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. RaidouF
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Es excelente, en todo sentido, y eso que jugue al Nier Automata y DMC5 en ps4 pero este juego esta mucho mas pulido y trabajado. El sistema de combate es la mezcla perfecta de los juegos de platinum.
  2. SadMax
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    10/10
    Platinum games clearly put alot of effort into this, and it shows. Simply amazing.
  3. NegativeFifteen
    Mar 2, 2020
    1
    There's a **** ton of reasons why this game is terrible, but the main issue is that the dodging and camera systems are absolute **** Targeting happens automatically, whether or not I want it to, even if I turn off the target marker. Switching between multiple targets makes me want to put my head through a **** wall with how absolutely terrible the function is.The hitboxes and dodging feelThere's a **** ton of reasons why this game is terrible, but the main issue is that the dodging and camera systems are absolute **** Targeting happens automatically, whether or not I want it to, even if I turn off the target marker. Switching between multiple targets makes me want to put my head through a **** wall with how absolutely terrible the function is.The hitboxes and dodging feel like they asked a toddler to draw a bunch of circles in crayon around the character and then they set the hitboxes to be identical to it. It feels like they TRIED to make the hitboxes bad. On top of all this, even if you manage to acclimate to a terrible camera and a god awful dodging system, even if you manage to get "good" at the game, it still gives you that sweet, sweet C ranking because you didn't use moves and abilities that they haven't even given to you yet. It's like ranking a 2nd grader based on their college algebra skills. So now if you want to make it so that your game file isn't riddled with Cs and Ds, you get to go back and play through each individual mission with your new abilities so that it's actually possible to get a better score. Why can't I just get a good score the first time through with what I have? It's like I progress through the game just so I can go backwards. All in all, ****ty combat, uninteresting dialogue and story, and unremarkable characters that I forget almost instantly, 1/10. Also the female character model looks like someone slapped the face of a crab onto a Hershey's Kiss.… Expand
  4. chuydavid
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best games for this year. After 10 hours of gameplay. This action and detective game is really goo.… Expand
  5. kiaxxl
    Aug 31, 2019
    5
    Cool concepts from a good developer, but with some truly awful frame-rates at time, which is not good for an action game.
  6. Pestana
    Sep 8, 2019
    5
    Not a bad game, but i expected a litle more, the batlles are good and very visuals but i feel kind a repetitive and not satisfacing it all.
  7. AUMDragon
    Sep 2, 2019
    5
    Meh, it's fun, it's okay. No Bayonetta though. It was a 10 for me in the beginning, but just lost the motivation to finish it. Just lacking and mediocre in many ways.
  8. RoxasIrving
    Sep 3, 2019
    6
    Positive +Gameplay +Music
    +Customization


    Negative - 30 Frames
    -Boring Investigation
    -Horrible side missions
  9. ME123
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    The game is flipping awesome. PeriodT.

    Combat, gameplay, story are all wacky and over the top ridiculousness. Just amazing.
  10. Yuke
    Jul 29, 2022
    4
    Spoiler-free.

    Most overrated game on Metacritic, probably.

    - Story gets only told via text documents and still many things won't get explained.

    - Silent protagonist ist super pointless in this scenario.

    - Camera movement is borderline broken.

    - Fight-System is okay and sometimes fun.

