I just beat this game yesterday spread across 46 hours and 6 days... It's insane how HUGE this game is... But i'm very happy to say that i absolutely LOVED IT! Easily one of my top 10 metroidvania's. I loved the exploration and level design. The movement was smooth and the platforming fun. Combat was amazing, especially the dual daggers and scythe! I liked the bosses but regular enemies were more fun to me. Their attacks felt better telegraphed and fair. Visuals are gorgeous and so is the soundtrack. I'll be listening to this one a LOT moving forward. Only grievances i have is that the endings were a bit too much work to achieve, a lack of better fast travel near the end and the overal inconsistent story. Minor gripes really. I don't even mind the occasional fps drop because i had no bugs or crashes. I think i'd give this game a 9/10 at least. Had story been better and pacing of movement upgrades spread out more i'd even give it a 9,5 or a perfect 10
It's my metroidvania GOTY for 2023! Glad you liked it! I would have loved for the story to be easier to follow for sure, but I still consider this an excellent game.
@@soulsborneseeker indeed. Now i'm pretty sure i'll love the last faith and blasphemous 2 even more but i haven't got around to those yet. I'm a "keep the best for last" kinda person 😋currently playing 9 years of shadows, about an hour and a half in and i'm also loving it. Such an amazing year for metroidvania's!!!!
@@brotbrotsen1100 It is a quite lengthy game, especially if you're going for the true ending! My first playthrough for the first ending was nearly 23 hours!
Great review, well written, very detailed and well structured as always! I really enjoy your style of reviewing and I honestly think I would also rate this game somewhere between a 8 and 8,5, especially after the first patch. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much for your review. I wanted to get a reference for some metroidvania games, genre that I like very much, as this review has given my valuable information. Thanks again.
This is such a fantastic game! The patches have improved the game quite a lot and the boss rush is a great addition. With more updates I can confidently call this a 9/10. A top tier Metroidvania for Metroidvania fans.
This is fantastic to know. Been eyeing it for a bit now and it’s on sale for $15 or so on Xbox store (and possibly PS store). Going to have to pull the trigger on it.
@@mattpenix8438 You won't regret it. A few heads up: -If you've played any Soulsborne or other Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, the story won't be difficult to grasp. I just suggest playing with the original audio, since the english dub isn't strong. -Leveling up isn't the be all end all for your character, investing on stat points and getting better gear will help you a lot. I've been on high level areas before I needed to because my stats and learning enemy patterns rewards you more than just levels. No farming needed, just learn your weapon types.
I really wish you would upload your videos in 60fps, so it would more align with what ill actually be experiencing, i akways think "wow, this feels and looks a lot better than what i saw on soulsborne seekers videos"
@@soulsborneseeker yea, this video actually doesn't have 60fps option for me, clicked through frames too - there are only ~30 per second, same for your new video. I'd double check your rendering settings.
I'm wondering if bosses scale with the player or if it's small differences between systems. Cause I've looked up on how to fight loss and I'm tryng to fight him the same way but he's hitting me way harder than them. the hitboxes are a bit off when i get hit and he doesn't even really touch me and he comes every bit as close to them and misses.
In my experience, they don't. They seem to have specific power levels. My playthrough was on PS5, but I also saw another player on PC, and it seemed to be the same there as well.
@@soulsborneseeker same moves and everything. But the pattern the people use isn't working on my end. loss is the best example at the moment if you get close to him he does a simple jab and he always does 3-4 times before he does something else but there's always a good half sec tell he gives on what he's gonna do. But not on my end he does the jab once then right off the bat does something else and it's just back to back without any cool down time. Then if i'm lucky enough to survive long enough he'll do that diving crap and he never lands where I need him to I try and jump he hits me directly if I don't his AOE hits me. Though the first night boss acted the same way there's did for the most part. The main prob I have with that boss is that most of her moves have the same wind up and That one attack has a certain sound when she does it and you don't hear it when watching others fight her.
It took me a few hours to get the basics down, but after that it became more and more clear! That being said, it was definitely a bit more complex than other games I've played, but that's why I love metroidvanias and soulslikes; there's a lot of environmental storytelling that you need to piece together on your own! It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it!
The presentation of the story is the one component of Afterimage I don't give it high marks on. Turns out there is a lot of very deep lore, but I was aware of virtually none of it until Indie Xplorer released a complete lore guide. It was just a bunch of random babble with a few bits that fit together before that for me. Having seen the whole story stitched together, it's not bad -- not amazing, but respectable -- but the way it's laid out is not doing it any favors.
@@azuarc it is just dark souls style Have not seen any problems with translation, but i was playing in russian Lore and story is clear except some future dls stuff we even have 4 wall breaking
Glad to see they added a fast travel system through the trees, before the update it was one of its biggest drawbacks. My first impression was it feels like a blend between _Ori_ and _Ender Lilies,_ I'm only 10 hours in and oh boy, that map is huuuuuge. It has enough to be able to stand on its own, yet I'm not fully invested and don't know why, lol. (Could be just a metroidvania burnout, who knows.)
