Aftercharge Review

"Ghost Busting"

Multiplayer

Aftercharge is a competitive 3v3 competitive multiplayer game. It pits a series of invisible robots against a group of humans. The latter are on the defensive, attempting to protect various energy capsules spread throughout the map. The robots are attempting to smash these very objects and win by doing so. The humans can only win by eliminating the robots, though these mechanical creatures do get unlimited revives.

It's actually rather even, all things considering and matches can go on for awhile if both sides are playing well. It's currently a one mode game which is a bit disappointing, but at least with this core point they have it well balanced and it's really fun. There's a good amount of energy points out there to protect and each character as their own distinct set of skills that can alter play.

Gameplay

There are a series of skills and it's best to test out all the characters for either faction until you find something you're comfortable with. One of the robots can create bubbles for protection, another can create a force field and the final one I'll note is just really quick. The robots have these charges, which can be shared and these are what power the abilities.

In comparison, the humans have timers on their abilities that include things such as placing snares, launching orbital strikes or placing a force field around an energy source for an extra layer of protection. In general, the matches are fairly close and if it goes on too long an orbital strike comes in that helps somewhat showcase where the robots are. I will note that the bot matches you play at the start are a tad too many in number, but after that it's quite great. It is also worth mentioning that the game features cross-play support for Xbox One and PC platforms.
Aftercharge Review Xbox Wallpaper Screenshot

The Conclusion

Aftercharge is a solid competitive multiplayer game that brings balance and a unique premise. I do wonder how engaged folks will be with a singular multiplayer mode, as I've gotten somewhat tired of it after fifty plus matches. I was aiming for the win fifty game Achievement and it started to drag a bit. That being said, it has a good balance and is fair most of the time. The matches can feel tense and with communicating players, it's an even better time.

I thought the visuals were mostly fine, the invisible mechanic is neat. The maps are all medium sized in terms of scale, with unique environments. There are a good number of them for sure, with distinct aspects to their setup. I enjoyed playing the game, it's very appropriate for all ages which is nice and it's a good time. I would worry about the player base after awhile, but it doesn't take a ton of people to play a match and it's a good time. I will also mention that it would be nice to see a bot implementation for multiplayer as sometimes getting stuck a person down is killer.

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Aftercharge Review on Xbox One X
Review Code Provided by UberStrategist

Rating Overall: 7.5

Gamerheadquarters Reviewer Jason Stettner