Astral Chain

 Switch
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3468 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,079 out of 3468
  2. Mixed: 143 out of 3468
  3. Negative: 246 out of 3468
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  1. Drawnimo
    Sep 11, 2019
    8
    Astral Chain is not perfect. But if you're looking for an action game with solid mechanics, nice game-feel, a well-paced story, and stellar graphics? It's about as perfect as you can currently get.

    Pros: - The Legion mechanic is both creative and fun. The control scheme takes a decent while to get the hang of, but once you do, controlling two characters in tandem becomes second nature.    Astral Chain is not perfect. But if you're looking for an action game with solid mechanics, nice game-feel, a well-paced story, and stellar graphics? It's about as perfect as you can currently get.

    Pros:
    - The Legion mechanic is both creative and fun. The control scheme takes a decent while to get the hang of, but once you do, controlling two characters in tandem becomes second nature.
    - Unlike other action games, Astral Chain REALLY takes its time. If you're impatient and just want to beat things up, this might be an issue for you. But the investigation segments of the game provide a nice break from the combat and make the combat segments feel special.
    - The story is pretty decent. It won't blow your mind and it's nothing particularly masterful or flawless. However, it provides a reason to engage in combat and gives certain story segments heart-pumping tension when it needs it.
    - The game's soundtrack is absolutely amazing. No complaints, it fits the theme and general style of the game perfectly in my opinion.
    - The grading system found in other Platinum games is altered for the better. The damage you take isn't a factor, and you are graded on pure style. This encourages effective use of all your options and tools. Getting consistent S+ ranks is extremely satisfying, and switching between weapons/abilities is just as satisfying.
    - This game is both style and substance. Some areas honestly look like they belong on a Playstation 4. This isn't due to the texture quality or fidelity, but just the pure aesthetic these select scenes display.
    - (SLIGHT SPOILER) Post-game content is generous, as well. Not only are bonus missions provided, but you can play the game again on a new difficulty that offers a challenge, even with all your Legions fully leveled.

    Cons:
    - The game runs at 30fps. This isn't a glaring issue and is almost not even worth mentioning when playing through the calmer moments of the game, but it does become noticeable in combat. There were also a couple of dips from the time I played.
    - The duration of Astral Chain isn't as long as you'd expect. My first playthrough took roughly fourteen hours. Granted, I skipped some side missions and read some dialogue quickly. But even so, the game could have had one or two more areas without the game getting stale.
    - Enemy attacks are often hard to read (this is accentuated by the 30fps cap) and enemy stagger felt inconsistent when I played. Once you unlock the Perfect Call ability, this issue is less severe but is definitely noticeable. Doing no-hit runs on bosses or mob fights is more frustrating than its worth.
    - The Pt. Ultimate difficulty is not selectable when starting a new game. I thought I just had to unlock it by finishing the game once, but the Pt. Ultimate difficulty is accessible exclusively through a save file where you already beat the chapter you want to play. Pt. Standard isn't challenging enough for subsequent fresh playthroughs (personally), and a tough-as-nails challenge would have been greatly appreciated. However, I understand this decision due to the sheer difficulty of Ultimate, but it would've been fun to attempt regardless.
    - Dark Hero isn't played enough even though it's clearly one of the best soundtracks in the entire game (this is a half-joke half-serious point)

    As I mentioned before, Astral Chain is a wonderfully-crafted game. Even though it's short, every second of the experience is fun and rewarding. There's no fat here - just pure joy smacking monsters around and picking up cans around the city. :D    … Expand
  2. logan1087
    Sep 6, 2019
    2
    El juego es monotono y muy molesto, los colores pastel dan una apariencia extrana y tratan de ocultar la baja capacidad gráfica de la consola con movimientos de cámara extraños, es un intento desesperado por aparentar variedad en este sistema
  3. EdwardG
    Oct 20, 2020
    7
    Astral Chain is a cool linear action game with a unique combat system and strong presentation.

