Death's Gambit: Afterlife

 PC
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

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  1. 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 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 -    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.    … Expand
  2. TheShelow
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    Juego totalmente recomendable, lo jugue en su versión base sin la expansión de forma pirata...

    Desde el primer momento vi el potencial de este juego, y me gusto tanto que para apoyar a los creadores opte por comprar el juego con su expansión. La expansión por su parte, lo mejora de una forma que nadie se esperaba, todo lo que hacia falta en su momento, lo han mejorado... No tengo    Juego totalmente recomendable, lo jugue en su versión base sin la expansión de forma pirata...

    Desde el primer momento vi el potencial de este juego, y me gusto tanto que para apoyar a los creadores opte por comprar el juego con su expansión. La expansión por su parte, lo mejora de una forma que nadie se esperaba, todo lo que hacia falta en su momento, lo han mejorado...

    No tengo nada más que decir, disfruten del juego y hagan muchas runs si quieren exprimir al máximo esta experiencia y sacar todos los finales posibles (junto a sus logros) ;).    … Expand
  3. 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, 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 allI 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.    … Expand
  4. khryz
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    Afterlife adds a massive amount of content to an already extensively built metroidvania. The rpg elements and the multiple endings and routes give plenty of replayability.
  5. jalopyq
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    The degree of challenging content that is found in Death’s Gambit: Afterlife is relatively rare to find in the metroidvania genre. This difficulty is not only limited to boss battles; it extends to discovering various hidden secrets and occasionally deciphering clues. The interconnected exploration supplemented by backtracking is satisfying and significantly increases the amount of timeThe degree of challenging content that is found in Death’s Gambit: Afterlife is relatively rare to find in the metroidvania genre. This difficulty is not only limited to boss battles; it extends to discovering various hidden secrets and occasionally deciphering clues. The interconnected exploration supplemented by backtracking is satisfying and significantly increases the amount of time one can expect to spend playing this game in its entirety. The community on Discord is active and more than willing to help with strategy and some of the more cryptic secrets.… Expand
  6. 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 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.
  7. Kxxxhtboris
    Oct 8, 2021
    9
    This game sometimes has nonsensical enemy designs and placements, balance issues, cheesy tone shifts even at the vital plot points, but it offers unparalleled spooky experiences and beyond excells in the things it does the best. But the very best thing about game is impossible to pit into words without ruining the fun, so you justvhave to go give it a spin to find out.
  8. AspectSky
    Oct 8, 2021
    9
    While certainly having issues and bugs Deaths Gambit is a truly unique and wonderful experience with fun boss fights and engaging gameplay. The new update afterlife has truly developed the game into something so much more then what it was before and makes it a game worth playing and recommending.
  9. Rogerbrown
    Oct 29, 2021
    10
    As soon as I saw Vrael I fell in love… with this game.

    Really good souls like.
  10. supersaiyan99
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    Wonderful metroidvania with many hours of gameplay and lots of customization. I've played the original release awhile back and enjoyed it, and I can honestly say that this new update improves on the original in every way possible - more areas to explore, more weapons, more bosses. I'm drawn to pixel art and they've done an absolutely fantastic job with the art direction. Each environmentWonderful metroidvania with many hours of gameplay and lots of customization. I've played the original release awhile back and enjoyed it, and I can honestly say that this new update improves on the original in every way possible - more areas to explore, more weapons, more bosses. I'm drawn to pixel art and they've done an absolutely fantastic job with the art direction. Each environment is beautifully rendered and the top notch soundtrack adds to the atmosphere. I'm very critical when it comes to combat in metroidvanias. If not done well, the whole experience can be ruined, but I can say that they totally nailed it here - combat feels satisfying and a lot of minor fixes and updates since the original results in smooth, flowing combat.

    Also big kudos to the devs for listening to all of us these past few years with our feedback after the original. I'm nearing the end of the game, at least from what I think, but I'm going to replay again with a different class, still exploring the entire overworld. Certainly a title to stand among the other big players in the genre (Hollow Knight, Salt and Sanctuary)    … Expand
  11. metroidvaniafan
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    This expansion IS FREE. And its the largest expansion of any game I've ever played. absolutely mind blowing.
  12. lecastlevania
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    Had an amazing time and the devs are super responsive to messages on steam.

    Really never played a game quite like this one, has tons of wild twists.
  13. suinicide
    Oct 8, 2021
    9
    An excellent update that makes the game one of the best metroidvanias I have ever played.

