Afterglow Update: Fine-Tuning the Post-Apocalyptic Idle MMORPG 

The mobile game Afterglow has rolled out its latest update, Version 0.2.17, to testers on Google Play and Apple TestFlight. Contrary to the initial suggestion of a “rhythm” game, Afterglow is an ambitious, post-apocalyptic idle MMORPG set 77 years after a nuclear war, with a distinct 1980s synthwave aesthetic.

The update focuses heavily on quality-of-life improvements and gameplay balancing to refine the survival and crafting loop for players who prefer deep gameplay in short, flexible sessions.

Key Features and Quality-of-Life Improvements

The new version introduces several enhancements designed to make managing the wasteland survival experience smoother:

Market Enhancements: The in-game market now includes search functionality and new categories for containers and vanity items, improving trade.

Item Information Overhaul: The item info popup is expanded with an “industry” tab to clearly show where items are used and includes a direct “buy” action for quicker shopping.

Action Tracking: The Actions screen now displays the total remaining time for queued actions, making offline progress easier to monitor.

Notifications: New item notifications are now grouped together, and players can see earned/spent currency during transactions.

Map QoL: The map will no longer reset when players return from a location, saving time and simplifying navigation.

Combat Visuals: A new character movement animation has been added to the fight screen to make turn-based combat more engaging.

Core Gameplay Balancing and Simplification

Significant fine-tuning was applied to the crafting and progression systems, which are key pillars of the MMORPG experience:

Recipe Simplification: Core materials like Steel, Brass, and Tanned Leather no longer require recipes to craft, streamlining production.

Crafting Time Reductions: Crafting times for a number of items, including threads and needles, have been reduced to speed up the production lifecycle.

XP Boosts: Both Crafting and PvE XP gains have been increased, accelerating player progression.

Survival Adjustments: Food crafting now requires fewer materials, easing the burden of maintaining survivor needs.

Shotgun Skill Buff: The “Meat Grinder” skill for shotguns has been buffed by reducing the bonus damage requirement from 4 Action Resources (AR) to 3 AR, making the skill more accessible in tactical turn-based combat.

The developers, Shadow Council PTY, encourage current testers to engage with the update on their official Discord server to provide feedback and help shape the final release.

Next Steps:

Would you like to search for the official full patch notes for Afterglow Version 0.2.17, or perhaps see if there are any tester reviews of the new features?