Afterlight, the upcoming Baldur's Gate 3-like CRPG?

It wasn't hard to predict that Baldur's Gate 3 would galvanize CRPG developers worldwide, and Epicteller's upcoming Starfinder: Afterlight is an early example of this. As Epicteller's first ever video game, Starfinder: Afterlight follows a formula similar to the development process of Baldur's Gate 3.

Unlike Baldur's Gate 3however Starfinder: Afterlight has a decidedly science-fiction tone. The name might sound familiar to some tabletop RPG fans, like Star finder is actually a TTRPG released in 2017 by Paizo, the same company behind it Path finder. But while Path finder has received many video game adaptations over the years, Afterlight will be the first ever video game based on Star finder myth. Naturally, the hopes are high Starfinder: Afterlightsuccess, as it promises to offer a unique take on the traditional fantasy CRPG space. Afterlight has raised nearly $1 million through Kickstarter as of this writing, blowing well past its original $88,000 goal and indicating a critical level of audience hype.

What is Starfinder: Afterlight about?

The Starfinder RPG blends science fiction and fantasy to create a world defined by magic and technology. It is very clearly inspired by a number of blockbuster science adventure series, but its most obvious influence is Guardians of the Galaxyfrom which it borrows several patterns, tone and lore elements. Crucial, Star finder takes place in the same universe as Path finderhowever, in the long future. This continuity manifests itself in several ways, such as through Path finders fantasy race that appears in Star finder.

IN Star finderthe Path finder the home planet of Golarion has mysteriously disappeared in an inexplicable event called The Gap. This is used as world building context in TTRPG, but maybe Starfinder: Afterlight will offer interesting revelations about The Gap.

This combination of D&D-esque fantasy staples and contemporary space opera conventions provide Star finder a fairly new setting, where magic and elves rub shoulders with FTL travel, spaceships and blaster guns. Starfinder: AfterlightThe actual plot is a bit murky at the moment, but it seems to revolve around an encroaching darkness called the Afterlight, which threatens to destroy the galaxy – unless the player and their motley crew can stop it, of course.

Starfinder: Afterlight's Companions

Companion characters are important in most RPGs, but they're absolutely critical in CRPGs, especially those trying to hone that TTRPG magic. Like its plot, Starfinder: Afterlights main cast is still somewhat enigmatic, but five out of six of them have been revealed through trailers and the Kickstarter campaign page:

Party member	Actor	Ancestry	Class & Subclass	Background	Homeworld
Cole Stryker	Fred Tatasciore	Purse	Solder (action hero)	Trooper	Bag Prime
Tycho	Inel Tomlinson	Ysoki	Operative (Infiltrator)	Researcher	Akiton
Sermon & The Caterpillar	Neil Newbon	Shirren	Mystic (Healing)	Raised by faith	Castrovel
LU-323	Melissa Medina	Android	Envoy (In the Spotlight)	Company agent	Unknown
Sterling	James Alexander	Human Borai	Solarium	Steward	Verses

Starfinder: Afterlight also has a promising cast, including stars like Neil Newbon (Astarion), who voices Preach, and Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan), who plays the narrator. Newbon has also come on board Epicteller's team as Voice Acting Director, which the studio has described as invaluable.

Will Starfinder: Afterlight Have Romance?

In true CRPG fashion, Starfinder: Afterlight will indeed have romance options, allowing players to progress through romantic subplots with each party member, “plus a few surprises,” according to Epictellers. It's not entirely clear how these romances will play out — and whether they'll feature the same steamy cutscenes as something like Baldur's Gate 3— But Epictellers has at least confirmed its existence.

How similar to Starfinder: Afterlight is Baldur's Gate 3?

Compare an upcoming CRPG with Baldur's Gate 3 is easy, but how applicable is it in this case? Well, for one thing, Epictellers has directly quoted Baldur's Gate 3 as an inspiration in the past, but there are design elements that also parallel Larian's groundbreaking RPG. There are basic commonalities, such as the isometric perspective, but also more feature-specific:

A D20 based control system
“Story” and “Tactical” difficulties
Optional companions
Official mod support

As Baldur's Gate 3, Starfinder: Afterlight will have a turn-based combat system with integrated movement, although it will use the famous three-action system from Path finder 2nd edition— most of it Star finders rules are directly copied from Path finder 2e. The three-action system is exactly what it sounds like: during their turn, players can perform three actions, whether that combination is three attacks, one movement, and two attacks, et cetera. However, some actions take more than a single action point.

Unfortunately, Epictellers already confirmed it Starfinder: Afterlight will not have multiplayer.

Many TTRPG enthusiasts claim that the three-action system is much better than Dungeons & Dragons 5e action economy, which is used in Baldur's Gate 3so that distinction is at least promising. At the same time some Baldur's Gate 3 fans can be turned off Starfinder: Afterlights cel-shaded art style and more upbeat, light-hearted tone. The game is still early in development and plans to launch into Early Access in 2026, so it will be interesting to see how it continues to evolve.