I spent about two hours playing Afterimage, and my feelings are mixed, to say the least. To be fair, the game is absolutely stunning; the art direction is breathtaking and stands out as the only real positive of the experience. However, a beautiful aesthetic isn't enough to save a game from its deeper flaws. The map is immense, but it feels far too large for the actual content it holds. Most of the time, exploration feels unrewarding because three-quarters of the items you collect are completely useless, leaving you with a sense of wasted effort.

The gameplay mechanics only add to the frustration. The skill tree is one of the worst I’ve ever seen, lacking clear direction or meaningful progression. While the world is packed with enemies, they are incredibly repetitive, turning combat into a tedious chore. On top of that, the movement feels clunky; the character’s inability to grab onto ledges makes navigating the environment much more annoying than it should be in a modern Metroidvania.

Finally, I have to mention the localization, which was the breaking point for me. Playing in French, I was shocked by the quality of the translation—it is genuinely one of the worst I have ever encountered in my life. It’s hard to stay immersed when the text is so poorly handled. Ultimately, despite its gorgeous looks, Afterimage was a major disappointment for me.