In my personal opinion, the main storyline of "Afterimage" isn't quite as strong as it could be. It tends to lean towards drama and dark fantasies, but doesn't fully explore its potential. The narrative revolves around the legend of the god who created the world, as well as the tale of Goliath and the ambitions of humans.
The protagonist, Renee, starts the game with amnesia, accompanied by a partner or friend named Ifree who stays with her throughout her journey. In the world created by the god Luca, Renee sets out to uncover the mysteries behind the world's curse, her lost memories, and to aid new friends she encounters along the way.
Surprisingly, the most intriguing aspects of the story come from the NPCs who provide side quests. Their stories are so engaging that sometimes you'll find yourself reluctant to finish all the quests too quickly.
Overall, while the main storyline may not be the game's strongest suit, the depth and richness of the side quests more than make up for it, providing an immersive and captivating experience.

• Weapon Variety:
  The game offers a wide range of melee weapons, including greatswords, swords, blades, dual blades, scythes, and whips. Players can equip two different melee weapons simultaneously, allowing for diverse battle combos. Additionally, there are ranged weapons available in the form of spell-books, enabling players to cast specific spells.
  
• Skill Progression:
  The game offers a comprehensive skill progression system through the Talent page, where players can enhance their character's abilities and learn new skills. Points for skill upgrades can be earned through various means, including leveling up, exploration, and purchasing items from in-game shops.
  
• Healing Mechanics:
  Afterimage provides two primary methods for healing. Firstly, players have access to default healing items that can be replenished at save points, offering a cost-effective yet time-consuming solution. Additionally, glyphs collected during exploration allow for additional healing opportunities, adding depth to resource management. Alternatively, potions offer a quicker healing alternative but come at a price, introducing an element of strategic decision-making.
  
• Exploration:
  The game features a vast and expansive map, filled with secret spots containing treasures. Some of these secrets are easy to find, while others require more clever exploration. Overall, the exploration aspect of the game provides an engaging experience without any dull moments.
  
• Multiple Endings:
  There are multiple endings available in the game, and players do not need to start a new save file or duplicate it to experience all of them. It is possible to achieve all endings in a single playthrough, encouraging players to give their best effort to uncover the various endings.
  
• Difficulty Levels:
  The game offers two difficulty levels: Normal and Advance. Opting for Advance difficulty provides a greater challenge, making it suitable for players experienced in the metroidvania genre. Despite choosing Advance difficulty, the game may still feel easier to conquer compared to other metroidvania games like Hollow Knight and Ender Lilies. However, this may vary depending on individual skill level. Players new to the genre may find Normal difficulty more suitable.

The evocative soundtrack of Afterimage enhances the game's atmosphere, immersing players in its richly detailed world. Each track is meticulously crafted to evoke emotion and set the tone for various gameplay moments. From stirring battle themes to tranquil exploration melodies, the soundtrack elevates the overall gaming experience.
My favorite theme: https://youtu.be/3dwlwHQZzYM?si=E_NXhx4fZzLmdwZH

• English Dubbing Voice:
  While playing with English dubbing voice, I noticed that some conversations lack dubbing and instead feature digital thud-thud sounds. It seems that the developers may have edited certain conversations without adding new dubbing voices.
  
• Quest System:
  The text and content in many quests do not clearly indicate the objectives or targets for completion. It appears that the developers intend for players to explore and uncover the truth or methods to solve these quests independently. While I personally enjoy this approach, as it feels like reading a novel book, others may find it less appealing.
  
• Buffs Duration:
  Buffs obtained from consumables or weapons lack a visible timer, making it challenging for players to track their duration accurately. This oversight may lead to uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of active buffs, impacting strategic decision-making during gameplay.
  
• Boss Difficulty:
  Despite playing on Advance difficulty, most bosses feel relatively weak compared to other metroidvania titles like Hollow Knight and Ender Lilies. However, exceptions like Valo the First Knight provide a significant challenge.
  
• Weapon Skills and Abilities:
  Some weapons have unique skills or abilities, but their descriptions do not adequately explain what they can do. Instead, they only provide the name of the skill or ability, leading to frustration as players must discover their effects through trial and error.

