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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Ryijun
    Jul 11, 2020
    7
    Dynamic and cool action. The combat system is unusual and difficult to master. Bosses are good. But the chosen anime style and overall created story limp on one and a half legs. Characters are not registered almost in any way. I mean, the game seems to have a good plot and light drama, but it turns out that all this is not supported by anything interesting. As a result, we only get action.Dynamic and cool action. The combat system is unusual and difficult to master. Bosses are good. But the chosen anime style and overall created story limp on one and a half legs. Characters are not registered almost in any way. I mean, the game seems to have a good plot and light drama, but it turns out that all this is not supported by anything interesting. As a result, we only get action. Well, OK, so that's what the developer intended.)… Expand
  2. pdecou
    Aug 31, 2019
    7
    le jeu ne fonctionne pas bien, les phases d'action sont sympas mais elles ont des problèmes:
    - trop de frénésie de combat
    - la caméra ne vous fait rien comprendre - Après quelques heures, vous devenez si fort que vous n'avez plus besoin de vous enchaîner ni de tactique, c'est très facile. le reste offre de bonnes choses mais aussi des choses laides, de nombreuses quêtes de    le jeu ne fonctionne pas bien, les phases d'action sont sympas mais elles ont des problèmes:
    - trop de frénésie de combat
    - la caméra ne vous fait rien comprendre
    - Après quelques heures, vous devenez si fort que vous n'avez plus besoin de vous enchaîner ni de tactique, c'est très facile.

    le reste offre de bonnes choses mais aussi des choses laides, de nombreuses quêtes de récupération, de nombreuses tâches identiques, et certains niveaux ne sont que des corridors ... dommage pour les 30 images par seconde même s'ils ne se sentent pas beaucoup

    Je pensais mieux    … Expand
  3. 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.
  4. caronte69
    Sep 2, 2019
    7
    Parece que los seguidores de la alopecia borraron mi comentario, bueno aqui va otra vez.
    Muy decepcionado que el juego vaya a 30 fps, me esperaba un poco mas de este juego, he visto muchos youtubers y medios de prensa decir que este juego es una maravilla, incluso antes de que salga el juego y bueno, es un buen juego, pero vamos, no es el mejor hack and slash del mundo, devil may cry 5 o    Parece que los seguidores de la alopecia borraron mi comentario, bueno aqui va otra vez.
    Muy decepcionado que el juego vaya a 30 fps, me esperaba un poco mas de este juego, he visto muchos youtubers y medios de prensa decir que este juego es una maravilla, incluso antes de que salga el juego y bueno, es un buen juego, pero vamos, no es el mejor hack and slash del mundo, devil may cry 5 o nier automata mil veces mejores que astral chain,
    les doy un 7 porque los medios me lo pintaron como el juegazo y no lo es.    … Expand
  5. 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
  6. Allme223
    Aug 30, 2019
    7
    Story is great but the controls hold it back in so many ways. Never felt like I was truly in control, almost as if i would play and hope that the camera would center since the R stick was used for targeting. Just wasnt as fun as the reviews stated in my opinion.
  7. Timnor
    Aug 30, 2019
    7
    Very average rpg,short,gets clunky at times,not worth full price,would pick up at the 40 dollar range.
  8. NintendanGX
    Sep 1, 2019
    7
    Astrai Chain is a solid Switch exclusive that offers plenty of new and exciting gameplay ideas and mechanics to the character-action genre. I have no gripes with the story so far, or the likeable characters, or the setting, or the way it integrates law enforcement into a character-action game.
    However, it's a heavily flawed example of its subgenre, for just two reasons. I'll be focusing    Astrai Chain is a solid Switch exclusive that offers plenty of new and exciting gameplay ideas and mechanics to the character-action genre. I have no gripes with the story so far, or the likeable characters, or the setting, or the way it integrates law enforcement into a character-action game.
    However, it's a heavily flawed example of its subgenre, for just two reasons. I'll be focusing on these two broad reasons for this review, as I think they're far more important than the pros that have most likely already been discussed.