They did change a few things that kind of bugged me while I was playing it. For example, before the patch the map sections you explored would only appear in your actual map after you had rested at a tree, and not in real time. I hear you on the map size. There were a few times that I got discouraged due to the sheer magnitude but, overall, I did enjoy the exploration!
@@soulsborneseeker Oh yeah, definitely going to finish it because I want to experience the bosses and the different skills + weapons, but not sure about 100%-ing it, I guess we'll see. xD
@@osn19 There's definitely a generic feel to a lot of aspects of the world that pretty much utilize some well known fantasy tropes, but I found that quite charming in this case!
@@soulsborneseeker unfortunately for me it threw me off. The first enemies should be interesting, and instead I was slicing some kind of boring frog or whatever. Too generic, I refunded
I have it on my Steam library, actually backed the game during the kickstarter. However I also backed 9 Years of Shadow, Curse of the Sea Rats, and Vernal Edge. All of which came out around the same time lol. I just finished 9 Years of Shadow which was really good, minus the glitches, but now I got to take a break from Metroidvania's for a little bit.
Disagree. About the only thing souls-like is the limited use of healing and the way a lot of the lore is bundled into item descriptions. There's a very soft corpse-run mechanic, but you could 100% ignore it and just do whatever you want instead. There's no stamina. Movement and attacks are fluid. Until late in the game, your dash has no i-frames.
Have you played the game yet? Are you planning to?
I just beat this game yesterday spread across 46 hours and 6 days... It's insane how HUGE this game is... But i'm very happy to say that i absolutely LOVED IT! Easily one of my top 10 metroidvania's. I loved the exploration and level design. The movement was smooth and the platforming fun. Combat was amazing, especially the dual daggers and scythe! I liked the bosses but regular enemies were more fun to me. Their attacks felt better telegraphed and fair. Visuals are gorgeous and so is the soundtrack. I'll be listening to this one a LOT moving forward. Only grievances i have is that the endings were a bit too much work to achieve, a lack of better fast travel near the end and the overal inconsistent story. Minor gripes really. I don't even mind the occasional fps drop because i had no bugs or crashes. I think i'd give this game a 9/10 at least. Had story been better and pacing of movement upgrades spread out more i'd even give it a 9,5 or a perfect 10
It's my metroidvania GOTY for 2023! Glad you liked it! I would have loved for the story to be easier to follow for sure, but I still consider this an excellent game.
@@soulsborneseeker indeed. Now i'm pretty sure i'll love the last faith and blasphemous 2 even more but i haven't got around to those yet. I'm a "keep the best for last" kinda person 😋currently playing 9 years of shadows, about an hour and a half in and i'm also loving it. Such an amazing year for metroidvania's!!!!
Oh it's that long?
@@brotbrotsen1100 It is a quite lengthy game, especially if you're going for the true ending! My first playthrough for the first ending was nearly 23 hours!
Great review, well written, very detailed and well structured as always! I really enjoy your style of reviewing and I honestly think I would also rate this game somewhere between a 8 and 8,5, especially after the first patch. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for the kind words, glad you also enjoyed the game!
Thank you very much for your review. I wanted to get a reference for some metroidvania games, genre that I like very much, as this review has given my valuable information.
Thanks again.
Thanks for watching! Glad I could be of help!
This is such a fantastic game! The patches have improved the game quite a lot and the boss rush is a great addition. With more updates I can confidently call this a 9/10. A top tier Metroidvania for Metroidvania fans.
I agree! One of the best metroidvanias of 2023!
This is fantastic to know. Been eyeing it for a bit now and it’s on sale for $15 or so on Xbox store (and possibly PS store). Going to have to pull the trigger on it.
@@mattpenix8438 You won't regret it. A few heads up:
-If you've played any Soulsborne or other Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, the story won't be difficult to grasp. I just suggest playing with the original audio, since the english dub isn't strong.
-Leveling up isn't the be all end all for your character, investing on stat points and getting better gear will help you a lot. I've been on high level areas before I needed to because my stats and learning enemy patterns rewards you more than just levels. No farming needed, just learn your weapon types.
@@mattpenix8438 Have fun with it!
I wish there was community for this game like other metroidvanias
It's pretty awesome!
I really wish you would upload your videos in 60fps, so it would more align with what ill actually be experiencing, i akways think "wow, this feels and looks a lot better than what i saw on soulsborne seekers videos"
I record on PS5 at 60 FPS as far as I'm aware, and then export it the same. Does the video appear to run lower than that?
@@soulsborneseeker yea, this video actually doesn't have 60fps option for me, clicked through frames too - there are only ~30 per second, same for your new video. I'd double check your rendering settings.
Very detailed review compared to others. I also just played it like 2 days ago and it is a blast! Love it!
Thank you for the kind words, glad you enjoyed the review!
Nice review.
I just completed it. Really enjoyed it.. it's a solid Metroidvania. I also would give it an 8.5
Thanks for watching, glad you liked the game!
Great review!! You got me as a subscriber.
Thank you for the support, glad you enjoyed the review!