• Fast Travel:
  Many players who have reviewed this game before have exaggerated the challenges or frustrations regarding the fast travel system. In reality, the game offers fast travel to every section of the map that you have previously visited. You can access fast travel at the station tree, identifiable by its distinctive blue giant ball. Each section of the map has at least one station, except for a small section map which does not. This means that players can easily return to any previous area they desire.
  This fast travel system is similar to those found in many other games, so players who are familiar with this model should not find it overly frustrating. Additionally, the game features an item called the "Rest Potion" which allows players to teleport to a desired tree (save point). However, this item is not free and must be either purchased or collected through exploration.
  I believe this system is fair for players. It encourages exploration to find new paths forward, and the Rest Potion serves as a helpful tool for those who may become frustrated with running back to dead ends repeatedly. Throughout my entire playthrough, I only used one Rest Potion for a specific route ending, demonstrating that it is not necessary for most of the exploration.

In the realm of Afterimage, players embark on a journey of discovery and self-discovery, navigating a world steeped in mystery and peril. With its engaging narrative, diverse gameplay mechanics, and atmospheric soundtrack, Afterimage offers a captivating experience that rewards exploration, experimentation, and perseverance. While minor issues may detract from the overall experience, the game's strengths shine through, solidifying its status as a noteworthy addition to the metroidvania genre. I awarded this game a commendable 8.5 out of 10 in the metroidvania category, acknowledging its strengths and potential for enjoyment.

Afterimage is a good but not great Metroidvania for fans of the genre who want something that's not leaning on the Souls formulas. It's bright, it's colorful, it's generally cheery. The soundtrack isn't amazing but has a few extreme high points. The map is huge and full of secrets and items to find, and Afterimage isn't afraid to give you all of your favorite Metroidvania tools - double and triple jumps, wall clinging gloves, aquatic traversal, dashes, teleports between zones, and even a vertical super jump in the lategame. Combat too follows a mostly straightforward paradigm, with six main weapon categories, a few special attacks for each, and the ability to use two weapons at a time. There's also various forms of magic as a supplement, though they're not a primary tool by any means. Afterimage is just a whole lot of game, and running around exploring and fighting is a treat.

It's certainly not perfect, though. It's maybe a bit too much game; you keep finding new areas and they're all expansive but the game wouldn't hurt to be about 20% or so smaller. There's a lot of hidden items, but many are just generic potions or uninspired rewards that don't feel particularly good to hunt down. Combat difficulty on the normal setting is mostly trivial with a few difficulty spikes in the late-game or if you're pushing into a harder zone than you're ready for. There's an extensive talent tree but most of the nodes are minor stat bonuses that aren't especially interesting. Progression is often extremely hands off and it can be difficult in the later game to determine where to go unless you're being obsessive about map coverage. Lastly and probably most problematic, the localization. Afterimage really wants to be a story driven game, and the localization is not up to the task; it almost feels like a game that's in a licensed setting and assumes you already know the important points, because it doesn't really tell you what's going on but instead just namedrops a bunch of items, concepts and people and hopes you can keep up. By the end you have a general sense of what's going on, but it doesn't actually coalesce into an interesting whole. There's also a lot of uncertainty about the items and skills you're unlocking; it's sometimes unclear what's important, what's not, and what can be safely ignored or disposed of.

If you're a fan of the genre, Afterimage is worth a look, but know going into it that the pacing and localization isn't great and set your expectations accordingly.

Gameplay? Awesome. It's a bit on the easy side, but traversal and combat are pretty fun. The visuals looked nice too, but I do think they were a bit all over the place (different characters looked like they came from different games).

I do have a number of gripes, though. The story is just too out there for me to enjoy. The game just dumps you in the middle of this fantasy world that has way too many different pieces of jargon for me to fully understand what was going on. The game also isn't too clear on where some vital items are for continuing the story. You just have to explore. Which is usually fine. But this game doesn't have the best indicators on where things are. Also, I do wish there was an option to toggle on a minimap, that option was missing here.

Overall, I still had a lot of fun due to the actual gameplay. But the experience surrounding it? It could have been better.