cost for minor tree fast travelling such a huge map). Skills are standard fare but when it plays this well I don't really care. Top tier MV.
Playing it on a switch, you learn to save as much as possible cuz you will get them errors where you gotta restart. But other than that this game is amazing.. like you said they don’t hold your hand throughout the game which makes it so much more satisfying when you do find new areas.
I've been playing on Steam and I have to say: it's a top tier Metroidvania! They seemed to fix the fast travel, map clearing, loading times, among other things. I highly recommend playing it now, since the developers were very receptive and fixed a lot of stuff. EDIT: The story is pretty easy to understand if you're familiar to Soulsborne, and I think is overall good. The problem is both some dialogue and the exposition. The lore of the world, however? It's fantastic.
Regarding the looks, Renee is the only thing that's actually fully hand-drawn and animated extremely well. If you pay attention, everything else is just animations done by moving hand-drawn body parts...which always bothered me. Wish they all were fully animated like Renee.
The worst thing about the game are these two stupid looked gates that are obviously meant for some dlc perhaps and i am just here waiting. Jokes aside, I loved the game. Combat was very in depth with all the weapon types and combo attacks. I liked the shenlong book ending, it basicly revealed that the game might be some sort of simulation made by the gods. The clouds at the anemo goliath are glitching and in the opening the massive giant also glitched away, furthering that theory
I really wanted to like this game (it is legit beautiful) but I am so sick of the trend of soulslike mechanics taking over the Metroidvania genre. I have a job and I just don't enjoy games that are going to punish me for failing. It is one thing to have some difficulty but I just HATE things like doing corpse runs. I just don't have time for all of that. Then add that to the game not really having fast travel and this got shelved fairly fast. Also played it on the switch and it had some really weird performance hitches, at least when I was playing it. Maybe they got patched out since I played it on release though.
I’ve heard Switch players had performance issues. I personally didn’t have any, and I’m not sure why. The game got a pretty early patch after launch that helped with fast travel. It still isn’t perfect, but it’s much, much better. The patch also addressed a bunch of stuff I complained about in the video, such as the map not autofilling as you explored. It fills itself in real-time now. It’s so much better. Maybe give it another shot down the line. It’s a massive game, like 30 hours, but I think it’s great, especially after the patches.
@@PM-xc8oo I played it a few months after release, and I thought it was amazing. I don't understand why this comments section is full of people calling it a souls-like.
Oh my I had no idea this game had so much depth to it.. sounds like it’s similar to Nier in the regards to having to complete the game a few times in order to get the true ending ❤❤ sounds like it’s my cup of tea😂 thank you for your review and your thoughts and feelings on the game.
This game looks great. If I can catch it on sale on Steam I will be picking it up post haste. @2:36 I like how games are coming out now that are inspired by Hollow Knight. HK is an excellent game and truly one of the landmark titles in the genre that will be revered for decades to come just like Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night. Just as we see so many games influenced by those classics we will see games influenced by Hollow Knight in the years to come.
Just finished this myself and for the most part, I really enjoyed it. Took a good bit longer than I thought it would just due to how surprisingly large the areas are. But yeah, only now am I looking up some impressions of the game and I'm kind of surprised that there is so much negativity surrounding it. As confused as I was with some specific nuances of the story...I'm more confused at the reception truth be told. Oh well, this isn't the first time I've been in this situation and it certainly won't be the last. Anyways, for my playthrough, I played on Advanced the entire time and managed to 100% clear it (100% items, 100% chest, 100% mark for every area, etc). Well, not a true 100% unfortunately since completely filling in every drop listing in the bestiary is impossible due to how quest drops work. Minus those 4 or so drops, I did everything. Funnily, I did get lost...very lost. Partway through, there's an NPC that opens a teleporter that takes you to the next story segment. I met them, didn't take the teleporter since I wanted to clear some other things first,...and then completely forgot about them. So I ended up spending like 30 hours doing 70-80% of the rest of the game. Even sequence breaking into optional areas I technically wasn't supposed to get into yet. I genuinely really was that lost and was just trying to find the next story trigger. I finished most of the optional bosses, got the secret sword, got the damn triple jump...but still wasn't able to ground pound or go into water. Just goes to show how open the game is I guess. I eventually found the teleporter again and just sped ran through since I was so over-leveled, over-equipped, and marked damn near everything on the map I couldn't interact with yet. 19:43 (sword in the ground) From my experience, the game does actually do that. When I reached that spot, I had 3 of the 4 items you needed and the game did actually give me several indicators. There are 4 pillars in the background and for every one of those items you have, one of those pillars lights up. I was also told, or at least heavily hinted, what was used to light up those pillars when interacting with the prompt there. I'm guessing the issue you had was that because you fully fulfilled the requirements before even arriving to the location, you cut straight to the final event, more-or-less skipping the middle stuff. An interesting issue to have to say the least.