    1. The game doesn't run at 60fps. You might not care, and you might not "notice it" (which is code for "I don't know what to look for so I'll deflect a criticism I don't understand"), but 60fps has been, and should always be, the standard in these games.

    In a skill-intensive, mission-based action game that encourages you to get the best rank possible during combat, every single frame counts. The controls need to be as responsive as possible with as little input delay as possible, and 30fps makes that so much harder to achieve. What baffles me the most is that this is Platinum, the guys who always target 60fps with these types of games. In a day and age when Devil May Cry 5 exists, there's literally no excuse.

    So what if the Switch isn't as powerful as a base PS4 or Xbox One, don't focus so heavily on visuals if it's going to be a detriment to the overall gameplay when it truly matters This isn't an open-world or sandbox game, this is a linear action game with branching secrets and an emphasis on combat. And if they really wanted people to experience pretty visuals over responsive and gratifying gameplay with minimum input delay, then why not give us the option? Plenty of games now allow you to choose between performance and visual fidelity, even Fire Emblem Warriors on the Switch.

    If someone at Platinum sees this, please include this in an update. In many cases, it can make the difference between an okay game and a great game.

    2. Souls-like elements do not work in a character-action game. For those who don't know, the lock-on is done by pressing the right-stick in, like a Souls game, and attacking is done with the trigger buttons. This is fine in a souls-like, but not a character-action game akin to Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and Bayonetta. It makes it harder to switch focus between enemies when that type of control scheme is geared towards a slower-paced, more methodical kind of game, but implemented in a faster-paced game that demands the most ergonomic control scheme.

    The game does have different input options, but the way lock-on is implemented by nature makes it a pultry amendment at best.

    Oh, but that's not the only souls-like element in the game. While this issue is less noticable than the framerate problem, it's worth noting that you cannot jump into the air by normal means. A feature in DMC, Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta, The Wonderful 101, and Metal Gear Rising, is done away with in Astral Chain. I wouldn't have minded so much if they hadn't thrown pace-breaking obstacles at you that could've been dealt with in a number of ways given the player was fast enough. But there's even souls-like gimmicks and hazards that make their way into this game, like sticky floors in the 4th mission, which stop the player dead in their tracks. It's an unfair disadvantage that doesn't add a worthy challenge, but rather hinders the player in a game that expects them to play at their best and make precise dodges. The pace of the fight comes to a crashing halt when you transition from a dodge to an unskippable stumbling animation after landing in said sticky substance, and it can cost you a perfect S+ rank. And the worst part is that it would've been a passable feature if you were able to jump more easily to attack in mid-air, much like Nero from DMC5 when things get dicy on the ground.