    The game is made up of 11 story files and it took getting through a few of these before I really started to enjoy myself. The first chapter is a stylish opening but your combat options are quite limited at first and it initially feels like the gameplay lacks depth. After you progress though    Astral Chain is a cool linear action game with a unique combat system and strong presentation.

    The game is made up of 11 story files and it took getting through a few of these before I really started to enjoy myself. The first chapter is a stylish opening but your combat options are quite limited at first and it initially feels like the gameplay lacks depth. After you progress though it's clear that there's more to the combat, and after a couple files of getting used to it, and getting better at it, I enjoyed it a fair bit.

    The bulk of the gameplay is solid. The combat has enough depth to be engaging, and although some encounters were a little frustrating, the action always looks really cool and feels different from other games in the genre. You control a Legion attached to you by a chain, and this presents some interesting and unique opportunities in combat. Where the combat falters slightly is in the ranking system which incentivises treating enemy encounters as checklists of things you've got to do. If you want to get an S+ rank you don't necessarily have to play brilliantly, but you do have to tick off a number of boxes. This means you can get a good rank without needing brilliant reflexes or needing to completely avoid taking damage, but it also means you've gotta treat all encounters quite similarly. So, my opinion on it is quite mixed.

    On the other hand, visuals and music are definitely a positive in Astral Chain. Environments are well designed, and there's some really nice fine details in the futuristic cities and in the Astral Plane, the alien realm that you frequent during the game. There are some colourful and impressive effects too. The UI is also really pleasing, and it, like your character and Legions, can even be customised. Characters faces aren't great however and in comparison to other great visual aspects certainly seemed to be of lower quality. There are some really catchy and enjoyable tracks in the OST, including the one in the main base of operations, Neuron HQ.

    The worldbuilding is pretty good but the story is nothing special. There aren't any fleshed out characters or anyone to get really attached to, and the villains aren't that compelling either.

    Another thing that may have needed some work is the mission structure. A lot of files suffer from bad pacing - there's sometimes too many side objectives that just aren't compelling at all. Many are thinly written and others are just mindless combat encounters. I much preferred the main objectives which felt more focused. File 08 in particular felt like a drag as there was no sense of urgency for most of it. There might be a bit too much padding in Astral Chain, and some of it is annoying to play through.

    Overall though, I liked Astral Chain. It's a good game with a cool world and flashy combat, but it suffers from bad pacing and a lack of a compelling story. There's some really interesting worldbuilding going on in Astral Chain, but the story just never does enough with it. It's quite silly and is stuffed with flat characters. It's a shame too, because this could have been a really great game if it had a gripping narrative, and it seems like one wasn't too far out of reach. As it is, this is still a solid game with tons of style that's worth checking out.

    This is just about a 7/10 for me.    … Expand
  4. kamsu
    Sep 3, 2019
    10
    innovador con mecánicas frescas y adictivas que serán relevantes para juegos futuros en mi opinión dando una vuelta de tuerca a los juegos de este tipo sobresaliendo en su género sin duda con valor de iniciar algo nuevo hack and slash más y con su propia personalidad
  5. MadBert91
    Dec 5, 2019
    9
    Puede que se trate de uno de los mejores juegos para Nintendo switch. En el apartado gráfico soberbio, en el apartado de jugabilidad, aunque un poquito difícil (no es malo, porque muchos precisamente buscan esa dificultad) es también genial si es verdad que lo que menos me ha gustado es el apartado musical del juego, esta es una opinión muy personal pero me parece un poquito taladrante dePuede que se trate de uno de los mejores juegos para Nintendo switch. En el apartado gráfico soberbio, en el apartado de jugabilidad, aunque un poquito difícil (no es malo, porque muchos precisamente buscan esa dificultad) es también genial si es verdad que lo que menos me ha gustado es el apartado musical del juego, esta es una opinión muy personal pero me parece un poquito taladrante de ahí que mi nota máxima sea un nueve, estar muchas horas jugando al juego con esa música a mi me da dolor de cabeza pero todo lo demás compensa con creces sin duda un gran juego eso si esperad que sea un poquito repetitivo aunque la mayoría de los juegos son los son, quizá mi nota sería más ocho con siete que un nueve pero redondeando se la dejo en nueve… Expand
  6. julian111
    Oct 18, 2019
    1
    I am sorry but it is just not a good game. I love Platinum games and for me Nier Automata is the best game i ever played, but this....NO. It has too many mechanics, too much to control
  7. joshbreviews
    Jun 13, 2021
    6
    I really, really, really, REALLY, wanted to like this game. I tried to with every fiber of my being. But every waking moment of this thing is begging you to hate it. I know this review will be downvoted to oblivion, but I can't just let this slide.

