Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Jun 28, 2021
    70
    Astalon: Tears of the Earth has just about everything a fan of Metroidvania-RPGs could want in the sub-genre. The plot is simple but flexible, the characters are well presented, and the tower is a meatgrinder. There is challenge enough to be found for the average gamer, though of course mileage may vary. Personally, this game presented an interesting and difficult twenty hours to complete, but what a feeling of satisfaction as the final credits rolled. I am looking forward to seeing where things go from here.
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 18
  2. Negative: 6 out of 18
  1. Jun 7, 2021
    6
    Pretty nice, but also a lot of aimless searching with a lot of repetition. At its best moments this makes it challenging. But halfway throughPretty nice, but also a lot of aimless searching with a lot of repetition. At its best moments this makes it challenging. But halfway through it can become just tedious. Might be the first meroidvania I wont bother to finish. Full Review »
  2. May 15, 2022
    6
    I play a lot of this type of game in recent years, and this one was pretty fun overall. To be sure, I tend to be easy to please: I just wantI play a lot of this type of game in recent years, and this one was pretty fun overall. To be sure, I tend to be easy to please: I just want to have fun exploring a world with some variety, fight things, and find interesting stuff. So this game was good for me overall. Still, there were often glitches that are like something you would encounter if it had actually been an 8-bit game, such as flicker and slowdown, or sticking in place while your platform moves on, and at times I wondered if this was a design choice (I sincerely hope not). I know the Switch isn't a powerhouse, but I play it much more for Indie throwback titles like this than current gen games. So, to get a "simpler" game with these issues was a slight bummer. Otherwise, I thought the game had good exploration and challenge, although some of the backtracking and redos got a bit uninteresting in the second half- some of the paths I constantly had to retread harshed my mellow just a bit. I liked the vibe overall. I would suggest it to anyone who likes the genre. Good but not mind-blowing. Full Review »
  3. Mar 10, 2023
    9
    Astalon, Astalon, ASTALON!!!!!!! Wow! What a great game! My current top dog for 2023. Gonna be hard to beat. This is a retro styleAstalon, Astalon, ASTALON!!!!!!! Wow! What a great game! My current top dog for 2023. Gonna be hard to beat. This is a retro style Metroidvania with influences from something like Lost Vikings. Your allies have different abilities and you need to use them properly to progress. There’s secrets everywhere and cool items. There’s upgrades and puzzles. Gameplay was smooth as silk except a couple frame rate bugs but whatever. It was awesome from the very start and kept getting better. It’s not often where I NEED to 100% a game. So fantastic!! Everything I want. I’ll never sell this copy. PLAY THIS GAME!!! Full Review »