    These two subjects and the problems inherent within them do not prevent the game from having worthwhile, enjoyable content within it, nor should they deter you from getting the game at £40. They are, however, easy enough problems to fix given Platinum's calibre. If they did update the game and provide an option for people to weaken the visuals for a smooth 60fps, then my score would likely go from a 7 to a 9. but as things currently stand, it is a severely disappointing aspect of what could've been a new rival to DMC5 and its threshold of the best character-action gameplay.    … Expand
  9. MrSpiffy
    Sep 5, 2019
    7
    After finally finishing the game I found the game to have certain issues that most highly rated games should not have. Firstly, I believe the games most redeeming quality is its combat which should come to no surprise since it was developed by Platimum games; but its animation, voice acting, and story is pretty subpar. The faces of the main characters look off putting, the voice acting isAfter finally finishing the game I found the game to have certain issues that most highly rated games should not have. Firstly, I believe the games most redeeming quality is its combat which should come to no surprise since it was developed by Platimum games; but its animation, voice acting, and story is pretty subpar. The faces of the main characters look off putting, the voice acting is pretty poorly done and takes some Tim to get used to, the story reminds me off some cheesy anime plot lines, and there are quite a few graphical glitches and frame drops when in combat with your legion. The out of combat gameplay within the world also posses its own problems with its bland side missions and graphical issues all of which aren't really saved by the combat when moving through the main storyline. Finally, the biggest issue from the game is its pacing, many say the game gets better as you move forward (which is undoubtedly tru for the combat aspect of it) but the rate at which you reach those points is quite slow. With games only real redeeming quality being its combat, the games other issues stands out heavily within its beginning and middle portions of the game and become tolerable when the game finally reaches its later portions. Overall, with the removal of all the review bombing (and right fully so its a pretty crappy thing to do) the perfect scores that were placed to counteract the review bombing are still there and are in my opinion over inflating its score. The game is fun yes, but it still holds a slew of problems that should be discussed and not dismissed solely because it's a Nintendo game that was review bombed.… Expand
  10. MassSpecFella
    Sep 6, 2019
    7
    I'm very disappointed. I don't enjoy any of the non-combat aspects of Astral Chain. The platforming is awful. Mini games are tedious and get in the way of the action and cutscene story which I do enjoy. However even then the combat is chaotic. Its difficult to see and time incoming attacks. I feel like the game could have been a lot more fun for me personally had it focused on action likeI'm very disappointed. I don't enjoy any of the non-combat aspects of Astral Chain. The platforming is awful. Mini games are tedious and get in the way of the action and cutscene story which I do enjoy. However even then the combat is chaotic. Its difficult to see and time incoming attacks. I feel like the game could have been a lot more fun for me personally had it focused on action like DMC5 or Bayonetta 2.… Expand
  11. Meeleepit
    Oct 10, 2019
    7
    So in my experience the combination of fighting and detective work makes this game super fun.

    What i don't like is the super complex combat system. it might be because i am a old school gamer and not used to bashing millions of buttons but it feels over complex ed. Graphics is superb considering this game runs on the switch. Sound track is epic . Best enjoyed with the pro    So in my experience the combination of fighting and detective work makes this game super fun.

    What i don't like is the super complex combat system. it might be because i am a old school gamer and not used to bashing millions of buttons but it feels over complex ed.

    Graphics is superb considering this game runs on the switch.

    Sound track is epic .

    Best enjoyed with the pro controller and not with the joycons at all.