    PROS: -very unique and interesting legion system -music is over-the-top, but great ...and that's it. CONS -corny, campy, and    I really, really, really, REALLY, wanted to like this game. I tried to with every fiber of my being. But every waking moment of this thing is begging you to hate it. I know this review will be downvoted to oblivion, but I can't just let this slide.

    PROS:
    -very unique and interesting legion system
    -music is over-the-top, but great

    ...and that's it.

    CONS
    -corny, campy, and predictable story. you know who the final bad guy is the very moment he delivers his very first line.

    -atrocious, borderline ironic english voice acting and mocap

    -visual diarrhea of nauseating particle effects

    -no freaking reduced-graphics-60-fps option for such a fast-paced and demanding game

    -legion system is incredibly clunky and clumsy; you will spam legion abilities and ride your dog and axe, and that's it.

    -absolute chaos on screen all the time, resulting in devs having to dumb it down with constant slow-mo moments

    -horrible checkpoints, forcing you to replay cutscenes and battles you've already beaten. no, not all cutscenes can be skipped.

    -IRIS STARTING. IRIS SHUT OFF. INFORMATION DISPLAY. AD INFINITUM.

    -annoying time-wasting detective sequences.

    -incredibly insulting time-wasting blue quests

    -female faces look incredibly gross and alien, with overly large heads and bug-like eyes, meanwhile, the guy models, olivia, and brenda are normal-looking? why??? make them all normal!

    -incredibly overly long mission structure with truly awful time-wasting blue quests and red quests, making it an absolute chore to get S+ rank. it wasn't great in nier automata, it's not great here. (but nier is an infinitely superior game and story).

    -brain-dead gold slime encounters - you figured it out once, it's all the same per mission
    -awfully bloated with very little substance in terms of gameplay and story (cats and toilets? really??). blue and red quests are amazingly meaningless.

    -baffling time-wasting mini-tasks like healing red shift, catching running bad guys, picking up red matter, eavesdropping, etc.

    -absolutely annoying and clunky platforming with annoying "cool" recovery cutscene that is un-skippable; plus, recovery takes you to some random predetermined point instead of where you fell, making it super disorienting to retrace your steps, especially in the same-y astral plane

    -astral plane is just recycled red blocks, masquerading as new levels, like we wouldn't notice

    -mission progress resets every time you replay it, forcing you to do all the time-wasting activities all over again. why??? what???

    an incredibly poor showing by the devs. they only got away with it cause 3rd action rpgs are few in the Switch market.

    and yet, i'm in the minority...so, hurray for astral chain 2?    … Expand
  8. Phuz
    Oct 7, 2021
    2
    I started this game and it was really exciting but also so forgettable. I played about am hour and then forgot about it. I do this about every 6 months. I play it and then lose any interest to put it on again.

