Parents' Guide to Asterigos: Curse of the Stars

Few things are more tragic than a game that's so close to being magnificent and can't quite reach those heights. Asterigos: Curse of the Stars tries its best to be another "Souls-like" game, and in many ways, it's a breath of fresh air from titles attempting a similar formula. For starters, the choice of difficulty is always welcome for action RPGs (role-playing games) where some players won't want a "pure" experience that would rather beat them up instead of letting them make mistakes and learn in the heat of a battle. Asterigos perfectly balances the scales for players who crave an easier or more challenging experience with enemies that constantly keep you on your toes. There's also a surprising amount of depth in the story and characters. Many characters have full, fleshed-out backstories and evolve with the in-game events as situations change. It feels like the surrounding world existed long before Hilda was born and will continue on after she's gone, making every piece of lore you find or character you talk to more of an informal necessity than needless busywork.

Yet, for everything Asterigos does right, there are many small things keeping the game from its full potential. One thing sorely absent is a map or objective markers. In a game with so many nooks, crannies and winding, vast areas, the lack of a sense of direction leads to unnecessary wandering, hoping you'll bump into where the game intends for you to go next. Additionally, while there's a jumping mechanic, it requires two buttons – one of which is also the sprint button. This makes jumping a nightmare, inevitably leading to many silly deaths where you'll fly off a high ledge to your doom by accident. Though fun, there's a certain "floaty" quality to the combat where you or an enemy may not move exactly as intended, leading to a quick death. All in all, Asterigos is a fun, but flawed, challenge for both newcomers and veterans to anyone craving something different within the "Souls-like" action RPG space.