    Unfortunately this games is not worth the full retail price.    … Expand
  12. proffk
    Nov 9, 2019
    7
    Below average game from Platinum Games. The combat is good but you fight the same enemies over and over again. Confusing story with many plotholes. Not much replay value.
  13. Craigjeffery
    Feb 25, 2020
    7
    Astral chain was not for me. While playing i found myself mindlessly mashing right trigger (right trigger is your combat button) while my legion did whatever he wanted. You auto lock into an enemy, and just spam right trigger. that’s about it. My total play time after beating the game was 20 hours, and what a drag those 20 hours were. I couldn’t wait to beat every level just so i could getAstral chain was not for me. While playing i found myself mindlessly mashing right trigger (right trigger is your combat button) while my legion did whatever he wanted. You auto lock into an enemy, and just spam right trigger. that’s about it. My total play time after beating the game was 20 hours, and what a drag those 20 hours were. I couldn’t wait to beat every level just so i could get it over with. There are lots of collectible items located in the few sections of the game, some which require a bit of back tracking. while easter egg hunting can be fun, in astral chain it gets old and tedious. There are many different styles to play and attributes to give your legion, but i just couldn’t get into it. The game in my opinion was underwhelming, tedious, and boring. These are just my opinions, overall this is a very solid game, but all i can recall of playing this game was that i couldn’t wait for it to be over just so i could say i played it. Watch some gameplay, do your research to see if this game is for you. I wish there were more motorcycle levels, as those were the best parts of the game. Also pretty good music, the main hub music is still stuck in my head. (uwuuuuuuu naniiiiii)… Expand
  14. Alberto_Rahl
    Mar 4, 2020
    7
    Un buen inicio para una franquicia nueva aunque una llegué a adaptarme del todo a los controles.
    También lo encontré un tanto corto. Creo que lo terminé en unas 35 horas. Me hubiera gustado que hubieran explorado más la parte de investigación del juego, que al final se quedó bastante corta.
  15. ChesterField
    May 1, 2020
    7
    Excellent game in almost all its aspects, artistic design, visual section, good soundtrack, a good story, great customization of your character with a lot of movements, in general, everything is outstanding. Now, that in the middle of 2019 we are playing a hack and slash at 30 fps when we come from gems such as nier automata, bayonetta or devil may cry 5 is sacrilege and it really becomesExcellent game in almost all its aspects, artistic design, visual section, good soundtrack, a good story, great customization of your character with a lot of movements, in general, everything is outstanding. Now, that in the middle of 2019 we are playing a hack and slash at 30 fps when we come from gems such as nier automata, bayonetta or devil may cry 5 is sacrilege and it really becomes rare to play with this performance. The performance of this game on switch is unforgivable despite the fact that it is surely an achievement that moves at 30 fps stable, but it is something that I value a lot in this type of games. Removing this insignificant detail for many and important for others, the game is excellent. I look forward to it on PC.… Expand
  16. Luxox412
    Sep 25, 2020
    7
    Although it is a very innovative game, with its own characteristics, it is a very predictable game, the levels become tedious over time, the main and secondary missions become very repetitive, so it does not become very replayable when finishing it, despite that it has an operations selector, in addition the secondary characters are not very influential in the story so empathy with them is lost.
  17. Mordgesr
    Jul 21, 2020
    7
    The main disadvantage of the game is the unusual control of two heroes at once. More precisely, one hero and his "weapon".

    What is the disadvantage? If you are playing with breaks, then it is difficult for you to get involved in management again.

    If you do not take this moment into account, then the idea itself is simply excellent.
  18. TealMudbro
    Jun 23, 2020
    7
    Extremely fluid and exciting although convoluted action, let down by an overly anime clichéd plot that should've been left in the 90's.
  19. gabeams
    Jul 12, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well, I got a lot of hype for this game. It's a good Nintendo exclusive, but I don't know if worth the actual price. The gameplay mechanics are good, there is a nice design for characters and a good soundtrack, but that's it. The history's very predictable, there is bad character development, the side missions are not attractive and some times the camera goes wild. After the mid-game, I was running to end because of the poor history, and in the end, we got that "epic" boss fight(well-done design btw) and the final cliche anime act. For me, the game remembers a lot from animes that I watched when a child, with nonsense reactions, unnecessary mysteries, and some bad conversations.

    For closure. Worth play, it's a good exclusive, but now it's expensive for what delivers.    … Expand
  20. DaVinciGhost
    Sep 7, 2020
    7
    The game as a whole is interesting enough. The graphics are good and the story is interesting. My biggest issue is with it feeling so repetitive. Every mission follows the same formula. The combat isn't very great. Yes if you take the time to learn every bit of it you can do better combos but ultimately feels pointless. Most of the game can be played with one legion. As a whole it's worthThe game as a whole is interesting enough. The graphics are good and the story is interesting. My biggest issue is with it feeling so repetitive. Every mission follows the same formula. The combat isn't very great. Yes if you take the time to learn every bit of it you can do better combos but ultimately feels pointless. Most of the game can be played with one legion. As a whole it's worth a playthrough but I couldn't sit with it longer than an hour before I got bored.… Expand
  21. Zski
    Jul 1, 2022
    7
    This game does a lot exceptionally well, but sometimes it feels like it’s doing too much to the point where it seems to have an identity crisis. To start with the strengths: the graphics are fantastic, especially considering it’s on the Switch. The art design is really cool, and everything in the game has a truly unique feeling that it’s hard to compare anything else to it. TheThis game does a lot exceptionally well, but sometimes it feels like it’s doing too much to the point where it seems to have an identity crisis. To start with the strengths: the graphics are fantastic, especially considering it’s on the Switch. The art design is really cool, and everything in the game has a truly unique feeling that it’s hard to compare anything else to it. The environments look good, the aesthetics look good, and while the enemies look good, they feel a little bit like random/generic. The music is fantastic and very creative use of a soundtrack. I would have never considered to use all of these styles of songs on one soundtrack, but they pulled it off perfectly. Everything from the smooth techno of the precinct, to the low tuned background guitar while exploring the city, to the hard rock during combat. The sound design is one of the things that stand out the most about this game. The overarching plot isn’t anything special, but the setting of the world is extremely cool. Playing as a supernatural police officer who uses astral ghosts as weapons that are not observable to most others - super awesome concept.