    It's very Hollywood. And Hollywood sucks balls.
  9. jsh710
    May 1, 2022
    3
    boring boring story. confusing colors moving so fast, can't recognize what I playing. waste my time and money. my worst game of nintendo switch.
  10. TheeLampshade
    Sep 3, 2019
    10
    By far one of the best games I’ve been played. Sick of all this dumb people review bombing such a wonderful game.
  11. Airufino23
    Sep 4, 2019
    10
    Es sin lugar a dudas la nueva y mejor ip que a sacado Platinum games.Todos aquelos que les gusta los videojuegos de ben jugarlo.Obra maestra
  12. Starward
    Oct 1, 2021
    7
    Astral Chain is a mix between Bayonetta and JoJo, and it works out amazing. The combat is very unique and I love the aesthetic of the world. However, the story is boring and the framerate drops make the combat worse than it could be.
  13. Xplocion
    Nov 8, 2019
    7
    The good: a competent Slash Hack. Character design was done by the mangaka Mazakatsu Katsura (creator of Video Girl Ai / Lehn and Shadow Lady). A lot of action. Dizzying actions Links

    The bad: there is no jump button (it is a skill or consequence of a chained attack). Design of manga characters the Mazakatsu Katsura (creator of Video Girl Ai / Lehn and Shadow Lady), so that several of    The good: a competent Slash Hack. Character design was done by the mangaka Mazakatsu Katsura (creator of Video Girl Ai / Lehn and Shadow Lady). A lot of action. Dizzying actions Links

    The bad: there is no jump button (it is a skill or consequence of a chained attack). Design of manga characters the Mazakatsu Katsura (creator of Video Girl Ai / Lehn and Shadow Lady), so that several of his characters from his manga works seem to be in the video game with other names and attitudes. The novelty and surprises do not last long, the game becomes repetitive. Scenarios reduced to corridors and guided action and scripted by corridors.

    Lo Meh: you are trying to sell this game as the eighth wonder of the world and it is not. It is a regular game. It seems that Mazakatsu Katsura cannot draw more than 7 different faces.    … Expand
  14. avgjoeh
    Jun 12, 2020
    10
    masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece
  15. MantelloDiVong
    Sep 4, 2019
    10
    Una maravilla, estoy sorprendido es mejor de lo que me esperaba tanto visualmente como historia y jugabilidad.
  16. GreenMenace
    Sep 28, 2022
    6
    Astral Chain delivers on a game that feels “different” from other games. I stuck by the game and beat it, and while I can say it’s a good game, I’ll also say it’s not the game for me. Platinum games does a very good job developing a system that rewards players for perfecting the game/combat. I’m not into fighting combat perfectly—I just want to fight. And the game had plenty of satisfyingAstral Chain delivers on a game that feels “different” from other games. I stuck by the game and beat it, and while I can say it’s a good game, I’ll also say it’s not the game for me. Platinum games does a very good job developing a system that rewards players for perfecting the game/combat. I’m not into fighting combat perfectly—I just want to fight. And the game had plenty of satisfying mechanics and fights in it. My biggest complaint is how the other dimension looked. The color hurt my eyes and there was little variation in color as I had to puzzle my way through an ugly dimension.

    I was slightly disappointed by the detective side of things since quests felt run of the mill. A good sort of standard, but nothing spectacular. Even then, I can’t hate it because it gave a nice change of pace from the action. This game was a well designed game, through and through—it just didn’t click with me.