    -1 for the odd crafting requirements, and the ability to unknowingly to lock yourself out of them.
  14. Librafalafel
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    Regarding the Afterlife expansion, i should just be called a whole game remake. The changes done to the whole experience make it feel... complete. And I get enough of it.
  15. Scaryman
    Oct 8, 2021
    9
    While the original Death’s Gambit was a good game Afterlife truly elevates it to being a great one. A beautiful world with a lot of secrets, and some very cool boss fights. The only disappointing aspect is there isn’t more synergy between class trees. Other than that if you enjoy Metroidvania style games this is another must play.
  16. 763695383
    Oct 9, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Decent rework with interesting new story, enemies, bosses and enriched battle system, and the gambit between two gods is really cool. The shortcomings are the long loading time while saving and changing scenes, some game crushing bugs and some balance problems. Generally good, but it could be better.… Expand
  17. ferglypergly
    Oct 10, 2021
    10
    If you play this make sure you get the true ending, literally had me crying. White Rabbit, you did it!
  18. Leoscar
    Oct 8, 2021
    8
    A huge upgrade over the original, Death's Gambit Afterlife improves about every aspect of the original game.

    Visually the pixel art is fantastic, with the elements added in Afterlife showing how much the people making Death's Gambit improved. The added music is, just like in the original, excellent. They even integrated the unused but amazing tracks the original had. Gameplay is what    A huge upgrade over the original, Death's Gambit Afterlife improves about every aspect of the original game.

    Visually the pixel art is fantastic, with the elements added in Afterlife showing how much the people making Death's Gambit improved. The added music is, just like in the original, excellent. They even integrated the unused but amazing tracks the original had.

    Gameplay is what you'd expect from a 2D soulslike : stamina, rolling, checkpoint, healing item that recharges at said checkpoints etc... With a few twists, Death's Gambit has a good number of abilities using mana (soul energy) instead of stamina and Afterlife brought a few new combat options with some of the movement upgrades also serving a purpose in combat, not to mention stuff like dive kick and the new perfect block mechanic.
    Of course even the greatest combat system of all time would be worthless if enemies can't follow. Well, the original Death's Gambit already had amazing bosses, the ones added in Afterlife follow that trend. Normal enemies are also more varied, with more being actually dangerous.

    Writting has also seen drastic improvements, there are more characters, existing ones get a lot more developpement. The game also now features multiple endings. In general it is a lot less superficical and less vague.
    However, the game has too many light hearted and funny moments during the mid game portion, the problem isn't the quality of the writting : the humor is effective, but the quantity and rythm. Afterlife's story should take itself more seriously, the stakes are higher than in the original game. If the serious moments were poorly written, I'd understand, but no, the serious portions are perfectly good.

    Technically the game doesn't have major bugs and the ones that are found are patched very quickly, like, a patch per day. Still, three problems remain, all three linked to the french translation (not sure if other languages are affected), it just isn't finished, with special characters being replaced with rectangles, text that's not translated, or worse text that hasn't been updated, something especially annoying in the talent tree with the displayed values and descriptions not matching the actual effects. In the meantime I heavily encourage playing in english or waiting until that is fixed.

    In conclusion, Death's Gambit Afterlife is a great game, and a huge upgrade over the original in pretty much every aspect. Not only that but it was made by a team beyond dedicated when it comes to making and patching the game.    … Expand
  19. tastytoaster
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    The best metroidvania I played in a long time. The development team never gave up when they released the first version of this game. The first release was pretty ok, but knowing the game was in an unfinished state, the team strived themselves to make the game into something worthy of the past 5 years of free, unpaid work. The DLC is a full on remake of the original game, complete withThe best metroidvania I played in a long time. The development team never gave up when they released the first version of this game. The first release was pretty ok, but knowing the game was in an unfinished state, the team strived themselves to make the game into something worthy of the past 5 years of free, unpaid work. The DLC is a full on remake of the original game, complete with multiple endings and new weapons to boot, along with new new npcs and bosses, this game is in my opinion, a masterpiece.

    I know the dev team will be making it far, this is the kind of passion you won't see from any other triple A game developers usually. And I only know they can only move forward with even more great games in the future.    … Expand
  20. crimsonwind
    Oct 10, 2021
    10
    Hearing Matt Mercer as Death already made this game amazing but its much more than just that. The combat is tight and responsive, the bosses are creative, the story blew me away. Get this game!

