Game: Astria Ascending
Genre: RPG
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows), PS4 & Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Artisan Studios | Plug In Digital
Age Rating: EU 12+ | US Teen
Price: US $39.99 | UK £35.99 | EU € 39,99
Release Date: September 30th, 2021
Review code provided with many thanks to Future Friends PR
Arise a New RPG
Astria Ascending is a turn-based RPG set on a 2D plane. This is a new RPG entering the genre with a classic feel to it, a style of which there is no shortage of on the Nintendo Switch. But the appealing thing about playing an RPG on the Nintendo Switch is the ability to dip in and out of the experience swiftly thanks to the system’s standby feature. What will most likely turn heads to this title is its utterly gorgeous art style. But is the game more than just a verified pretty appearance? Let’s dive in and find out.
The Fated Eight
The story of the game is based around a crew of 8 demi-gods known as the ‘Fated Eight.’ Basically, they protect the world of Orcanon and travel round the land sorting out problems for the town folks, hunting down ancient beasts and of course protecting the realm from chaotic threats that could spell doom for everyone. So another day at the office. What I instantly liked about this game is unlike so many RPGs it doesn’t dwell too long on introductions.
The game wastes very little time in jumping into actual gameplay which feels quite refreshing. You aren’t just bombarded with too much story too early. Instead character development is drip-fed over the course of the game, acting as a fairly nice break after raiding a dungeon and dealing with a tough boss fight. The story is pretty decent but doesn’t offer anything particularly new and it feels like you have too many characters in your party. This is nothing new for RPGs but it feels like focusing on just four rather than eight might have given more space for each character to shine.
Another small critique is the pace of the story. When each character finishes a line of dialogue there is a second or two pause before the next character speaks. Since you can’t skip dialogue instantly it kinda slows the pace down and is a real pain if you want to just stick to subtitles like I mostly do when playing games like this during nighttime sessions.
2D Exploration and Puzzles
Astria Ascending is set completely on the 2D plane and outside of battles, you explore the world much like a platformer. You can run about, jump and even solve some basic puzzles in the dungeons. This may seem a little restricted but the game does offer depth to this. Dungeons have several rooms to explore which can be monitored with a handy map system in case you get a bit lost. But there are plenty of hidden chests for useful loot and of course enemies to encounter. When you’re in the towns you can chat to several NPCs as well as partake in a bit of shopping for new gear.
If you fancy, you can also engage in a card-like game called J-ster which once again gives me haunting Final Fantasy 8 vibes. This mini-game has each player place hexagon-shaped tokens down on a game board with the aim being to flip the opponent’s tokens. It’s all about looking at the numbers, exploiting weaknesses and using the right token at the right time. The player who flips the most wins and usually gets to walk away with some of the loser’s tokens. It’s a mini-game that took me a while to get used to.
The game does offer tutorials which you can refer back to later on but it would have been handy to have something during this gameplay to remind you how to play. The rules of Astria Ascending also change as you progress through the story but the game does offer a practice session where there is no risk of losing tokens. You can quite easily sink silly hours into this mini-game alone but it may not click with everyone.
Turn-Based Battles
Battles are turn-based, much akin to a classic RPG design. Only four teammates attack at once but you can switch between any of the 8 characters at any time during the battle. When you explore the world you will encounter these giant water droplet like creatures which if engaged will trigger a battle. You can avoid these entirely by jumping over them or you can try to use the attack button to gain an advantage when the fight begins. You have the usual design of choosing from attacks, defence and skills for each individual player. Astria Ascending also makes use of a focus points system. These points can be charged up with the cost of a player’s turn, then later used to deal additional damage to enemies or healing to allies. This can be charged multiple times and can be particularly helpful in tough boss fights.
Enemies also have specific weaknesses, some being vulnerable to magic whilst others more to physical attack. This is not an RPG where you can spam the attack button and win. If you take advantage of an enemy weakness you gain more focus points but at the same time, if an enemy exploits your weakness, you can also lose them. You constantly have to mix up your strategy, making battles very satisfying and engaging. There are a silly amounts of enemies and bosses to discover and I would say the game rarely dwells too long on the same enemies over and over. I often tended to focus on my favourite four characters in most battles but you may be pleased to hear all the party earns experience whether you use them or not.
Work of Art
What stands out most about Astria Ascending is its incredibly detailed hand-drawn graphics. An art style that feels like it deserves its own art exhibit. Each character, NPC, enemy and environment is drawn with incredible detail and passion from the art team. There are several races to discover, many of whom take up positions in your team. You have quite the ragtag crew of demigods. But my favourite was the cute aquatic creature who has a glass bulb around his head.
It’s weird and wonderful designs like this that make the world of the game feel unique and memorable. There is even nice attention to detail in the environment. Such as ships flying around in the background as you meet at your team’s main meeting room. You also have a nice soundtrack that builds during battles and becomes more relaxed as you explore the world. Just the ticket for an RPG experience.
Plenty of Content
As lengths go this is a pretty enormous RPG that will keep you easily busy for over 35 hours. As well as the main quest there are side quests to extend the length. Many of them feel pretty typical for a RPG, like going to a certain destination. Or finding a set number of items or hunting down enemy bounties before returning for a reward.
What makes Astria Ascending particularly replayable is its job system. Letting you spend horrific amounts of time moulding your team into the ultimate Demi-gods based on your desired play style. Each character has a skill grid and any job selected has yet another skill grid. If you like your stat sheets you will feel pretty satisfied with how deep this system goes.
But if this all sounds quite overwhelming, the game also has excellent accessibility features you can tweak throughout the experience. If the battle system is too tough you can tone the experience down to an easier setting without the game punishing you. This is an RPG designed for fans of all skill levels.
Conclusion – An RPG Fit For Demi-Gods
I came into Astria Ascending expecting a pretty by the numbers classic RPG experience but came out pleasantly surprised. My only main niggle was I didn’t find the story particularly compelling. However, the battle system and the depth to character customization make this game stand out from the competition. Adding that to a very beautiful art style, this is an RPG that any fan of the genre should most certainly take the time to experience.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