    I highly recommend Platinum Games (which includes Astral Chain) if you like a beat em up game with a skill ceiling that rates your progress.    … Expand
  17. Zackott755
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    Buen jugabilidad, buenos gráficos, buena trama argumental y tiene una buena duración de juego que mas se puede pedir en un juego para una consola híbrida osea en otras palabras es magistral lo que se hizo con este juego y como exprime todo el potencian de la nintendo Switch. HERMOSO JODER!!!!
  18. refloresaguilar
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    Excelente gameplay, algo complejo al inicio pero luego de pasar el proceso de aprendizaje se hace muy divertido, la banda Sonora es soberbia, muy recomendable.
  19. Starlord87
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    Gioco sorprendente ... fuori dagli schemi di Nintendo .... consigliato ad un pubblico Hardcore e naturalmente a cui piace il genere.
    NINTENDO sempre in cerca di sperimentaziome ed innovazione e a cercare di innovare spesso si sbaglia ma stavolta ha fatto bingo
  20. Juanding56
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    El trabajo de platinum siempre es genial, nada más que decir solo jueguenlo
  21. JRico18
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    Este juego es una maravilla, la jugabilidad es una pasada, la historia es hermosa, y los gráficos son increíbles y mucha más por poderlo jugar en Nintendo swicht y en portatil
    Super recomendado
  22. Batracio
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    ¡¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  23. Antonio69
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    excelentevideojuego, buena dinamica y buenos graficos, lástima que arraste el odio de otros usuarios por ser exclusivo
  24. TheBox
    Sep 4, 2019
    6
    -Combat flow is good, (not great) but the enemies die toooooooo fast to really comprehend how they died.
    - Particle flashy effects from both Legion and Enemies are BRIGHT.. too bright for my taste.
    -Alot of Stop and Go action(Fight for like 10 seconds, roam for a bit after fight is done, fight again for like 10 seconds after roam, rinse and repeat) - Enemy Execution is the same no    -Combat flow is good, (not great) but the enemies die toooooooo fast to really comprehend how they died.
    - Particle flashy effects from both Legion and Enemies are BRIGHT.. too bright for my taste.
    -Alot of Stop and Go action(Fight for like 10 seconds, roam for a bit after fight is done, fight again for like 10 seconds after roam, rinse and repeat)
    - Enemy Execution is the same no matter what enemies you fight. Executes ONLY appear when enemies are **1 hit**(from anything) away from death so imo, no point in really adding in the execute
    -Using the Legion to collect those Red miasma things on the map doesn't feel right as it should be the player(Feels like you telling your little brother to get the pencil when you can easily do it yourself).
    -Humans on the verge on extinction but yet, city scales are huge, overflowing with human life. LOL! Didnt get the sense of urgency that Humans are really really gonna go extinct.
    -Platform levels are pointed out RGT 85's video on his channel.
    -Controls get clunky during a chaotic fight
    -Camera angle meh, at times it works but at times, the Legion eats the whole screen. Tight corridors really makes the Legion too much(Yes you can Make the Legion vanish but just a bit more roaming and you're back into fighting, just to recall the Legion back).
    -Legion AI can be stupid at times and not do what you'd want it to do but i guess that's just AI's being an AI.
    -BGMs aren't memorable compared to the likes of what Nier Automata had to offer.

    Highly subjective so take this with a grain of salt.    … Expand
  25. CrazyBlob
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    Bast game so far..
    Great graphic and combat system..
    Challenging to control your chimera
    But to hard that you don't wan to play any more
    Its just on the spectrum of just right.
  26. sleepless80
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    One of the best games of 2019, I played Bayonetta and other Platinum games, but Astral Chain gameplay is something new and fresh. Thanks to the design by Masakazu Katsura The visual result is really amazing on Nintendo Switch. Really addictive!
  27. Rugena
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    Its a GOTY. The best game I played. Incredible story. It's not in PlayStation because the console its bad, okno
  28. Kelvingame
    Dec 5, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es un juego penoso muy aburrido la dificultad es muy fácil en fin un juego recomendable cuando cueste 2 dólares… Expand
  29. Manucoxp
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    Excelente juego, espero que tenga a un futuro cercano una secuela, me encanta su Soundtrack es muy celestial, la jugabilidad unica.
  30. SONNYFSG
    Sep 2, 2019
    9
    Overwhelming positive in 'User Reviews'.
    But huge amount of Negative in 'User Score'.
    So who are attacking this game?
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Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Switch Game of 2019
2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
70
#70 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 92 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 92
  3. Negative: 0 out of 92
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 28, 2020
    85
    This one is more of a crowd-pleaser than a game-changer. [Issue #42 – October 2019, p. 68]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 28, 2020
    100
    Astral Chain consists of varied genres, but is mostly an action game, which has great ideas and interesting, relaxed humour, that doesn´t spoil its serious plot. [Issue#298]
  3. ZTGD
    Nov 7, 2019
    85
    Despite the hardware limitations and a handful of odd design choices, Astral Chain is one of the best new IPs to hit in recent years and one deserving the attention of every Switch owner.
    Read full review
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