    The gameplay is good and engaging while in combat. It starts slow, but as you unlock more summons and more abilities, it really makes it very involved. It’s pretty unique controlling both your character and your summon at once, especially in a twin stick control layout. It works well, despite it being a bit overwhelming sometimes. However, the detective part of the game is where I found it to be very weak. It’s nice because it gracefully adds context to what is happening, but it completely ruins the pacing. 15 minutes of action hack and slash immediately followed up by 30 minutes of walking around and talking to witnesses, trying to find the one clue that is tucked away in the one spot you didn’t look. This is the identity crisis I was referring to. As much as I enjoyed it, I had a hard time really getting focused on the game because it would fluctuate between two vastly different play styles. That and it constantly tried to sneak in RPG elements, but they were so minor that I often forgot about them. For example after an hour long mission of rotating between detective gameplay, platforming gameplay, and combat gameplay, it takes you back to the precinct where you can level up - I completely forgot to do this between most missions because it felt like something that was an afterthought, rather than a core feature of the game. This is what kept me from scoring the game higher. Overall, it’s an extremely unique game that brings a lot of good features, but it suffers from a major identity crisis that makes it difficult to really fully engage with.    … Expand
  22. Sensou
    Oct 10, 2022
    7
    The coolest animation on a game. Feels so weird that the game captivate me with its running animation. It's just an animation, come on.

    The combat moves also feels so slick and awesome. Although most of it is just smashing button but the game provide a more in-depth kind of move-set and combo that you can learn and make the combat more engaging(?) I guess. The exploration is decent,    The coolest animation on a game. Feels so weird that the game captivate me with its running animation. It's just an animation, come on.

    The combat moves also feels so slick and awesome. Although most of it is just smashing button but the game provide a more in-depth kind of move-set and combo that you can learn and make the combat more engaging(?) I guess.

    The exploration is decent, not really that great but good enough to make you attach with certain chapters. The game design is good so you won't get lost while exploring the area but you might miss out several side quests because some of them not live on the map.

    That being said, I understand why some people said its getting pretty tedious as I feel the same way. As you progress in the game, exploring feels more like a chore rather than you explore out of your own curiosity. When in combat, the game always throw you to red places (never pay attention to the naming of that place) which feels that you always keep repeating the combat again and again even thou you are fighting a different monsters in every chapters.

    The rest of it is fine but why every developers follow that kind of trend where the protagonist can't talk? Is it to make it feels like we are them so we can make our own reaction or response to certain situation in the game?

