Afterlight's promising Starfinder combat needs more polish before demo

Afterlight feels like the closest thing to a fully realised Pathfinder 2e videogame on the horizon. It uses Starfinder 2e while retaining the same base rules chassis, and fledgling studio Epictellers—for whom this is the first game—aims high with its visual presentation and notable voice talent such as Neil Newbon and Roger Clark.

An hour in a closed beta showed the combat captures the tabletop's three-action economy and multiple-attack penalty, which makes movement and positioning matter more than in some contemporaries. That design discourages simply attacking repeatedly and rewards flanking and tactical choices; for example, the priest Preach pairs a laser pistol with a save-forcing spell that sidesteps the multiple-attack penalty.

However, the build is clearly unfinished and misses several actions that define low-level play: demoralize, athletics options like grappling and disarming, and feinting or creating diversions are absent.

afterlight, starfinder 2e, pathfinder 2e, epictellers, neil newbon, roger clark, action economy, multiple attack, closed beta, combat