Thanks for sharing. I love hearing other people’s experiences. Yours definitely shows how open the game truly is. So when I first played at launch, the game didn’t show when key items were used. For example, the key opening the door to Goliathfall. Originally, I got the key, forgot I had it, then approached that door in desperation and it opened up. I was so confused. Due to a patch, the key now pops up above Renee’s head when she approaches that door with the key. It’s a small change, but it makes a huge difference. And you’re 100% right about the sword. I had all the crystal veins when I first discovered it, so it just awkwardly thrust me into the fight. After a patch, it now plays out how you described.
I started playing this game a week ago and it was so much fun and everything you said is on point, unfortunately i got about 4 hours in around the whispering forest and it keeps crashing, everytime I start playing, it crashes, in all kinds of different areas, such a bummer, I have to reboot my switch oled just to have it crash, freeze, or error code pops up, 🤬
Dude, that sucks. You hate to hear it. I played it digitally on Switch at launch and never had an issue. I hope everything works out, cuz it is such a great game.
indie game for reviews is smaller window like 10h for playing it. And i think i watch at least 1 review where claim to be short -15h and too hard. Well if they rush through it now wonder almost nobody like it. And it have very good users scores
Really not sold on this one... The whole "gigantic map" marketing trope has been for years a red flag for me in MVs and open world games in general. Since it usually means extensive levels with poor or no design at all and repetitive sidequests/enemies copypasted everywhere. I'll take a small or medium map with good level design, cleverly hidden secrets/shortcuts, strategic enemy placement and tricky transversal movement anytime. And checking the dull level design of that golden palace in the video, it really doesn't really give the impression to be one of the latter...
If you haven’t played it, I think you’d be surprised. I’m not gonna say it has the best level design, but it’s not bad. And some of the platforming is really good. And the enemy variety is enormous, so I definitely wouldn’t say it’s copy/paste.
I found this largely enjoyable and definitely a really good game, but unfortunately for me it's brought down by just a few too many things that was annoying lowering my final estimation. The levelling system is messed-up, because by playing the game normally, I managed to get under-levelled (by way of that powerful enemy mark on every enemy in said area) that I could go, until I ground for 10 levels. Not being able to buy the highest tier healing potion combined with them getting consumed even if you die to a boss, I couldn't factor them into the strategy (it doesn't help that the game has bosses that have tells incredibly close to the attacks such as the "final" teleporting asshole double-boss). And I found the story absolutely boring (I understand it fine) which didn't give me any connection driving my exploration outside of "I'm playing a metroidvania". I also found the talent tree completely bloated, between level 10-65 I didn't make a single choice, I just popped in every 5 levels where the level gates would let me add more points and I'd upgrade everything I could, because between the level-up points and all the talent points found in the wild, I could get everything. All that said, I still liked the game a lot, it just lacks that quality that keeps it from being great.
I'm with you on the leveling. Limiting everything to every 5 levels was weird. And the story wasn't the greatest. More intrigue would have helped. And the openness of the world dampered the pacing. I still enjoyed it a lot and would love to see a sequel.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru A sequel definitely would be great. If it followed the true ending maybe it would follow 42 wherever she ended up, just a thought. 42 was one of the few characters I found intriguing.
I beat the game just before they patched in the strong enemy markers, but I didn't have a problem with this provided I kept moving around. There were select places where the enemies were strong and I just said, "Welp, this place isn't for me right now." There was usually somewhere else to go.
@@azuarc I guess you had a different progression than me, but it really was that way everywhere for me. I just kept going, but the problem really didn't fix itself until I had ground out some levels.
This game is great. There are a few legitimate criticisms, but there were also far more of them when the game released, many of which have been patched out or improved. A couple things I would call fair based on the version of the game I played, several months after release: 1) The writing. Dear god, the writing. I know it's a Chinese team, but YEESH. And because of a lack of clarity, knowing where to go isn't always obvious, and you can bum around for a while until you figure out how to progress. This isn't an exploration problem like if you got lost in Hollow Knight; you legitimately just don't know what the game's asking you to do, but it's obvious that it's asking you to do it. 2) Tied to that, there's a ton of items that I just can't figure out the point of. Collecting 100% items doesn't feel meaningful with how many drops you'd need a guide for, and magic is mostly useless. 3) Backtracking isn't rewarding. You come back to an old area to see what's on that ledge or behind that barrier you couldn't reach before, and...it's junk. 4) Menuing isn't great. Beyond that, I was thoroughly impressed with just about every other aspect of Afterimage. The combat feels great and gives the player lots of option with the dual weapon system. Movement feels snappy and enjoyable. There's a HUGE map to explore. I don't know what it is about Chinese games, but their graphics and sound are always top-notch. As long as you don't get too narrow-minded about your objective at any time, and move around a bit when you're getting frustrated with an area, the game is amazing and has basically all the features I would want in the game.