    PS. I didn't know Death was such a good cook.
  21. solarflare2010
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    I had such a blast playing this. If you like hollow knight or metroid, or dark souls, please check this game out. This is how you do it folks!
  22. rustyhe
    Oct 13, 2021
    10
    They really turned a flawed gem into a masterpiece. Do not pay attention to old reviews of the 2018 release, Afterlife here is such a massively improved experience. One of my biggest complaints was the lack of weapons and this literally tripled the amount of weapons. Stamina felt way better handled here too. Pick this up!
  23. Felix1016
    Oct 10, 2021
    10
    I can’t believe this game isn’t more popular. literally one of the best games I’ve ever played.
  24. Spoonfish
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    I honestly I had a blast playing through this. It is not just an update, but a massive overhaul, that turned the game from "pretty good" to "the greatest". The developers didn't just add in new stuff, but made changes across the entire game from top to bottom to better fit with new gameplay features. The original was fun, but had some minor bugs at times and some of the heroic bossesI honestly I had a blast playing through this. It is not just an update, but a massive overhaul, that turned the game from "pretty good" to "the greatest". The developers didn't just add in new stuff, but made changes across the entire game from top to bottom to better fit with new gameplay features. The original was fun, but had some minor bugs at times and some of the heroic bosses (a.k.a. VERY strong bosses could use some tweaking in a few places). In the current version of the game, they have adressed all of the old issues, with new gameplay elements, weapons with active abilities, an alternative to parrying that easier to pull off, but does not heal in comparison, an expanded skill trees (with the ability to multi-class) and more metroidvania-inspired abilities. All of that complimented with an intriguing plot, beautiful soundtrack, amazing art and tiny charming lizard folk.

    Highly recommended!    … Expand
  25. kintarox
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    A big step from the original game. Game length is perfect and excellent combat/movement/control.
    The story is worth remembering. Stunning voice acting! AAA titles are embarrassing with voice acting compared to Death's Gambit Afterlife. 11/10
  26. PocusHocus
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    The amount of work the devs put in for this free expansion is mind blowing. Every criticism I had with the original has been resolved. It's a complete overhaul and I don't think enough people know that. They devs are super active in the community and responsive to bugs and feedback. What they've accomplished is honestly commendable and I can't wait to see what they do next.
  27. TwoEars
    Oct 9, 2021
    10
    This review is for "Death's Gambit: Afterlife" (that means with the "afterlife" upgrade). So maybe it's actually a 9 score game but I'm going to give it a 10. Just because, and because it's generally underappreciated. This game is made with a lot of love, really a lot of love. The launch wasn't perfect, but the devs have been making up for it.

    If you like rogue-likes, metroidvanias,    This review is for "Death's Gambit: Afterlife" (that means with the "afterlife" upgrade). So maybe it's actually a 9 score game but I'm going to give it a 10. Just because, and because it's generally underappreciated. This game is made with a lot of love, really a lot of love. The launch wasn't perfect, but the devs have been making up for it.

    If you like rogue-likes, metroidvanias, side-scrollers, action-RPG's, souls-like games etc... this is the game you need to play right now. Really, this is the game you have to play right now. This is the game the press isn't talking about. This is the hidden gem you wanted to find and which you need to play.

    Do you like Hollow Knight? Do you like Dark Souls? Do you like Zelda? Play this game. Really, you won't be disappointed.

    The beginning is pretty slow, really slow. But you'll figure it all out, you'll get more abilities and you'll get the hang of it. Thank me later, and the devs.    … Expand
  28. Ellery3214
    Oct 11, 2021
    10
    Amazing game with such a good story hope they make a sequel this is definitnely should be more popular
  29. indeegames
    Oct 10, 2021
    10
    Absolutely adored this. It's very hard but after I got used to it I had a really good time. Not many games make you want to keep trying over and over when you fail like super meat boy, this game accomplishes that. Very addictive.
  30. Tamold
    Oct 10, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As soon as I saw Death cooking food in the sewers I knew this would be a very special game. Kudos to the devs for spending so much time perfecting this masterpiece.… Expand
  31. spindle
    Oct 29, 2021
    10
    After playing the original dark souls I'm usually looking for games to satisfy my souls-itch. Death's Gambit Afterlife totally did, was a fun time.

