Starfinder: Afterlight, a forthcoming CRPG based on the popular science-fantasy tabletop role-playing game, is showing signs of progress following a recent demo release on Steam. The game, which garnered nearly $1 million on Kickstarter, features voice narration from Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan and voice direction from Neil Newbon, known for his role as Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3. Newbon himself voices an interstellar bug priest in the game.
Despite its promising pedigree and significant crowdfunding success, the game's debut demo presents a rough experience with notable missing features and polish. Performance issues are a significant concern, with the game reportedly running poorly and lacking graphical settings. Combat animations are described as clunky, and the absence of custom character creation—a staple for many CRPGs—is a notable omission, though players can choose from three pre-made characters.
The demo is also quite linear, offering a sequence of connected areas rather than the expansive environments some players might expect. While the developer, Epicteller Games, has stated it's not an official demo, the limited scope leaves little room for exploration or side quests, focusing instead on a narrative progression through connected 'hallways.'
However, compared to earlier playtests, the demo indicates a significant effort in polishing. The opening cinematic, featuring an attack by the Corpse Fleet on the player's ship, is well-animated and effectively sets the tone. The narrative begins with the player character, Khali, crashing on the planet Akiton and waking up five years later, a setup that quickly introduces the eccentric bug priest voiced by Newbon.
The game's aesthetic is a strong point for a studio of Epicteller's size, with lovingly rendered character portraits, charming comic-book style cutscenes, and a vibrant environment on Akiton that promises to be even more striking once performance issues are addressed. The voice acting, while occasionally inconsistent, generally complements the well-designed characters.
Improvements are also evident in the user interface, which organizes character abilities into clear icons and provides detailed information through nested tooltips for players who enjoy deep system management. The combat, based on Starfinder's three-action system, is functional, although the demo's low-level encounters may not fully showcase its potential. A more robust tutorial is recommended, as the current implementation relies on easily missed tooltips, which may hinder players unfamiliar with the Starfinder 2e ruleset.
While acknowledging the challenges of early game development, the progression seen from playtest to demo suggests that Epicteller Games is on track to refine Starfinder: Afterlight into a polished CRPG experience.