Nailed it. Can’t argue with your points. I would say backtracking could be rewarding, but because the game is so big and open, you’ve a much higher probability of backtracking NOT being rewarding, if that makes sense. But, yeah, solid game overall. I might replay it soon. Just to see how the patches change the experience.
I have really enjoyed this game--but the story is nearly unfollowable. Might be a bad translation issue. That said, doesn't really matter because the game play and music is top notch. For $14 it's an absolute banger.
Bro, ??? Legit is worthy of grinding. Dont get me wrong definitely doable, but if you are speeding around your attacks may not have that oomf, and prior to that point most enemies have 1 attack pattern and are very easy read/punished. I am only mid game so i am reserving judgement on it but so far is fun. At any rate i was just saying
I never had to grind because I was always hitting hard. I guess it depends on the path you take. Afterimage is incredibly open, so it's rare for two people to have the exact same experience as enemies don't scale. So, yeah, if you're going to a more advanced place, you might need to do some grinding. My grievance with the reviewer who said grinding is necessary was pretty specific. He was only in Rainbow Plains (the second biome in the game) and couldn't beat the first boss. That's why he said grinding was necessary. I mean, the first boss? Just hang it up, bro. You're done. This isn't your type of game lol
@@colombiasupremo3104 100% Valo will hand you your ass lol On my first playthrough, I got to Valo at a pretty decent level and took her out with relative ease. But on my second playthrough, I made a beeline to her cuz I wanted her weapon, and she totally trashed me lol
@@MetroidvaniaGuru I tried to learn the speedrun for this game, and Valo absolutely stonewalled me. She feels like she was not meant to be beaten without the i-frame dash.
Just found your channel, and already the most accurate review i've seen so far. I really hate people who don't recommend it on steam for such a dumb reason. Theres no such thing like the map is too big, because i enjoy it while theres somethinh to discover. Anyway, it would be great if you make video about lore of the game, like mossbag explained hollow knight's story. Love your channel ❤❤
Appreciate the love! And, yeah, Afterimage is really good. An MV lover’s MV. I might touch on lore some day. There’s not too many MVs that need it, but Afterimage is definitely one that does lol
As mentioned in the video, traveling around the map is very complicated due to item limitations, if you intend to complete the map, be prepared for an extremely tedious job. In the end game it should be more fluid. I finished the game without patience to run for hours and hours just to check if the map was complete. Speaking about the map, there is a kind of shadow indicating an entrance and places to be completed, but in reality there is nothing there... you just keep running around until you give up and run to other locations. The story is generic and meaningless, it doesn't captivate you. The quests are very crude. At a certain point, the game promises good development but then becomes stagnant. The boss battles are interesting but the exploration is boring af...
Your point about the shadow in the map is interesting. It would have been much better had the map used hard lines to show players there reached as border.
Great game with a very interesting world and lore. While I do have some issues overall I loved my journey and thought the combat was fantastic. Also I appreciate that the game does a great pacing of giving you new abilities to traverse and backtrack at a fairly good pace which is important in metroidvanias imo. My only issues is that while the combat is great that magic feels like and after thought which is odd considering the world and lore being centered around magic. Also the quest progress tracking could be fair better imo.
Some of these so called reviewers should really just quit gaming if they think this game is too hard... With the exception of a few of the later bosses the whole game was a breeze.
Ok, I finished all of it (ALL OF IT) in about 60h total. I REALLY liked the game, but the story and the voice acting sometimes snapped me out of the immersion, God damn it. Reg. the story: it feels a touch too forced and extra convoluted and some dialogue is too much. From what I read, the game has had a bunch of QoL improvements since this video came out (enemies that are too high level - I think 10 more than you? - have a thingy above their head). I play on PC and had 0 technical issues or long load times. Now I want a DLC that involves the remaining locked doors.
Really!? The physical game doesn't work!? I hope that isn't true. I played it digitally. LOL @ Soulslike. I totally get it, man. This game isn't so bad. You lose your current EXP. It's not that big a deal, I don't think. You might still enjoy it.
@@MarquisDeSang And? So do I and 1,000s of others that can actually handle souls games, so thats just a bad excuse+cope for you being mad cus bad and it shows lol
I bought this game from a fanatical bundle sale this my first metrovania and loved every moment it took 77 hrs to complete. I reached level 99, collected every ability/afterimage and seen all 10 endings. It has beautiful art style, music and great combat. I used the whip/dual sword combo with magic.
Afterimage has become my favorite metroidvania. My first playthrough was 60hrs! Second was 30. I've 100%'d everything and got all achievements (something I've never bothered to do for any other game). It may not be a perfect game but it's truly an incredibly fun one.
I'm up there with you. I think it's an outstanding Metroidvania and definitely in my list of favorites of all time.
Does it have in game achievements?
