- Publisher: Dear Villagers
- Release Date: Sep 30, 2021
- Also On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Oct 18, 2021The beautiful graphics, unique characters and fun combat doesn’t take away from the fact that this is an old-school RPG at heart with new school wrappings. AA boasts a fun take on the traditional job systems found in JRPGs, I just wish it was given a story to match all of the great things it has going for it. Fights can drag on at times much like the JRPG’s of old, what helps is the amazing art and effects from the various attacks. But while fans of the older Final Fantasy’s and even Dragon Quest games may enjoy this trip of nostalgia; those folks raised on Persona 5’s and the last few Final Fantasy’s might be in for a bit of a shock. Astria Ascending isn’t a bad game, just a flawed one; but if you enjoy Vanillaware games and don’t mind a grind a lot of fun can be had here.
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Sep 27, 2021Astria Ascending is a gorgeous JRPG with wonderful world-building that overwhelms the player with characters and progression systems. With somewhat standard-feeling combat that is overly punishing at the default difficulty, I felt at a loss as far as what to concentrate on to improve my party. Astria Ascending tells a beautiful story, but too often that story is buried behind too many mechanics and systems.
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Sep 27, 2021Astria Ascending had me invested in the 25 hours it took me to get to the final dungeon. However, that comes with a padded runtime of level grinding, lengthy battles, dungeon navigation confusion, and many menu interactions. So if you begin, prepare not to understand what is going on until 10 hours into the game, but if you don’t have that time, don’t bother. However, those who do get far enough are in for a genuinely fun JPRG experience that only requires a few quality-of-life improvements.
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Sep 27, 2021Thanks to the beauty of its graphics and music, Astria Ascending has an undeniable charm. Far from being content to be a beautiful postcard, the title does not forget to offer solid RPG mechanics to offer a tough challenge to fans of the genre. Unfortunately, its overly classic course and ergonomic concerns make the adventure at times laborious, at least to detract from the enjoyment of the player. Nonetheless, it remains a nice title which, behind its flaws, has an atmosphere that will delight those nostalgic for old-fashioned J-RPGs.
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Sep 27, 2021Astria Ascending tries to convey the "feel-good" atmosphere of the classic JRPGs with an aesthetically pleasing art direction and promises of pure turn-based combat extravaganza. Unfortunately, its ambition falls flat due to forgettable writing and an unbalanced combat system.
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Oct 2, 2021Astria Ascending attracts you with its art, keeps you interested with its combat, but may lose you entirely due to its bland story full of annoying difficulty spikes.
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Oct 1, 2021Despite some the JRPG royalty involved, Astria Ascending just isn’t able to live up to the high expectations. The good news is that Artisan Studio seem committed to updating the game over time, so ideally the rough edges present will get smoothed out. But at the moment, Astria Ascending’s innovative combat, gorgeous art, and esoteric story are overshadowed by frustrating cutscenes, painful pacing, and many half-baked mechanics. Hitoshi Sakimoto’s soundtrack sets a high bar, but in its current state, the rest of Astria Ascending has trouble rising to meet it.
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Sep 27, 2021Astria Ascending reshapes the assets of Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey and its fascinating art style. It revitalizes its world with a new storyline, written by Kazushige Nojima. What we have is a fun but extremely classic fantasy JRPG, which adds nothing to the genre and with obvious imperfections.
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Oct 25, 2021Overall, Astria Ascending feels like a missed opportunity. Despite these issues, the game does right by its art direction and world-building, but the fundamental gameplay drags the whole experience down towards mundanity. Having to wait for the seven enemies in front of you to status lock you to death isn’t challenging and engaging combat; it’s tedious. Jumping through dungeons hoping to find a doorway that leads to the next area isn’t interesting trial-and-error exploration; it’s dreadful. In the JRPG marketplace that’s filled with all sorts of storytelling quirks and eccentricities, tedium is simply no longer acceptable.
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Oct 5, 2021Astria Ascending wants to be so many things, and perhaps that’s part of the problem. Instead of trying to be mature or recognizable, it should focus on its unique qualities and develop them into something interesting. Whatever the case, it’s difficult to recommend Astria Ascending. There are dozens of other RPGs to give your time and money to, but if you’re curious about this one anyway, I’d strongly suggest waiting for a sale.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Sep 27, 2021Altogether, the combat is just cumbersome enough to make every fight feel like a drag, and a poor imitation of more sophisticated systems you've seen elsewhere. It's something I'd probably be willing to put up with were it buoyed by an exceptional story and lovable cast of characters, but Astria Ascending fails on all counts. By all means give it a go on Game Pass if you're desperate to see what it's like, but be warned: this is not a game that respects your time. There are far better avenues to pursue if you're after an engaging JRPG. The only thing you'll achieve by taking this particular detour is a one-way street to disappointment.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 9
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Mixed: 1 out of 9
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Negative: 4 out of 9
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Dec 30, 2022
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Dec 19, 2021
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Dec 3, 2021