    Its a very hard game and I wouldn't have it any other way.
  32. Zer0TheHer0
    Oct 28, 2021
    0
    Recap 'cause I don't wanna write it all again: Controls are terrible. Rebinding is terrible. Unplayable. This is an insult to PC players.
  33. Nandnn
    Jan 4, 2022
    10
    Perfeito mano, nem pensa muito é uma experiencia perfeita, jogar e depois vem me cobrar, dou minha garantia que é bom
  34. Deniman
    Dec 23, 2021
    9
    Играл в оригинальный Death's Gambit несколько лет назад и чё то вообще не зашло и я бросил сразу. И вот спустя несколько лет увидел что вышел Death's Gambit: Afterlife и решил попробовать ещё раз. То ли игру изменили существенно, то ли я изменился, но в этот раз игра мне понравилась очень даже :) Затягивает и не очень супер долгая, чтоб можно было заколебаться )

    I played the original    Играл в оригинальный Death's Gambit несколько лет назад и чё то вообще не зашло и я бросил сразу. И вот спустя несколько лет увидел что вышел Death's Gambit: Afterlife и решил попробовать ещё раз. То ли игру изменили существенно, то ли я изменился, но в этот раз игра мне понравилась очень даже :) Затягивает и не очень супер долгая, чтоб можно было заколебаться )

    I played the original Death's Gambit a few years ago and something didn't go at all and I quit right away. And a few years later I saw that Death's Gambit: Afterlife was released and i decided to try again. Either the game was changed significantly, or I changed, but this time I liked the game very much :) It is addictive and not very super long )    … Expand
  35. SilverOrlov
    Apr 10, 2022
    9
    Beautiful and deep pixel art in most places so every pixel-fan will be pleased. Very nice simple music in different locations and in boss battles. The bosses themselves are varied. At least half of them are somewhat easily defeated by standard methods, without gimmicks(just beat him to death with one button), but each of them is unique in their style, in their history and location view.Beautiful and deep pixel art in most places so every pixel-fan will be pleased. Very nice simple music in different locations and in boss battles. The bosses themselves are varied. At least half of them are somewhat easily defeated by standard methods, without gimmicks(just beat him to death with one button), but each of them is unique in their style, in their history and location view. After defiling them in normal difficulty, you can go through the same bosses again, only on heroic difficulty. This "thickening" may be challenging... but not at all interesting.
    There are many interesting gameplay ideas, some of which are borrowed from the "Dark Souls". In this regard, the game lived up to its expectations and claims that "Gambit" was inspired by "Souls". Anyway, in my opinion.
    And a story... it's wonderful: after gating DLC, the game opens all it's secrets, with a dense, strong, interesting story in a dark fantasy genre. This DLC gives us a huge number of changes like new locations, bosses, skills etc. It's very good. But why not in a main game? Oh, and finally we are receiving a map! ...and metroidvania upgrades. The game became finished.
    ...
    The game actually has very few minuses, but each of them leaves a huge mark on this game for me:
    1) There is no body armor. Seriously, you have helmet, boots, coat! but no body and hands. It's very strange for a game with artifacts.
    2) Disassembling a simple knife and some good weapon gives you the same resources. It's a strange thing #2. Only endgame loot gives you some +1 resource.
    3) Personally mine: After ending a lot of games of this type, I can say with a pure heart... how the f***ng I am tired about these f***ng "new game +". Why the hell should I go through the same thing 100 times to see the same enemies only in new places, or to discover something new. When did this even become normal for games?
    4) Even after adding DLC and patches, I met time to time bugs like invisible golems that kill you from nowhere, and there is a bad localization on my language(text overwrites itself).
    5) Some bosses on Heroic are very frustrating. This is the case when the challenge is complicated not by a special method of fighting or your skills, but by the banal "make more health bars or throw more enemies. More. MORE!". For example Phoenix(boss + copy of her + VERY! small arena + each attack reduce healing), Gaian(Ohhh... huge golem + spear warrior + knights + mages + soldiers, disco mtfker party), Kusith(1st phase is normal for heroic, but after that, on a small arena you receive many energy balls that give many another little energy balls + head attacks + more balls + more balls), Eldrich(wtf is the bullet-hell that is happening on the screen?).
    ...
    Despite of all my criticism, the game left much more positive impressions. This game was made with love, I can feel it honestly. And it's not expensive, especially if you take it at a discount period. So yes, I advise you to give it a chance, perhaps you will be less critical of those places that pissed me off and disappointed. Objectively, with that new DLC, it's one of the best pixel-art games of the last years.    … Expand
  36. Phpower
    May 19, 2023
    10
    Voce gosta de castlevania? Metroid?Esse jogo é maravilhoso ,trilha sonora incrivel
  37. pachaci
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    It is literally the game in my dreams . A harmony of the souls like and rogue like genres. Musics are awesome and the atmosphere is so calming but when it comes to boss fights, you feel the intensity. Story is good and story telling is perfect and voice actors are good. Also it is one of the most looking games with pixel arts in my opinion.

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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. 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.
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  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.
    Read full review
  3. 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.
    Read full review
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