Astria Ascending is an upcoming sci-fi/fantasy turn-based JRPG, by developer Artisan Studio and publisher Dear Villagers, in which you take on the role of a team of demi-gods in a quest of sacrifice and glory across different cityscapes in a quest to keep the world safe from good old-fashioned evil. While JRPGs are not exactly my field of expertise, I do enjoy playing them from time to time, and I try to branch out to different genres as much as possible, and this is great news for fans of the genre anticipating this game, as I greatly enjoyed my preview of it.
The first thing that will stand out to players is how well Artisan Studio lives up to its name – this game is absolutely gorgeous! 4k resolution with hand drawn animation is something that will always appeal to me no matter the genre, from the charisma of Wario Land: Shake It! to the throwback love of Cuphead, I doubt there are very few who do not enjoy it. Every character and the variety of races, from normal humans, to oxen and fish mixtures, are on display in explicit detail that you can tell has passion behind it. This is no surprise to those in the know, as Artisan Studio is made up of developers and designers from games such as Final Fantasy (the logo looks to be an homage to the series’ style), Bravely Default, and Nier Automata. The music is also gorgeously realized by the game’s crack team and immediately makes an impression, and the voice acting is also very well done. Overall, Astria Ascending absolutely does not slouch when it comes to its presentation, and stands to represent one of the best that the independent circle of gaming has to offer.
The gameplay feels refined to a sharp point. Again, it seems the history and experience of the development team shines through. As far as a turn-based strategy game goes, all of the pieces are there – experience, character traits, magic, mana, health differentiation, weaknesses, strength, and even a fun focus mechanic where you can charge up abilities for the entire party or individual attack. I do not think fans of the genre will be disappointed. I also appreciated the platforming element present in the world traversing sections of the game. It is nothing overtly advanced, it is just solid and gets the job done and makes going from one destination to another entertaining – especially when you can solve puzzles and gain an edge in combat by slashing with your weapon before the random encounter enemies do.
Astria Ascending has a crack team of talent from across the JRPG spectrum and its heart and passion shines through immediately when you boot up the game. Fans of the genre will surely find a lot to enjoy here, and it may even attract those outsiders like myself who enjoy a solid gameplay foundation and stunning presentation. To me there is no doubt that a lot of hard work and grit went into creating this game, and seeing as how Artisan Studio is basically the A-team of the genre, that should not be too much of a surprise.
You can check out the Astria Ascending J-Ster Mini-Game trailer here.
Related: Astria Ascending Reveals Strategic Token Trading Minigame ‘J-Ster’ in New Trailer
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Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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