Afterimage is an upcoming 2D action-adventure platformer from the minds at Aurogon Shanghai that looks to stand out in a genre full of absolute classics. It’s a tough hill to climb, but after a 2.5-hour hands-on preview, it’s fair to say Afterimage stands a chance.
Set in the fictional world of Engardin, Afterimage takes place in a time when humanity has almost entirely been wiped out. Years later, the remaining human settlements are back under attack, and the main protagonist, Renee, is determined to find out the cause. It’s not the most unique story, but that doesn’t stop the world of Engardin from being interesting. I didn’t get a chance to see much, but the 5 unique areas I was able to visit were all incredibly vibrant and detailed. There were also NPC characters scattered throughout the world that really helped flesh it out.
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The preview for Afterimage highlighted 5 different weapons as well as several unlockable skills obtained from beating the available bosses. Each weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses, which encourages players to try different weapons for different encounters. Not many action-adventure platformers offer that kind of mix-and-match combat approach, instead opting for a single weapon with some new obtainable skills. Afterimage expands on that in a way that felt really neat, and I can’t wait to try more of it when the full game releases.
The most important thing for an action-adventure platforming game is the actual platforming, and Afterimage delivers here. Bouncing around the various levels felt really smooth and fluid, and the non-linear approach made exploration really fun. There isn’t anything that really changes the formula of how platformer games work, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it will actually help players feel right at home while exploring and allow them to focus more on the expanded combat system and the story being presented.
It’s hard to get a full grasp of what the entire game will look like since Aurogon Shanghai has said the game will be approximately 40 hours and I only have the chance to explore a 2.5-hour curated preview, but what I did see felt really good to play. The art design is beautiful and the combat works hard to be unique. Afterimage is a polished take on the 2D action-adventure platforming genre and I can’t wait to see what the full package has to offer for fans.
Afterimage releases on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on April 25th.
