I keep forgetting that I’m not very good at Metroidvanias. I remember defeating a few, and when I was fascinated by the vivid visuals and complex combat, those memories gave me the courage to try another game. But then I run into a boss I can’t beat, and I’m reminded of all the Metroidvanias I haven’t cleared.
Afterimage is one such game, but it’s not without its challenges. This review is a few weeks late as we tried to follow through. Whether it’s hell or high waves, I’m going to get there.But I’m deep enough now to comfortably say that this game is worth the challenge… if you prefer challenge.
The action revolves around Renee, an amnesiac girl (is there really any other kind of hero?) who has just awakened in the ruins of her home world. She sets off to rescue the leader, and…so. Afterimage isn’t heavily involved in storytelling, with plot elements scattered sparsely throughout the game.
You learn about this world, its history, and Renee’s place in it, but not in a way that forces you to move forward. That’s fine if you only care about the action, but a more interesting story might have given you the motivation you need to overcome the game’s many obstacles.
Speaking of which, I also want to mention the first loading screen. When I first started Afterimage it took a very long time to start so I shut it down and tried again. It was an equally long boot, but after sticking around for a minute or two, I got to the boot screen. Booting up after that wasn’t too bad, but a “wait a minute” graphic would have certainly helped. My other major complaint centers around the user interface, which in almost every way is clunky enough to indicate that the game wasn’t originally made for the Switch controller.
Anyway, game. Like most Metroidvanias, Afterimage uses early levels to teach you how the game works and give you false hope. Here’s a weapon attack. This is a magic attack. Here is your workaround. This is how you level up your skills and learn new moves. There are some medications here, but don’t rely solely on them.
Whether a Metroidvania works within these parameters largely depends on the quality of its exploration and combat. This is where Afterimage shines if it can meet both challenges. Exploration is largely emphasized by gorgeous visuals that create a world you want to explore. The levels make great use of color and depth to bring them to life, but in a way that doesn’t interfere with the combat. Playing a game as beautiful as this makes me wish more developers would adopt this visual style instead of relying on the retro visuals that are so common these days.
That said, Afterimage relies heavily on backtracking, which can get tiring in many areas. After just a few hours in, I was afraid to see something I knew I had to go back to. Mainly because it was already difficult enough to move forward. On the other hand, returning to previously explored areas in this game’s open world offered built-in ways to level up. I’ll take over just walking around in circles to fight the same monsters over and over again.
Fighting those monsters is a lot of fun most of the time. I think it’s because of the variety of monsters (and their attacks) and the game’s responsive controls. It’s easy to blame the controller or game physics for my inefficiency, but I couldn’t do that here. It wasn’t the developer’s fault that I had difficulty getting through the many bosses, it was my fault. Sometimes just unlocking new skills was enough to move on, but it would have been nice if the game allowed her to utilize her Renee in a way that suited her style of play. Rather, it seemed to me that certain abilities had to be learned/mastered in order to win.
And those bosses. oh. I’m used to games where it’s just a matter of learning attack patterns and choosing the best weapon to counter those attacks. That wasn’t necessarily the case here, as many of her 30 bosses in the game adjust their attacks based on my method. In other words, there is no easy way to pass anyone.You’ll have to change your methods as your enemies change their So you actually have to get better at the game. Still, you’ll need to smash weaker opponents to have a chance.
If that’s what Metroidvania is all about, Afterimage is right there. It offers thrilling and rewarding combat that really makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something as you progress. There is a vast world to explore and many secrets to discover. And it does all this in a visually appealing way.
But it is very difficult and can sometimes seem unfair. If that’s what drives you away from the game, there isn’t much else here that can pull you back. Afterimages are combat for the sake of combat, challenges for the sake of challenges, and achievement is the only reward.
Come or hell or high waves.