I'm wondering if bosses scale with the player or if it's small differences between systems. Cause I've looked up on how to fight loss and I'm tryng to fight him the same way but he's hitting me way harder than them. the hitboxes are a bit off when i get hit and he doesn't even really touch me and he comes every bit as close to them and misses.
In my experience, they don't. They seem to have specific power levels. My playthrough was on PS5, but I also saw another player on PC, and it seemed to be the same there as well.
@@soulsborneseeker I'm on ps5 too. but loss isn't fighting this guy the same way there's a pattern but the pattern doesn't really work on my end.
@@dusttodust915 Do you mean that the boss has different patterns/movesets in your playthrough?
@@soulsborneseeker same moves and everything. But the pattern the people use isn't working on my end. loss is the best example at the moment if you get close to him he does a simple jab and he always does 3-4 times before he does something else but there's always a good half sec tell he gives on what he's gonna do. But not on my end he does the jab once then right off the bat does something else and it's just back to back without any cool down time. Then if i'm lucky enough to survive long enough he'll do that diving crap and he never lands where I need him to I try and jump he hits me directly if I don't his AOE hits me. Though the first night boss acted the same way there's did for the most part. The main prob I have with that boss is that most of her moves have the same wind up and That one attack has a certain sound when she does it and you don't hear it when watching others fight her.
@@dusttodust915just gotta git gud
Did you find that the story was difficult to understand? Personally, it wasn't that hard... It is a bit unclear because of the bad translation...
It took me a few hours to get the basics down, but after that it became more and more clear! That being said, it was definitely a bit more complex than other games I've played, but that's why I love metroidvanias and soulslikes; there's a lot of environmental storytelling that you need to piece together on your own! It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it!
The presentation of the story is the one component of Afterimage I don't give it high marks on. Turns out there is a lot of very deep lore, but I was aware of virtually none of it until Indie Xplorer released a complete lore guide. It was just a bunch of random babble with a few bits that fit together before that for me. Having seen the whole story stitched together, it's not bad -- not amazing, but respectable -- but the way it's laid out is not doing it any favors.
@@azuarc it is just dark souls style
Have not seen any problems with translation, but i was playing in russian
Lore and story is clear except some future dls stuff
we even have 4 wall breaking
Glad to see they added a fast travel system through the trees, before the update it was one of its biggest drawbacks.
My first impression was it feels like a blend between _Ori_ and _Ender Lilies,_ I'm only 10 hours in and oh boy, that map is huuuuuge. It has enough to be able to stand on its own, yet I'm not fully invested and don't know why, lol. (Could be just a metroidvania burnout, who knows.)
They did change a few things that kind of bugged me while I was playing it. For example, before the patch the map sections you explored would only appear in your actual map after you had rested at a tree, and not in real time. I hear you on the map size. There were a few times that I got discouraged due to the sheer magnitude but, overall, I did enjoy the exploration!
@@soulsborneseeker Oh yeah, definitely going to finish it because I want to experience the bosses and the different skills + weapons, but not sure about 100%-ing it, I guess we'll see. xD
Maybe because the standard enemies really lack personality
@@osn19 There's definitely a generic feel to a lot of aspects of the world that pretty much utilize some well known fantasy tropes, but I found that quite charming in this case!
@@soulsborneseeker unfortunately for me it threw me off. The first enemies should be interesting, and instead I was slicing some kind of boring frog or whatever. Too generic, I refunded
Great review! The game looks good, I might give it a shot!
Thank you!
I have it on my Steam library, actually backed the game during the kickstarter. However I also backed 9 Years of Shadow, Curse of the Sea Rats, and Vernal Edge. All of which came out around the same time lol. I just finished 9 Years of Shadow which was really good, minus the glitches, but now I got to take a break from Metroidvania's for a little bit.
I understand, genre burnout is something I've felt a few times myself. I hope you'll have fun with the game when you get around to playing it!
WARNING : THIS IS A SOULS LIKE GAME.
It definitely has some souls-like elements, though I'd say the metroidvania aspect overshadows them.
Disagree. About the only thing souls-like is the limited use of healing and the way a lot of the lore is bundled into item descriptions. There's a very soft corpse-run mechanic, but you could 100% ignore it and just do whatever you want instead. There's no stamina. Movement and attacks are fluid. Until late in the game, your dash has no i-frames.
@@azuarcI have the game since then, and indeed the game is smooth and not too difficult.
Afterimage was great, though kinda a pain to 100%
Oh, definitely a beast of a game to 100%!
Good looking but Aeterna Noctis will be the best metroidvania ever!! Haha
Haven't played that yet, but everyone tells me it's incredible! It's definitely on my to-play list!
@@soulsborneseeker you should play as soon as you can!! Haha graphycs, movement, bosses... It feels awesome! It is also spanish!!! (I'm spanish haha)
@@Monroy10 I'll be giving it a go in the following weeks!
@@soulsborneseeker nice! I hope you like it!
Seems like a game only for people who love hard platforming..
to answare your question: No.
great game, but it needs a block mechanic, and the story is utter nonsense..
Haven't played it in a long time, but I do remember that the story was incredibly convoluted!