@@pilgrimspromise1132 yes, if I remember correctly, it did.
Having a blast with this on switch. Only odd thing about the game is how slowly you get upgrades and abilities. Not a deal breaker though bc it just makes eventual upgrades more meaningful
Nice review, you've summed it up perfectly.
I had a really good experience with it... and yep I agree, the map is huge... I was the same in that I was 30 hours in and still discovering new areas, loved it. The game has good music, fun platforming.. enjoyable combat and equipment... it was fun getting the afterimages..
My only gripe, and it's very minor.. but I wish it made a bit more of a deal when obtaining new abilities.. kind of like what the Metroid games do, you know.. a cool little jingle or somesuch.
The weird thing about this game is, if you are a metroidvania lover, its one of the best games of 2023. But if you dont play a ton lf metroidvanias then most give it a 6 of 10...
I’m a big metroidvania fan, have probably played and beaten around 50 of them, I liked afterimage for the gameplay, however I found the story to mostly be nonsensical, I’ve put over 30hrs into this game from exploring and gotten 2 of the endings and still mostly have no idea what’s happening lol, it was fun but unfortunately not fun enough for me to try to get 8 more endings when I can just play something else.
So glad i am not the only one who thinks this game doesn’t deserve the hate at all. Had such a great time with this one. Fantastic MV
the game sucks.
"I dont understand the hate"
Goes on to list a fair amount of objectively negative aspects of the game lol.
Seriously though, I appreciate the in depth review. I was on the fence with this one, but now i'm gonna pick it up.
Never heared of it until that one commenter said it was his fav of the year.
On any given day, this is either my favorite or second favorite game of 2023. Likewise, any given day it might be my all-time favorite Metroidvania. I hit the kickstarter as it was closing because it looked like a discount and was actually coming relatively soon, but I didn't really expect it to be stunning. Glad that I took the plunge, because otherwise I probably would've missed out on such a brilliant game.
I hope your channel blows up man.I passed this one bc of the negative steam reviews. Seems like I need to check it out
This game is so funny because i stopped playing for like 2 months and recently got back into my groove last week. Loving this game
Best Metroidvania of 2023 and one of the best ever made.
Had this in my wish list since the preorders went live and forgot all about it until I saw some bad reviews recently so glad I saw your video you have completely sold me on this the game looks amazing and ticks every box I’m after in a metroidvania thanks for this comprehensive analysis from a guy one year later :)
Cool! I hope you like it! I love it!
@@MetroidvaniaGuru even better it came on special on switch the other day so that was a guaranteed
Just found your channel, love the content, I look forward to more videos, subscribed!!
Thanks! I’m glad you’re here 😊
I feel like somebody should point out that after image was released for $6 on Android and is currently on sale for $4 which seems insane
After just 100%ing this game and reading some of the reviews and "criticisms" from average joes I'm convinced the discourse on this game has been due to them being awful at metroidvania's or video games in general. Absolute superb game with a few localisation issues difficult to grasp story elements on a first run through
I picked this up for peanuts and currently about a third of the way through, after seeing reviews I thought this would be very average, its nothing short of amazing, its like the Elden Ring of Metromania's, looks beautiful and is absolutely huge.
Its crazy that gamers took a strong dislike to something so good.
Afterimage best metroidvania 2023 (my opinion) , already play in 2 month lv 76, try clear all quest and open 100% maps
"enjoy your long journey and don't rush"
Completely blew my mind
The exploration of the world was the closest I got to hollow knight took me 44 hours to beat got all the endings and I enjoyed every moment
This is a great review. This game is amazing. Perfect metroidvania. Thank you for explaining the story too. I have no clue what's going on, I just enjoy the gameplay
Top 5 best Metroidvania. And one of the longest to finish.
I was 30 hours in and still finding new biomes 😂
Blasphemous II was my favourite game of 2023 and Afterimage is on sale right now, was on the fence but your review has convinced me to buy. Thanks!!
Actually Soulslike storytelling's unique features are item descriptions and scattered NPCs talking to you like you are part of the world leading to a mysterious but not too cryptic narrative that keeps immersion. Visual storytelling is more of a Super Metroid/Prime staple.
Excellent points. I agree with you 100%.
I got this with March 2024 Humble Bundle which includes Nioh 2, Black Skylands, and Citizen Sleepers.
And this hidden gem was among them. Seriously grab the humble bundle
I love combat-oriented Metroidvania. Hollow Knight was a game I couldn't enjoy because of screen shaking that can't be disabled.
I'm feeling good about this one
Thank you so much for this review. I'm starting thus once I wrap up Death's Gambit Afterlife (a game I was inspired to revisit after seeing one if your videos; it really clicked the third time around)
What do you think of dg
Bought Afterimage on sale and have had a amazing time exploring the massive world so far. Great review too!
