After Death

This is definitely a hidden gem. Its one of those games that you play at first questioning, if you want to play then after you play it for a good while. I liked it so much I actually 100% the map. Good game it does not get the credit it deserves.

Fun throw back Metroidvania. Nothing too flashy or earthshattering but it's competent and has a great pace. Many will probably dislike the back tracking later in the game but it's not as bad as others in the genre. Solid 7.5/10 Looking forward to the Alpha and Omega update to finish off the achievements.

To be honest I was not expecting a good game based on how the character moves but I was wrong, great game, good music and good bosses especially the big ones and, when you realize what is the story about wow, reminds me of old castlevanias and the game has a ver good easter egg at the end, recomended indeed

Played on OG 512 steam deck without issues. This game is ok, I pushed on and after a couple of mobility upgrades it gets better. Many say this is like a snes game but it’s actually more like a genesis game, controls a lot like I remember Altered Beast. It’s ok and I would recommend on sale. Glad I played it but stopped to play other newly released games and won’t go back.

After giving this a lot of thought, I can say that this game is a piece of ♥♥♥♥. I got into it, liked the SNES vibes (couldn't afford one as a kid so this was cool to me), but I was kinda repulsed by the lame character and bargain bin dialog boxes. I was about to process my return when the music and animated backgrounds hit me. WOW; I was pulled in by that, and the boss fights are great too. Here are the problems: character animation sucks, you're limited to ONE straight punch as your attack unless you spam magic (you can't), and the hit boxes are kinda funky- like, you can't hit them before they hit you. I love 'Blasphemous' and thought this would be a nice new backdrop. But with the stiff and limited controls, I can't possibly recommend it. Lots of good stuff in here (e.g.: atmosphere), but too much broken gameplay to counteract it. Its too late to return it, but I'd like to express my disappointment with a game that had so much gothic beauty and potential, just to drop the ball on lazy game design, feel, and general assness. What a waste of a cool idea.

I enjoyed it. It took me a little bit to adjust to the main punch attack, which has an unusually small and oddly placed hit box compared to typical metroidvanias. But I wasn't having much difficulty after the first 30 minutes or so. The area designs and bosses were interesting and varied, with the focus seeming to be more on exploration than providing difficult bosses (which I prefer and appreciate). Overall, the game has more of a classic style to it.

A nice little SotN-like. Great pixel art, great music. The gameplay is a little weak (like all Sotn-likes) in that you don't really move faster than your Simon Strut, excluding a cooldowned slightly-faster dash that doesn't even have iframes. You really do feel powerful as you gather more items, though, and exploring is rewarded both with powerups you will want for the final boss and a secret :) Solid 7/10, pick it up during a sale.

I found this game purely by accident and was pleasantly surprised by it. After Death is a fantastic metroidvania harking back to the classic 2D Castlevania titles from the 16-bit era, even down to the way the main character walks. The game looks and feels like a true Sega Genesis game, the aesthetic is fantastic, the soundtrack is awesome, and the pixel art is gorgeous. In typical metroidvania fashion the player has to traverse a 2D map looking for upgrades and new abilities that unlock more regions of the map. Save rooms and warp rooms allowing fast-travel are scattered through the map making navigation and backtracking easier. The many regions have very distinct designs and color palettes, they are easily recognizable and are a joy to explore, which can't be said of all games in the genre. The game starts quite linear but opens up in the second half once enough special moves have been acquired. Speaking of abilities, the most noteworthy of them are the skills to freeze/unfreeze water, required to solve traversal puzzles involving bodies of water at several points in the game, these are very well done and are never annoying. The controls are tight and responsive and enemies are varied in design and attack patterns providing a decent challenge. I'd say the difficulty is adequate, it's not frustrating but it isn't a cakewalk either. Some bosses, specially the last ones, can be quite difficult and require precision, patience, and memorization of attack patterns. The beginning of the game is harder as the main attack has a short range and most enemies require multiple hits, not to mention some of them are small and hard to hit, but once a few upgrades are acquired it becomes much more manageable and by the end of the game the main character is basically unstoppable. The story is about a nameless skeleton trying to escape from a hellish place full of hostile monsters. The skeleton will meet several lost souls providing clues and insight about how to proceed. It is simple at first but it is deeper than it sounds and it becomes very intriguing as one progresses through the game. It has two endings as far as I know but one of them can be a little cryptic to obtain, in either case both endings are fantastic and wrap up the story beautifully. I can't say enough good things about After Death, I had a blast playing it and loved it from start to finish. Definitely recommended to all metroidvania fans.

What a retro jewel! Two people have given their all to create this throwback experience from the 16-bit era. The team decided to mix an action-platformer with some metroidvania elements with excellent results. The game is engaging but it requires a fair dose of patience because it is not an easy one. This sounds frustrating but thankfully the save points and especially the superb OST really makes you push for one more try. In addition, one element that surprised me in a positive way is the plot. It is a simple one, don't get me wrong, this is not a masterpiece in writing. However, it keeps things interesting after a certain point in the game. All in all, it is a must buy game for any retro fans and people interested in hidden gems.

[h1][b]Review[/b][/h1] [b][i]After Death[/i][/b] is a short but entertaining MetroidVania. Its combat can be dated, but the game compensates for this with its energetic pace. [list] [*]The combat, as said, is very, very simple. You can only attack straight forward; there is neither an upward attack nor a doward attack. It might seem obsolete, but it is fairly easy to adjust to it. And the spells complement it in such a good, dynamic way. Also, you can crouch and attack too. [*]The bosses are ridiculously easy (the real final boss is the only one that was a challenge), and I didn't have to try more than 4 or 5 times to beat the hardest ones. And enemies in general are effortless to kill, except for 2 or 3. [*]As I mentioned, the pace is really good; you go very quickly to finish areas, and after you get a new ability, it's pretty good to go back and explore the incomplete spots. [*]Now, the lack of angency with moving the camera dowards or upwards is... missing; it would be nice to have it. [*]I love the aesthetics; it reminded me of [b][i]Super Castlevania IV[/i][/b], but more grimdark. [*]The soundtrack has that retro nostalgic vibe from the 16-bit era; it suits well the atmosphere the game presents. [b](The water section has an amazing track.)[/b] [*]The plot is somewhat intriguing; you wake up without knowing who you are, and throughout your journey, you find different characters that help you find out. Your mission is to open a portal, but the characters differ in opinion about your task. It got me wondering, until the end, that I have mixed feelings about it. [*]There are some easter eggs in the game. I was quite pleased to discover them; one in particular charmed me for what it represented. [/list] [h3][b]Conclusion:[/b][/h3] [b][i]After Death[/i][/b] is a nice quick experience; it doesn't demand the player a lot, and the combat is not very loose but is not that bad. The 16-bit graphics and soundtrack delight with atmosphere. Even if it's not a very challenging game, it's worth the money spent. I had fun playing. My final score is: [h2][b]6/10[/b][/h2]