    Finish the game and I don't think I will replay or even revisit every chapter to complete it.    … Expand
  23. sinetic
    Feb 15, 2022
    6
    After 2hrs the game becomes boring and repetitivedue to the chain mechanic. There is no point to upgrade gear.
    The game has great visuals and nice soundtrack and thats it
  24. GAGMR
    Sep 11, 2019
    6
    This game would be great, if the camera wasn't complete and utter dog **** It's moving constantly where you don't want it & sometimes goes up ur arse or ur enemies arse. Platinum really screwed the pooch on this one. It doesn't help when ur trying to chain enemies & the camera screws up & makes it impossible. The combat in this game is also mixed bag, because you have to control 2This game would be great, if the camera wasn't complete and utter dog **** It's moving constantly where you don't want it & sometimes goes up ur arse or ur enemies arse. Platinum really screwed the pooch on this one. It doesn't help when ur trying to chain enemies & the camera screws up & makes it impossible. The combat in this game is also mixed bag, because you have to control 2 characters & one is constantly doing stuff you don't want them doing since it's AI controlled. Then there's the jank platforming which is so fricking bad you will constantly fall just because of the games physics not knowing if you landed on the platform or not. I used so many healing items just cause the game kept throwing me off a cliff even though my chimera was on the ground. Then theres this one boss fight where the guy is sonhuge you can only see his feet & the camera freaks out the entire time, trying to chain his feet/arms was so infuriating because the camera just kept rotating along with me which makes you unable to move properly. I was really hoping this game would be better than bayonetta 2 but because of how bad the chain system works due to the **** camera it's not. It's just a failed attempt to try something new. I am almost certain that all these positive reviews are from people playing the game on casual or unchained mode, which makes the game playable with one hand. If you like Platinum games you'll probably still enjoy this but if not then definitely skip it, unless you just want to play it on baby mode the entire time. If they fix the camera issues, janky platform system & the AI of the chimeras it would be a lot better. It's also pretty generic in terms of side quests, most of which involve fighting, sneaking or finding something. There was one quest where you "play a video game" and I thought it was gonna be an actual retro game but it was just you in a suit with a retro filter on top. Performance is also pretty bad, & can dip into the 20 FPS range or lower. Lots of pop in as well in clustered areas, especially late game. Don't get me wrong, I like the game but it has too many flaws to recommend it to anyone else but platinum game fans. Nier Automata, Bayonetta or even Metal Gear Rising are all superior to this one, though. Your character also has no personality & is basically just an empty husk for you to kill stuff with. They could have done something with the character considering they've done so with past games. Like I said & keep saying, it's a good game but they've done better.… Expand
  25. Slava_Gedich
    Dec 24, 2019
    6
    It is not a bayonetta and mgsr or dmc. Here you can find game with innovated system of control by two characters in same time. And a lot of exploration and collecting some objects. It is not a pure slasher game. Here a lot of QTE. Just be prepared to find new type of game. Don't expect new bayonetta from this game.

    P/S My final score of this game after I finished this game is 6/10    It is not a bayonetta and mgsr or dmc. Here you can find game with innovated system of control by two characters in same time. And a lot of exploration and collecting some objects. It is not a pure slasher game. Here a lot of QTE. Just be prepared to find new type of game. Don't expect new bayonetta from this game.

    P/S My final score of this game after I finished this game is 6/10

    Story is really bad and twist really obvious.
    60-70% of time you have boring running and grinding some stuff (like collecting crystals, searching portals and etc.)    … Expand
  26. devenge
    Sep 1, 2019
    6
    Another J-act game .just like the old ones .It's not fun anymore . only finger pains.
  27. Zenol31
    Sep 2, 2019
    6
    it's an acceptable game, the overall game is pulled down somewhat by a structure of missions that doesn't match the studio's desire to mix the beat 'em up and investigative genres, and further by large approximations and other technical problems — all of which have a significant impact on the enjoyment of the game.
  28. 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
  29. carreracarrera
    Sep 1, 2019
    6
    Es un juego con graficas un poco pobres. Creo pudo haber dado más. Además después de ver su trabajo en mier autómata esperaba más.
  30. donmopa
    Apr 9, 2020
    6
    I could not find the awesomeness that everybody found in this game. Thematic is interesting and also the legions gave new mechanics. However, the camera is a total disaster and fights at some points feels like smashing buttons with no contemplation,
Page:

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
See all critic reviews »