Death's Gambit: Afterlife

 PC
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Noisy Pixel
    Sep 30, 2021
    90
    Death’s Gambit: Afterlife is the product of a dedicated team that wants to provide the best action experience possible. This revamped version offers plenty of new systems for returning fans and puts its best foot forward for new players. There’s great attention to balance in this Souls-like Metroidvania that supplies enough challenging encounters and deep customization for all players to enjoy. It looks like the Afterlife ain’t so bad after all.
  2. RPG Fan
    Nov 2, 2021
    87
    Overall, I’m glad that I decided to give Death’s Gambit: Afterlife a try. I’d most certainly recommend it to those who’ve already tried the initial game just to see the extensive overhaul it received. The level of challenge here is extremely high, but the sense of accomplishment from playing the game and overcoming it is real.
  3. Digital Chumps
    Oct 18, 2021
    85
    If you enjoy the 2D action platformer structure mixed with a heavy dose of Dark Souls, then you’ll love Death’s Gambit: Afterlife. It’s a bigger game than the original and certainly a deeper/richer experience.
  5. COGconnected
    Oct 11, 2021
    82
    All in all, Death’s Gambit: Afterlife is a tough but rewarding exploration of a grim fantasy world populated by ruthless immortals, mindless constructs, and weary civilians whose lives have been horrifically twisted by forces beyond their control. The revamped movement options made traversing the expanded world a treat, though I would’ve liked a fast travel system that didn’t clash with my hoarding instincts. If you like Metroidvanias and Soulslikes and always wanted to know what it would be like if the two genres fused, then Death’s Gambit: Afterlife is for you.
  6. ZTGD
    Oct 20, 2021
    80
    It doesn’t really add much new to the genre but it checks all the boxes that rogue-lites require and there is nothing wrong with that.
  7. GameSpace
    Feb 2, 2022
    70
    Death's Gambit is a game that can be rough and frustrating at times in one place or another. The game takes some getting used to the style of the character as well as the graphics. Destroying enemies after a long struggle, finding a winning strategy, and finding weak points in the game is also a pleasure. It didn't hurt that the game's story was convincingly simple, with some touching moments and a touch of humor. The game took a lot from the Souls series, good or bad, but it's up to you.
  8. Hey Poor Player
    Oct 15, 2021
    70
    Death’s Gambit: Afterlife isn’t without its share of perplexing decisions, but, all-in-all, it’s a fun Soulslike Metroidvania with just the right amount of challenge. Sure, finding your way around the game’s world can be a little frustrating, but at least it’s fun once you get to where you need to be—and that, in my opinion, is what matters the most.

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Best PC Game of 2021
64
#64 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 74 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 74
  3. Negative: 7 out of 74
  1. Ashurbanipal
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    I was hesitant to purchase this game initially; I had a few memories of the original release, and what I remembered was janky, buggy, andI was hesitant to purchase this game initially; I had a few memories of the original release, and what I remembered was janky, buggy, and poorly paced in places, not living up to the hype I had. So I did what most people do: I played the game without buying it, fully intending to get a bit of fun out of it and toss it aside. Maybe some of you have similar memories of the original, with all its myriad flaws. Maybe you're hesitant like I was.

    I've since purchased the game. I can think of no higher praise; after having gotten my enjoyment and beaten it, I nevertheless was so charmed by the experience I went, bought a legitimate copy, and have sunk many hours into this copy experimenting with new characters, new builds, and new challenges.

    With that in mind, understand the sincerity of the following review:

    Death's Gambit: Afterlife is a glowing example of what happens when a passion project finally has the technical skill to realize its ambitions. This is what the game always should have been: it has a large world of beautifully crafted pixels, with fluid animations and satisfying visceral impacts on many of the skills. The weapons are ornate and intimidating, and the enemies are lovingly detailed. Each of the game's many bosses is a joy to behold, always accompanied by the swelling sound of a well-done and memorable soundtrack. On a purely aesthetic level, this is a sterling leader in the field of indie Metroidvanias, standing as a peer with the haunting religious horror of Blasphemous or the subterranean and alien wonder of Hollow Knight.

    The gameplay is a much-polished improvement on its predecessor, focused on quick defenses and well-timed counterattacks, bolstered by solid boss telegraphing and a wide toolbox of abilities, talents, and unique weapon types. Mobility upgrades come at a reasonable pace, and the fluidity of action when you've fully realized your character's potential makes traversing the connected maps an engaging experience in its own right. This is made all the better with the numerous upgrades, resources, and secrets found by exploring the map and combining your mobility options in intelligent ways, revealing entirely new sections of previously traveled areas replete with enemies, treasure, and mysteries.

    The game has its flaws, despite my score, but I nevertheless state firmly it's the correct score. Afterlife is more than the sum of its competent parts: it is a testament to the potential of the team that created it, a proof-of-concept for the notion that they can bring their visions into reality and overcome even the burden of an initially under-cooked release. They're active with the community, communicative, and quick on the bugfixes and balance patches, with a clear love of the work they've done. That's the sort of attitude we should be rewarding in the indie scene; it's okay if you mess up, provided you dust yourself off and keep going. It was a long way coming to Afterlife, and it was worth the wait.

    You might notice I didn't touch on the story at all. That's deliberate. Other reviews will do so, and it's better experienced for yourself, anyway. It's good, and one of the benefits of the lavish art design is the potential for environmental storytelling it enables. I've been piecing together story details told by backgrounds, enemy placements, items and more, and enjoying every second.

    Buy the game. Tell your friends about it. These guys did what we want developers to do: they fixed it.    … Full Review »
  2. acherontiae
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    I have played this game for three hundred hours.

    Roughly fifty of those were on the gamepass edition, but I loved the game so much that I    I have played this game for three hundred hours.

    Roughly fifty of those were on the gamepass edition, but I loved the game so much that I bought it on Steam. I played the game ad nauseam, fighting every heroic boss and getting every achievement - until I felt satisfied with the game, and had beat it. But I never recommended it to my friends.

    The reason for this was that it felt - 80%. That the story had more to tell, that the combat was unpolished, that the lack of weapon variety and build variety was saddening...then came along Afterlife, and I have been endlessly preaching about this game towards my friends.

    It fixed, quite literally, every issue I had with the game. It expanded on the story, it made the combat fun, it added a ton of variety, it added more areas, it added more mobility, it added more choices and puzzles and weird ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ crazy ARGs...

    It's not perfect. It's almost 99% perfect. There's some abilities that are overtuned, yet a lack of damage scaling into higher New Game+. There's some weird game design choices, with killable NPCs and the NPC who murders everyone. But to sum up how I feel about this game -

    I truly love this game. I've been working as it's sole Wiki Editor since the release of Afterlife, and will continue to do so until every bit of information is catalogued on the wiki. I could preach about it endlessly - about how fun the ARG was, about how cinematic the final bosses are...but the best thing I could do for this game is put it in a single sentence.

    Death's Gambit was my favorite game, but I never recommended it to anyone - Death's Gambit Afterlife is my favorite game, and I will recommend it to everyone.    … Full Review »
  3. KozmicFrog
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    I played the original death's gambit, was not convinced (only did one run then stopped).

    This DLC is fantastic (and free!), it has    I played the original death's gambit, was not convinced (only did one run then stopped).

    This DLC is fantastic (and free!), it has addressed most of the issues I had with the original game. The new ending is truly epic, there are now voice overs which really brings the story to life. The quality of life added are great. Let's not forget the music, really beautiful.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »