Astria Ascending

The turn-based RPG became truly popular through the nineties and has remained popular ever since. However, the truest from of RTS game is the JRPG variety. This genre has spawned some of the most instantly recognisable IP’s and characters ever created and as a result. There have been countless games that have aimed to take this formula and tweak it to create something fresh and new. Astria Ascending is one such game tries to occupy this saturated space and break the mould.

This game plays like other JRPG games on the market such as Final Fantasy, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Tales of Arise, Revolve8 and League of Wonderland. This 2.5D strategy game has all the parts to be a success. However, can they use these parts to build a successful franchise? We find out in our review of Astria Ascending.

Ascend to Greatness

Let’s begin with the visuals for this game. Astria Ascending is by no means a visually ground-breaking game. It uses a lot of the same visual stylings that you will see from top of the range mobile titles from the same genre. Plus, while the environments, enemies and characters are unique, they aren’t all that distinctive, which can be an issue if this game wants to build upon this release and become a successful franchise. However, as a whole, the game is presented well with vibrant colours, great animations and an overall design that is refined and polished, even if it is a little safe.

The gameplay is also polished and refined, offering combat that is ever evolving throughout the game. The player will have the ability to use new summons, unlock new abilities, call upon the help of legendary beasts and use cosmo breaks to defeat over 200 different enemy variants. Games like this have a tendency to feel stale after a few hours so its nice to see a game come along that bucks that trend.

Not to mention that this game offers unique races, a compelling card game system, over 20 unique classes and fully customizable characters each with their own skill tree.

Then as for the story, this one is a compelling one that appeals to older, more mature audiences. This game focuses on themes such as love, betrayal, sacrifice and fear. It’s a story that gets its hooks in fast and never let’s go so if you want something that offers fun gameplay with substance to back it up, this is a game worth trying.

The Verdict

Overall, Astria Ascending is one of those games that won’t be for everyone. It’s a very dialogue-heavy game, the anime style can be off-putting to some and the RTS style is slow and methodical.

Pros:

• Has a deep, nuanced combat system
• The card system works well
• Visuals are decent
• The story is gripping

Cons:

• The slow pace might aggravate a few players
• Characters and visuals aren’t that distinct