Thanks! I’m a fan of Afterimage. Glad to hear you’re enjoying it
Honestly, 1 of the better mv game out there, so I don’t know why it has so much hate. To me, the variety of combat system and the vastness of the map are both pros and cons. When it’s harder to get skill points, honestly you just focus on 2 main weapons and dump the others. And the map is too big with annoying mobs so backtracking is a problem here.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I was kickstarting it. It was weird kickstarter since atleast my region you could seemingly buy physical release way ahead of when i got the game. There were some other issues also but they did compensate me with 1 extra steam key. So i cant complain. Have mot had time tp try it but it seems sweet.
That is weird, but it sounds like they made it all right with you.
Yeah, I love it. I've beaten it a couple times now. I think it's so good lol
Thank you so much for clarifying a lot of missinformation. The negative reviews really dissuaded me from trying this out, and I think most complaints comes from misunderstanding or lack of interest in engaging with the game's qualities.
I'm gonna pick it up when it's on sale. Great review as always.
On sale now at least on Xbox for $13 usd.
You summarized it well: this game is for vets. I was at a point where I didn't know where to go so just followed any new path, and I came through 3 different bosses in 3 different paths and they all kicked my butt. I was left with no choice but to grind like 10 levels and from that point on, I felt like I was again in balance with the game difficulty. And yeah this game is huuuuuuuuge. I was surprised by that. That's why I can see why newcomers may not like it. But as someone who loved Hollow Knight and Ender Lilies, this one is a stunning surprise as well. I 100% the game with 50 hours (didn't try Trial of Souls tho, I'm not into boss rushes)
Wow I am sold on the game and now subscribed too!! Great video!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it.
Okay so I'm a RPG fan, turned based and strategy JRPGs, and got this game for its beautiful anime style. With this and Eiyuden Chronicles Rising, I'm slowly realizing I like Metroidvanias...
Then I HIGHLY recommend Ender Lilies. A JRPG fan told me that he felt right at home with it because gathering spirits in the game felt like adding new party members. And its aesthetics should be right up your alley. And music.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru Dude I just got it from the Nintendo store because of your recommendation... this game is so gorgeous. And unlike Afterimage, I actually know what I'm supposed to do lmfaoooo
@@user-rf3yu8su9e Awesome! I hope you love it
@@MetroidvaniaGuru I just got the true ending. I haven't had that much fun with a game in a while, thanks for the rec dude.
Just beat the game. It was fantastic. The combat is very diverse. Some of the best there is.
Not enough is said about the huge number of enemies in this game. So many games rely on the same size enemies all game but every biome has six unique enemies alone
Finally got around to playing this one and I have to agree, genre enthusiasts will definitely enjoy it a lot. I will say, I don't think the story is well presented; poorly translated dialogue, lots of unfamiliar terms thrown around right off the bat and collectable texts that are often incomprehensible. The music is fine, the visuals are great but as a metroidvania it feels absolutely phenomenal to play. Movement is fluid, exploration and backtracking are rewarding and the world might just be the largest MV I've ever played, at least comparable to Aeterna Noctis or La Mulana 2 (though I wish there weren't a rare consumable cost for minor tree fast travelling such a huge map). Skills are standard fare but when it plays this well I don't really care. Top tier MV.
100% agree. If they could have nailed the narrative, this would be one of the best. It’s still really great, though
The story is the one thing I dislike about the game...or more accurately, the writing.
I love this game and I don’t play a ton of metroidvanias.
Playing it on a switch, you learn to save as much as possible cuz you will get them errors where you gotta restart. But other than that this game is amazing.. like you said they don’t hold your hand throughout the game which makes it so much more satisfying when you do find new areas.
I've been playing on Steam and I have to say: it's a top tier Metroidvania! They seemed to fix the fast travel, map clearing, loading times, among other things. I highly recommend playing it now, since the developers were very receptive and fixed a lot of stuff.
EDIT: The story is pretty easy to understand if you're familiar to Soulsborne, and I think is overall good. The problem is both some dialogue and the exposition. The lore of the world, however? It's fantastic.
Theres something super satisfying about this games combat..i cant even put my finger on it really
Regarding the looks, Renee is the only thing that's actually fully hand-drawn and animated extremely well. If you pay attention, everything else is just animations done by moving hand-drawn body parts...which always bothered me. Wish they all were fully animated like Renee.
I played Afterimage for about 4 hours and couldn't get into it....I just picked it up again and I'm starting to get hooked.
Great review.
Thanks!
The worst thing about the game are these two stupid looked gates that are obviously meant for some dlc perhaps and i am just here waiting.
Jokes aside, I loved the game. Combat was very in depth with all the weapon types and combo attacks.
I liked the shenlong book ending, it basicly revealed that the game might be some sort of simulation made by the gods.
