Asterigos: Curse of the Stars

 PlayStation 5
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 49
  3. Negative: 13 out of 49

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  1. soooB
    Oct 25, 2022
    6
    A passable game largely let down by lack of polish - clunky controls without customisation options, unskippable, unpausable cutscenes, graphical glitches. I'd probably play a sequel if some of these things were fixed
  2. ZXSth
    Dec 16, 2022
    7
    Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is a perfectly serviceable adventure/Soulslike hybrid that may not have all the replayability and appeal of any of the Dark Souls games, but has enough to offer that you will likely want to at least finish it once.

    What Asterigos has going for it is that in general, its moment-to-moment mechanics are fun. The six weapon types its main character can use    Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is a perfectly serviceable adventure/Soulslike hybrid that may not have all the replayability and appeal of any of the Dark Souls games, but has enough to offer that you will likely want to at least finish it once.

    What Asterigos has going for it is that in general, its moment-to-moment mechanics are fun. The six weapon types its main character can use possess plenty of variety, and each is useful and enjoyable in its own way (I personally enjoyed the speed and flashiness of the dual daggers). While moments of gameplay seem to show the game's less-than-AAA budget, traversal and combat are all relatively enjoyable. Additionally, the environments are fairly top-notch - the Greek-influenced outdoor areas, in particular, are quite visually stunning, all things considered.

    Where Asterigos stumbles, from my time with it, is that its story, characters and overarching narrative are all jarringly uninteresting and (ironically) soulless. Hilda, the protagonist, has a voice actress who seems entirely competent - however, most of the lines she was given seemingly lack effective translation, and are worded in this insufferably obtuse way. It is not difficult to surmise that the developers of Asterigos are not native English speakers, and that there was not enough effort put into proper translation.

    Beyond Hilda and the other characters' awkwardly written lines, Asterigos also fails to create the kind of narrative in which you care about its characters. It doesn't feel as though there are any stakes, and no character left any sort of lasting impression on me whatsoever.

    Asterigos chooses to ape the Souls games' obtuse design choices (i.e. the lack of a proper map or quest indicator). While Dark Souls managed to do this in a more fluid (albeit arguably still imperfect) manner in 2011, Asterigos does this in a way that feels purposefully frustrating. Missing important objectives felt infuriating, but there wasn't enough of an impetus for me to go back and replay the game to get the things I missed. It felt as though the developers chose to make things this way simply because 'Dark Souls did it,' rather than to serve any sort of purpose or convey something meaningful.

    Despite all the unfavourable things I've stated about Asterigos, it is a perfectly good time. Its lower price (compared to other games on the market) seems mostly fair when considering its lack of polish, and it offers plenty for what you pay. It is mechanically sound, and most of its poor narrative can be glossed over in favour of simply enjoying the solid combat, opportunities for build variety, and overall above-par gameplay. If you are looking for a bite-sized action RPG with decent combat, Asterigos is a fine choice.    … Expand
  3. Jt0429
    Oct 19, 2022
    7
    Good-
    Simple yet effective combat loop; great exploration; decent boss fights.
    Bad- Bland visual presentation with lifeless textures and low draw distance; uninteresting writing. Thoughts- Asterigos: Curse of the Stars could have been an excellent feel-good soulslike, but for that to happen – the story aspect really needed to hit home with its themes and writing. Acme Gamestudio    Good-
    Simple yet effective combat loop; great exploration; decent boss fights.

    Bad-
    Bland visual presentation with lifeless textures and low draw distance; uninteresting writing.

    Thoughts-
    Asterigos: Curse of the Stars could have been an excellent feel-good soulslike, but for that to happen – the story aspect really needed to hit home with its themes and writing. Acme Gamestudio has crafted a simple but highly customizable combat system along with enticing exploration, but those promising aspects are let down by plenty of technical problems as well. All in all, it’s a decent experience, but one that could end up being amazing if re-iterated upon.    … Expand
  4. ihearthawthats
    Jul 2, 2023
    7
    Hours Played: 27 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 22/49 (41%)
    Worth My Time: If you have time to spare. Worth My Money: It's not a full price game, so sure. What I Like: It has charm. The voice acting is pretty good, and because of this the characters are very likeable. Decent amount of options when it comes to playstyle and customization. What I Dislike: Combat isn't the greatest.    Hours Played: 27 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 22/49 (41%)

    Worth My Time: If you have time to spare.
    Worth My Money: It's not a full price game, so sure.

    What I Like: It has charm. The voice acting is pretty good, and because of this the characters are very likeable. Decent amount of options when it comes to playstyle and customization.

    What I Dislike: Combat isn't the greatest. Overstays it's welcome.

