This beautiful hand-drawn Metroidvania just got an April release date

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Afterimage releases on PC, Switch, and PS and Xbox consoles on April 25

This beautiful hand-drawn Metroidvania just got an April release date
(Image credit: Aurogon Shanghai)

Upcoming Metroidvania Afterimage finally has a release date: April 25, 2023.

The hand-drawn Kickstarted game - which secured over $93,000 from 2573 backers when the campaign kicked off in March 2022 - is expected to come to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S later this year, having "exceeded [the developer's] initial expectations".

"As a small indie group, Afterimage is a huge step for us: for the first time, we’ve made a game with full multilanguage support including voiceover and on every major platform," the team explains in its latest Kickstarter update. "Because of this, the lack of experience outside game production has also inevitably extended production timelines.

"But things worked out fine in the end," the update continues. "With the help of our publisher Modus Games, and also the tireless work of all our colleagues, we are nearing completion: the final Afterimage we bring to you will be content complete and exceed our original expectations. 

"Content-wise, this includes about 30-40 hours of content, filled with over 20 different areas, over 40 studio–recorded original soundtracks, six classes of main weapon, four classes of sub-weapon, over 200 [pieces of] equipment, and over 180 enemies including 30 challenging boss fights! And now that all the localization and the voiceover recordings are nearly finished, our porting to multiple platforms is also entering the final stage, we will have more to share in the coming months regarding the console ports."

It's because of these changes that the release date has been pushed to April 2023. As a thank you for their patience, the team hopes to have a beta for backers sometime in February in which players can explore the first two areas and grab an "extra exclusive area for our backers only". 

The 2D hand-drawn Afterimage tasks you with revealing "the hidden secrets of a fantasy land" wherein you can explore the "magnificent landscapes and ruins of an ancient metropolis, meeting mysterious colossal beings and adorable roaming spirits along the way". 

Here are all the new games of 2023 (and beyond).

Vikki Blake
Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.