The clouds at the anemo goliath are glitching and in the opening the massive giant also glitched away, furthering that theory
I really wanted to like this game (it is legit beautiful) but I am so sick of the trend of soulslike mechanics taking over the Metroidvania genre. I have a job and I just don't enjoy games that are going to punish me for failing. It is one thing to have some difficulty but I just HATE things like doing corpse runs. I just don't have time for all of that. Then add that to the game not really having fast travel and this got shelved fairly fast. Also played it on the switch and it had some really weird performance hitches, at least when I was playing it. Maybe they got patched out since I played it on release though.
I’ve heard Switch players had performance issues. I personally didn’t have any, and I’m not sure why.
The game got a pretty early patch after launch that helped with fast travel. It still isn’t perfect, but it’s much, much better. The patch also addressed a bunch of stuff I complained about in the video, such as the map not autofilling as you explored. It fills itself in real-time now. It’s so much better.
Maybe give it another shot down the line. It’s a massive game, like 30 hours, but I think it’s great, especially after the patches.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru good to know, I definitely wouldn't mind taking another bite at this one as I certainly wanted to like it.
@@PM-xc8oo I played it a few months after release, and I thought it was amazing. I don't understand why this comments section is full of people calling it a souls-like.
Oh my I had no idea this game had so much depth to it.. sounds like it’s similar to Nier in the regards to having to complete the game a few times in order to get the true ending ❤❤ sounds like it’s my cup of tea😂 thank you for your review and your thoughts and feelings on the game.
Thank you, and you’re welcome!
@@MetroidvaniaGuru
Oh no thank you🥰
Happy to find your Chanel
Great review. Just bought the game. Thanks.
The black screen thing must be unique to Switch. Never happened to me on PS
This game looks great. If I can catch it on sale on Steam I will be picking it up post haste. @2:36 I like how games are coming out now that are inspired by Hollow Knight. HK is an excellent game and truly one of the landmark titles in the genre that will be revered for decades to come just like Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night. Just as we see so many games influenced by those classics we will see games influenced by Hollow Knight in the years to come.
i hope we get new DLC afterimage, new huge maps, quest, skill, items and weapons
Just finished this myself and for the most part, I really enjoyed it. Took a good bit longer than I thought it would just due to how surprisingly large the areas are. But yeah, only now am I looking up some impressions of the game and I'm kind of surprised that there is so much negativity surrounding it. As confused as I was with some specific nuances of the story...I'm more confused at the reception truth be told. Oh well, this isn't the first time I've been in this situation and it certainly won't be the last.
Anyways, for my playthrough, I played on Advanced the entire time and managed to 100% clear it (100% items, 100% chest, 100% mark for every area, etc). Well, not a true 100% unfortunately since completely filling in every drop listing in the bestiary is impossible due to how quest drops work. Minus those 4 or so drops, I did everything.
Funnily, I did get lost...very lost. Partway through, there's an NPC that opens a teleporter that takes you to the next story segment. I met them, didn't take the teleporter since I wanted to clear some other things first,...and then completely forgot about them. So I ended up spending like 30 hours doing 70-80% of the rest of the game. Even sequence breaking into optional areas I technically wasn't supposed to get into yet. I genuinely really was that lost and was just trying to find the next story trigger. I finished most of the optional bosses, got the secret sword, got the damn triple jump...but still wasn't able to ground pound or go into water. Just goes to show how open the game is I guess. I eventually found the teleporter again and just sped ran through since I was so over-leveled, over-equipped, and marked damn near everything on the map I couldn't interact with yet.
19:43 (sword in the ground)
From my experience, the game does actually do that. When I reached that spot, I had 3 of the 4 items you needed and the game did actually give me several indicators. There are 4 pillars in the background and for every one of those items you have, one of those pillars lights up. I was also told, or at least heavily hinted, what was used to light up those pillars when interacting with the prompt there.
I'm guessing the issue you had was that because you fully fulfilled the requirements before even arriving to the location, you cut straight to the final event, more-or-less skipping the middle stuff. An interesting issue to have to say the least.
Thanks for sharing. I love hearing other people’s experiences. Yours definitely shows how open the game truly is.
So when I first played at launch, the game didn’t show when key items were used. For example, the key opening the door to Goliathfall. Originally, I got the key, forgot I had it, then approached that door in desperation and it opened up. I was so confused. Due to a patch, the key now pops up above Renee’s head when she approaches that door with the key. It’s a small change, but it makes a huge difference.
And you’re 100% right about the sword. I had all the crystal veins when I first discovered it, so it just awkwardly thrust me into the fight. After a patch, it now plays out how you described.
Uhhh doesn't the vast majority of metroidvanias have double jumps, air dash, wall jump and water traversal? Even before HK it wws the norm.