    How It Stacks Up: It's pretty mediocre. Not as good as games like Kena, but sure of a lot better than games like Godfall. It's charm is the best thing going for it. If it looks appealing to you, you will probably enjoy it. If it doesn't look like your type of game, it's not worth playing.    … Expand
  5. StIwY
    Mar 26, 2023
    5
    They spent half of the budget to write boring and dull dialogues. The rest is a mediocre RPG where the character walks like an idiot, and runs too slow, so you are forced to press L3 the whole time to have a reasonable walking speed. Why not an autorun tho? Too difficult ? Then there is the gameplay which is okish but you will end up to use the same weapons / abilities because half of themThey spent half of the budget to write boring and dull dialogues. The rest is a mediocre RPG where the character walks like an idiot, and runs too slow, so you are forced to press L3 the whole time to have a reasonable walking speed. Why not an autorun tho? Too difficult ? Then there is the gameplay which is okish but you will end up to use the same weapons / abilities because half of them are uneffective or too slow to be casted. There is no map and the secondary missions gives you weak rewards. The plot is boring, the characters have no charisma, and as the cherry on the top is plagued with a bit of "feminine power propaganda" Do not spend more than 10 bucks for this game… Expand
  6. bl00dborne
    Oct 25, 2022
    6
    I have just finished this game this morning and while I enjoyed the combat and the art style, there were a few things I felt let it down from a higher score. Now for an indie title, its very good, reminded me of old school Zelda games mixed with Souls-like influences. Combat was fun as where the weapon categories however, I feel including multiple weapons for each category would haveI have just finished this game this morning and while I enjoyed the combat and the art style, there were a few things I felt let it down from a higher score. Now for an indie title, its very good, reminded me of old school Zelda games mixed with Souls-like influences. Combat was fun as where the weapon categories however, I feel including multiple weapons for each category would have made the game much better as it would have made the little bit of exploration more rewarding. Rather than just finding upgrade items or salves etc it would have been more fun if we found better weapons during the course. Some of the areas too felt a bit repetitive due to being a little too large. I feel the game due to not being more of an RPG etc would have been more suited to Demons Souls style dungeons. If they included more weapons and maybes different stats to increase (separate magic from physical) then it would have been fantastic. It is a base to build on for the devs going forward as I feel they could continue to improve upon this game. Overall I enjoyed the experience and loved the main character. I would have said 6.5/10 for me, could have been 8 had they included weapons and armor as loot etc.… Expand
  7. Sergio3282
    Oct 16, 2022
    7
    Un jeu d’aventure a la sauce soul-like AA très intéressant pour un studio assez modeste qui reprend pas mal de bonnes idées tant au niveau du level design que du gameplay et les arbres de talent qui a ce niveaux offrent un choix extrêmement varié malgré seulement 6 armes à disposition dès le départ. Là où le jeu manque clairement de moyens c’est la technique autant aux niveaux desUn jeu d’aventure a la sauce soul-like AA très intéressant pour un studio assez modeste qui reprend pas mal de bonnes idées tant au niveau du level design que du gameplay et les arbres de talent qui a ce niveaux offrent un choix extrêmement varié malgré seulement 6 armes à disposition dès le départ. Là où le jeu manque clairement de moyens c’est la technique autant aux niveaux des graphismes très inégaux car certaines zones sont magnifiques mais d’autres sans inspiration et la technique qui est parfois aux fraises comme l’IA très perfectible par moment et le rythme car le démarrage laborieux du jeu ma pour ma part bien déranger,en effet je n’es commencé à apprécier le jeux que au bout de 15h pour profiter d’un gameplay plus profond et aussi pour avoir accès au téléporteurs dans les zones parfois assez vastes et tortueuses avec des aller retour plus que pénible par moment.
    Dans l’ensemble l’histoire et l’aspect du jeu façon Immortal Fenix Rising est plutôt cool et sympa alors au final c’est un jeu moyen avec des qualités certaines et qui permet de passer de très bon moment si on lui donne sa chance.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2022
77
#77 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Impulsegamer
    Sep 7, 2023
    80
    A stellar debut with intriguing story, beautiful visual style and satisfying action RPG combat systems.
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  2. PLAY
    Nov 30, 2022
    70
    A solid soulslike, with some cool ideas in the combat. Despite a few technical flaws and some less-than-original takes, Asterigos is still worth your time. [Issue#21, p.89]
  3. RPGamer
    Nov 14, 2022
    70
    The developers take a brutal and punishing game of survival and spin into an epic journey. Hilda won’t become a beaten and battered casualty of a brutal combat system, but rather a heroic figure that brings hope to a bleak land and its people, with personal stories that have a variety of endings for the Aphesians in this fully fleshed out world. A strong combat system that doesn’t punish players too harshly makes Asterigos: Curse of the Stars refreshing and approachable. Levelling too much can make bosses easy, and locations for quest items can be obtuse, but the game never feels unfair or unbalanced making Aphes a world worth exploring for the rich adventure that it tells.
    Read full review
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