Afterimage

If Metroidvanias were a chorus, Afterimage would be the prettiest voice humming the same old tune. It’s a hand-drawn, orchestral, lightly Souls-inspired 2D action-platformer that checks nearly every box, while leaving some of the most important ones blank.

Set in the stunning world of Engardin, you play as Renee, a soul shepherd with memory loss and a dead village in her rearview mirror. Her journey through a war-scarred landscape feels suitably epic on paper, and Afterimage certainly looks the part: lush watercolor biomes, fluidly animated enemies, and boss fights that dance more than they duel.

Combat is sharp and focused, especially once you hit level 15 and unlock weapon skills. That’s when dual blades start feeling like spinning death fans and the katana becomes a surgical tool. But you’ll slog through a dozen hours before the game stops holding back and lets you feel powerful.

Its upgrades, called “Afterimages,” ironically, often feel forgettable. One of them makes you… walk faster. Magic? Rarely worth the mana. Platforming, though? Excellent. Float windows, tight timing, and high-stakes puzzles bring Afterimage closest to greatness.

Yet for all its beauty, Afterimage struggles to justify its place among giants like Hollow Knight or Ender Lilies. Its story mumbles instead of roars. Its world, while stunning, reuses too many ideas without remixing them.

This isn’t a bad game. But it is a safe one. And in a genre defined by daring, that’s a harder hit to take than any oversized jellyfish boss.