I started playing this game a week ago and it was so much fun and everything you said is on point, unfortunately i got about 4 hours in around the whispering forest and it keeps crashing, everytime I start playing, it crashes, in all kinds of different areas, such a bummer, I have to reboot my switch oled just to have it crash, freeze, or error code pops up, 🤬
Dude, that sucks. You hate to hear it. I played it digitally on Switch at launch and never had an issue. I hope everything works out, cuz it is such a great game.
indie game for reviews is smaller window like 10h for playing it. And i think i watch at least 1 review where claim to be short -15h and too hard. Well if they rush through it now wonder almost nobody like it. And it have very good users scores
Best MV since hollow knight. Hands down.
Really not sold on this one... The whole "gigantic map" marketing trope has been for years a red flag for me in MVs and open world games in general. Since it usually means extensive levels with poor or no design at all and repetitive sidequests/enemies copypasted everywhere. I'll take a small or medium map with good level design, cleverly hidden secrets/shortcuts, strategic enemy placement and tricky transversal movement anytime.
And checking the dull level design of that golden palace in the video, it really doesn't really give the impression to be one of the latter...
If you haven’t played it, I think you’d be surprised. I’m not gonna say it has the best level design, but it’s not bad. And some of the platforming is really good. And the enemy variety is enormous, so I definitely wouldn’t say it’s copy/paste.
After image currently on steep sale in Nintendo eshop
I found this largely enjoyable and definitely a really good game, but unfortunately for me it's brought down by just a few too many things that was annoying lowering my final estimation. The levelling system is messed-up, because by playing the game normally, I managed to get under-levelled (by way of that powerful enemy mark on every enemy in said area) that I could go, until I ground for 10 levels. Not being able to buy the highest tier healing potion combined with them getting consumed even if you die to a boss, I couldn't factor them into the strategy (it doesn't help that the game has bosses that have tells incredibly close to the attacks such as the "final" teleporting asshole double-boss). And I found the story absolutely boring (I understand it fine) which didn't give me any connection driving my exploration outside of "I'm playing a metroidvania". I also found the talent tree completely bloated, between level 10-65 I didn't make a single choice, I just popped in every 5 levels where the level gates would let me add more points and I'd upgrade everything I could, because between the level-up points and all the talent points found in the wild, I could get everything. All that said, I still liked the game a lot, it just lacks that quality that keeps it from being great.
I'm with you on the leveling. Limiting everything to every 5 levels was weird. And the story wasn't the greatest. More intrigue would have helped. And the openness of the world dampered the pacing. I still enjoyed it a lot and would love to see a sequel.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru A sequel definitely would be great. If it followed the true ending maybe it would follow 42 wherever she ended up, just a thought. 42 was one of the few characters I found intriguing.
@@dondashall Definitely. I wonder if she would become the new "God" of wherever she went...
I beat the game just before they patched in the strong enemy markers, but I didn't have a problem with this provided I kept moving around. There were select places where the enemies were strong and I just said, "Welp, this place isn't for me right now." There was usually somewhere else to go.
@@azuarc I guess you had a different progression than me, but it really was that way everywhere for me. I just kept going, but the problem really didn't fix itself until I had ground out some levels.
This game is great. There are a few legitimate criticisms, but there were also far more of them when the game released, many of which have been patched out or improved. A couple things I would call fair based on the version of the game I played, several months after release:
1) The writing. Dear god, the writing. I know it's a Chinese team, but YEESH. And because of a lack of clarity, knowing where to go isn't always obvious, and you can bum around for a while until you figure out how to progress. This isn't an exploration problem like if you got lost in Hollow Knight; you legitimately just don't know what the game's asking you to do, but it's obvious that it's asking you to do it.
2) Tied to that, there's a ton of items that I just can't figure out the point of. Collecting 100% items doesn't feel meaningful with how many drops you'd need a guide for, and magic is mostly useless.
3) Backtracking isn't rewarding. You come back to an old area to see what's on that ledge or behind that barrier you couldn't reach before, and...it's junk.
4) Menuing isn't great.
Beyond that, I was thoroughly impressed with just about every other aspect of Afterimage. The combat feels great and gives the player lots of option with the dual weapon system. Movement feels snappy and enjoyable. There's a HUGE map to explore. I don't know what it is about Chinese games, but their graphics and sound are always top-notch. As long as you don't get too narrow-minded about your objective at any time, and move around a bit when you're getting frustrated with an area, the game is amazing and has basically all the features I would want in the game.
Nailed it. Can’t argue with your points. I would say backtracking could be rewarding, but because the game is so big and open, you’ve a much higher probability of backtracking NOT being rewarding, if that makes sense.
But, yeah, solid game overall. I might replay it soon. Just to see how the patches change the experience.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru Yeah, it's in a much better state, compared to the comments of players that bought it on release.
I have really enjoyed this game--but the story is nearly unfollowable. Might be a bad translation issue.
That said, doesn't really matter because the game play and music is top notch. For $14 it's an absolute banger.
