Astria Ascending
By Chad Sapieha,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
JRPG has mild violence, varied cast of interesting heroes.
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Astria Ascending
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What’s It About?
ASTRIA ACENDING puts players in a world protected by demigods. The great races of the planet -- many of which have animal characteristics drawing from fish, birds, cats, and more -- offer up one of their own to become a member of this company of heroes, who are given godlike powers. The cost is that their lives last only three short years once they sign up. The story picks up with the current group of demigods -- eight warriors who are already 33 months into their 36-month term of service -- being summoned to fight monsters called noises, which have made their way into the capital city for the first time in anyone's memory. Once they've been dispatched, the demigods head out into the world to investigate the source of this increased aggression, visiting the cities from which they came and venturing into puzzle-filled dungeons along the way. Battles take place in traditional JRPG fashion, on a stage viewed from the side with each combatant taking turns casting magic or delivering a physical strike. Attacks are made with the aim of exploiting enemy weaknesses, and if this is done successfully, the party will earn focus points that can be spent to enable more powerful attacks. Heroes can be swapped out at will, but at the cost of a turn. After battle, the party earns items and experience, and players can direct character growth by investing points in skill trees with nodes that both augment stats such as health and magic as well as unlock new abilities.
Is It Any Good?
RPG (role-playing game) fans are bound to love the look and feel of this lengthy side-scrolling adventure, but may come away a bit disappointed by elements of its execution. Astria Ascending is a treat for the eyes, featuring imaginative hand drawn environments and characters that foster a true sense of otherworldly fantasy. The heroes are an interesting bunch, each with a unique past but brought together to serve a common good -- though with the knowledge that their service will eventually come at the cost of their own lives. It's a great setup with plenty of potential for an epic JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) story, complete with melodrama, some truly surprising twists and turns, and bittersweet moments, though it runs into a few problems along the way.
Combat can be loads of fun, with players given plenty of strategic options as they hone in on enemy weaknesses, store up focus points for massive attacks, and tactically insert the right heroes for each battle. In some dungeons, nearly every battle is a delightful challenge. But the action can also become a bit of a slog, with turns taking longer than they should and no way to speed up the action. There are problems outside of battle, too, with guileless puzzles serving as little more than time wasters, no way to auto-equip the best gear for your large party of heroes, and a strategic, token-flipping mini-game that never quite clicks. There's plenty to enjoy in Astria Ascending, especially for fans of old-school turn-based adventures, but getting to it sometimes requires turning a blind eye to its clunkier bits.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the impact of violence in media. Is the impact of the violence in Astria Ascending affected by the fact that you're fighting against monsters instead of people? Do you ever consider why they might be so aggressive and what their motives might be? Should this affect how we view combat in traditional fantasy games?
Does it imply a bond that goes beyond friendship? What does it mean to you?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Dear Villagers
- Release date: September 30, 2021
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- ESRB rating: T for Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Last updated: January 13, 2022
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