

The performance issues were minor, while the aesthetic is a major attraction, so I will still be keeping my eye on the game until release. Developer: Artisan Studios Publisher: Dear Villagers Genre: Role-Playing Release: Not Set Platform: Xbox Series X ESRB: Not Set. Ultimately, I am hesitant about Astria Ascending, but I have hope that with some more polish, likely post-release with only a month left until launch, the game will be worth a purchase.
#ASTRIA ASCENDING XBOX FULL#
My few tries led to failure, but I could see that by collecting new tokens - which I assume you can do in the full game- you could increase your odds of winning. Gameplay sees you place tokens on the board adjacent to your opponent's in order to flip them to your team. Immerse yourself in a fascinating narrative rife with betrayal.

With over 50 hours of game-play and a range of fun mini-games - including shoot 'em ups, an original fantasy-themed card game and challenging environmental puzzles. Bosses also had too much health with the ability to recover repeatedly, and with not enough options to take them on, I was left pressing the same buttons over and over.Īnother little feature is the minigame J-Ster, which seemed like window-dressing to me, but something that might be of interest to some players. Visit five different cities populated by unique creatures and solve more than 20 dangerous dungeons. Granted, beginning abilities are likely to get more engaging and complex as the game progresses, but there was not enough variation to keep me interested. The eight Demi-gods have fantastic designs and are fairly distinct, though their voice acting is questionable, as is the voice acting of all the NPCs I've seen so far.Ĭombat itself was somewhat disappointing. The former idea paves the way for some interesting exploration of character and theme, hinted at in pre-release material as a 'tale of fate and sacrifice', but as of the preview, there is little known as to what this will entail. The world of Orcanon has been pacified by the use of harmelon, a fruit which united its races and nations, but is now under threat by the Noises, who are monsters, basically. Because of it being pre-release, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, as these things are likely to be ironed out by launch.Īstria Ascending has you play as eight Demi-gods, heroes who are destined to save the world but know they will only live for three months. Performance-wise, on PC, I faced a number of auditory stutters, some lag after transitioning areas, and delay when changing turns in combat. Montpellier, France (June 15, 2021) Developer Artisan Studios unveiled a new character trailer for their gorgeous hand-drawn JRPG Astria Ascending at today’s Nintendo Direct.They also unveiled the planned release date: the game will arrive on PC, Switch, PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Game Pass on Sept. The aesthetics are, luckily, still the best and most striking feature of the game, utilising a hand-drawn style with colour and flair. While pre-release footage had me intrigued, the preview did not live up to this initial interest, as Astria Ascending's narrative pacing feels too fast - admittedly the plot itself is still largely absent - and it has rather stale combat. The beautifully drawn game with turn-based combat is. It will also be available via Xbox Game Pass.Despite its beautiful art-style and score, and considerable character customisation, my initial impressions of Astria Ascending are lukewarm. Astria Ascending, a gorgeous fantasy Japanese role-playing game from Artisan Studios, was announced Friday during the IDXbox showcase.
#ASTRIA ASCENDING XBOX PC#
Hitoshi Sakimoto, who composed soundtracks for Final Fantasy and Valkyria Chronicles games and Vanillaware games like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, is its composer.Īnd here’s a second video with Narrative Director Nojima and Music Director Sakimoto speaking about it.Īstria Ascending will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam in 2021. Kazushige Nojima, who is known for working on the scenarios for Final Fantasy VII and its spin-offs, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X and X-2, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy XV, wrote its story. (That game appeared on iOS devices and had planned PC, PS4, and Vita versions that never surfaced.) Eight Demigods, each with their own story, is trying to save and change the world. The RPG, which is written by Kazushige Nojima, will appear on all current generation consoles and PCs this year.Īstria Ascending is set in Orcanon and features art from CyDesignation, which was previously worked on Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey with Kobojo. Artisan Studios and Dear Villagers are working on Astria Ascending.

A new game with contributions from multiple people connected to the Final Fantasy series will appear worldwide in 2021.