Is this better than Blasphemous or Ender lilies?
Bro, ??? Legit is worthy of grinding. Dont get me wrong definitely doable, but if you are speeding around your attacks may not have that oomf, and prior to that point most enemies have 1 attack pattern and are very easy read/punished. I am only mid game so i am reserving judgement on it but so far is fun. At any rate i was just saying
I never had to grind because I was always hitting hard. I guess it depends on the path you take. Afterimage is incredibly open, so it's rare for two people to have the exact same experience as enemies don't scale. So, yeah, if you're going to a more advanced place, you might need to do some grinding.
My grievance with the reviewer who said grinding is necessary was pretty specific. He was only in Rainbow Plains (the second biome in the game) and couldn't beat the first boss. That's why he said grinding was necessary.
I mean, the first boss? Just hang it up, bro. You're done. This isn't your type of game lol
@@MetroidvaniaGuru Valo is too much if you visit him early, had to turn around and go sightseeing (for 10 -15 lvls)
@@colombiasupremo3104 100% Valo will hand you your ass lol
On my first playthrough, I got to Valo at a pretty decent level and took her out with relative ease. But on my second playthrough, I made a beeline to her cuz I wanted her weapon, and she totally trashed me lol
@@MetroidvaniaGuru I tried to learn the speedrun for this game, and Valo absolutely stonewalled me. She feels like she was not meant to be beaten without the i-frame dash.
Just found your channel, and already the most accurate review i've seen so far. I really hate people who don't recommend it on steam for such a dumb reason. Theres no such thing like the map is too big, because i enjoy it while theres somethinh to discover.
Anyway, it would be great if you make video about lore of the game, like mossbag explained hollow knight's story. Love your channel ❤❤
Appreciate the love! And, yeah, Afterimage is really good. An MV lover’s MV.
I might touch on lore some day. There’s not too many MVs that need it, but Afterimage is definitely one that does lol
Bought this on Switch but it stutters constantly. Waste of money 😬
Play this game like never ending journey ❤
As mentioned in the video, traveling around the map is very complicated due to item limitations, if you intend to complete the map, be prepared for an extremely tedious job. In the end game it should be more fluid. I finished the game without patience to run for hours and hours just to check if the map was complete. Speaking about the map, there is a kind of shadow indicating an entrance and places to be completed, but in reality there is nothing there... you just keep running around until you give up and run to other locations. The story is generic and meaningless, it doesn't captivate you. The quests are very crude. At a certain point, the game promises good development but then becomes stagnant. The boss battles are interesting but the exploration is boring af...
Your point about the shadow in the map is interesting. It would have been much better had the map used hard lines to show players there reached as border.
Great game with a very interesting world and lore. While I do have some issues overall I loved my journey and thought the combat was fantastic. Also I appreciate that the game does a great pacing of giving you new abilities to traverse and backtrack at a fairly good pace which is important in metroidvanias imo. My only issues is that while the combat is great that magic feels like and after thought which is odd considering the world and lore being centered around magic. Also the quest progress tracking could be fair better imo.
Some of these so called reviewers should really just quit gaming if they think this game is too hard... With the exception of a few of the later bosses the whole game was a breeze.
Yeah, it’s crazy. Games Journalists don’t like video games.
Bigger doesnt mean better.
Like how open-world games are just filler trash.
I said the same thing for Aeterna Noctis. I didn’t feel Afterimage was full of filler.
Ok, I finished all of it (ALL OF IT) in about 60h total.
I REALLY liked the game, but the story and the voice acting sometimes snapped me out of the immersion, God damn it. Reg. the story: it feels a touch too forced and extra convoluted and some dialogue is too much.
From what I read, the game has had a bunch of QoL improvements since this video came out (enemies that are too high level - I think 10 more than you? - have a thingy above their head). I play on PC and had 0 technical issues or long load times.
Now I want a DLC that involves the remaining locked doors.
Nice! I figured they’d do a patch for QOL. Glad they did. And, yeah, that story… 😆
how much they pay you for this garbage review??
Soulslike = No Buy
Soulslike are games for unemployed people.
The physical version does not contain a working game on the cart.
Really!? The physical game doesn't work!? I hope that isn't true. I played it digitally.
LOL @ Soulslike. I totally get it, man. This game isn't so bad. You lose your current EXP. It's not that big a deal, I don't think. You might still enjoy it.
mad cus bad+skill issue problem=lmao
@@THaB4DGuY No, I have a job
@@MarquisDeSang And? So do I and 1,000s of others that can actually handle souls games, so thats just a bad excuse+cope for you being mad cus bad and it shows lol
@@THaB4DGuY I am sorry, I can't bother reply to you, I am having sex with a real woman.
Why every metroidvania have to be soulike nowadays ?
Good question! A freaking HATE corpse running lol
I don't see slow, deliberate combat mechanics or a stamina meter anywhere.