    - Graphics are very good for a Switch game.
  11. MidnightWander
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    Excellent game from Platinum, a Switch technical showcase and one of the best games of the year
  12. VSDalSheron
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    If the only thing I have to suffer under is the 30fps, then I still say, PERFECTION ATTAINED!
    Those who criticize graphics on a Nintendo console have no understanding of what Nintendo is all about. Get bent complainers, this game is truly great!
  13. SergeSGO
    Sep 3, 2019
    10
    Fantastic... it is greate, surprised me in a very good way. necesary to play the game to confirm how good it is. forget the bad reviews from haters.
  14. 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
  15. TempoTheMan
    Aug 12, 2021
    4
    cool gameplay at first, and after 6 hours just boring, story that didnt click with me and ended in an anticlimactic and very open way, and **** endgame, just grinding 50 boring missions with an already boring spammy combat to get to the true boss, which also was anticlimactic, I hope you listen to me and dont waste your money on this game unless you adore spamming moves
  16. Rpg89
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    This game by platinum studio is something else, the visuals are stunning and the gameplay style suits the occasion. The combination of the legions and your character are brilliant. You get lost in the world of astral chain with endless combination of combos, boss fights and a decent storyline to keep things fresh. Looking for a means to pick a switch? Then this game is the answer. Pros-This game by platinum studio is something else, the visuals are stunning and the gameplay style suits the occasion. The combination of the legions and your character are brilliant. You get lost in the world of astral chain with endless combination of combos, boss fights and a decent storyline to keep things fresh. Looking for a means to pick a switch? Then this game is the answer. Pros- handheld & docked mode looks fantastic. Cons- nothing.… Expand
  17. Kilder004
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Como casi todos los juegos de esta genial desarrolladora que es Platinum Games podemos esperar si o si 2 cosas gameplay perfecto y banda sonora de calidad superior, cabe aclarar que este tipo de juegos requiere cierto nivel de habilidad al jugar por lo que si no haces click con el gameplay se vuelve repetitivo y no conseguirás buenas notas en las misiones sin combos, claro que pocos van aComo casi todos los juegos de esta genial desarrolladora que es Platinum Games podemos esperar si o si 2 cosas gameplay perfecto y banda sonora de calidad superior, cabe aclarar que este tipo de juegos requiere cierto nivel de habilidad al jugar por lo que si no haces click con el gameplay se vuelve repetitivo y no conseguirás buenas notas en las misiones sin combos, claro que pocos van a admitir que son malos jugando y preferirán decir que el juego es aburrido.

    técnicamente se ve y siente muy bien solo corre a 30fps pero Platinum se las arregló para que las animaciones tengan movimientos al estilo comic, es decir hacen desenfoques en algunos movimientos para darles un efecto de velocidad y al mismo tiempo hacer que los 30fps compensen con animaciones pensadas para disimularlos.

    la historia es buena pero talvez no tan buena como pudo llegar a ser ya que no apuntaban a un juego clasificacion M sino T.

    Una vez Platinum Games nos entrega un juego que va a marcar estándares de calidad en el género pese a las limitaciones que supone trabajar en Switch crearon otra obra maestra.    … Expand
  18. dredpiratejaymo
    Apr 15, 2020
    3
    I thought it was mediocre at best. I couldn't get into it. The story was lame, the battle system was clunky, the art was unimpressive, and the levels were too linear. 3/10 is a charitable score.

    I feel like some of these 10/10 reviews may not be legit...
  19. Alefrita
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Astral Chain is a Master Piece, it’s incredible how still find these kind of games in pleny 2019, thanks Nintendo for doing these experiences hand byhand with amazing studios like Platinum Games, I feelin in 90’s or 00’s when games like Chrono Trigger, Parasite Eve, Shadow of the Colossus, Golden Sun, Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Dark Souls, Devil May Cry, Xeno Saga, Mario and Luigi Super StarAstral Chain is a Master Piece, it’s incredible how still find these kind of games in pleny 2019, thanks Nintendo for doing these experiences hand byhand with amazing studios like Platinum Games, I feelin in 90’s or 00’s when games like Chrono Trigger, Parasite Eve, Shadow of the Colossus, Golden Sun, Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Dark Souls, Devil May Cry, Xeno Saga, Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga, Dragon Quest VIII, Okami, Drakengard was totally aclaimed, but in these last years, sometimos we need like we are having horrible games being the trend and that so **** disgusting, we need more games like Astral Chain and less games like Cods, Fortnites, Free fire, and that **** even Minecraft beeing a good game it’s not healthy for industry when you think in tris as a culture.… Expand
  20. Kanek
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Apenas llevo 2 horas dentro del juego y no deja de sorprenderme , el intro es muy frenético e interesante, pinta que astral chain me va a tener alejado de mis demás juegos por un buen rato , le pongo de calificación 10 por que me a mantenido pegado a mi switch sin sentir ni un momento de pesadez , aunque eso si hay que señalar que al fijar un enemigo la cámara sufre de algunos momentosApenas llevo 2 horas dentro del juego y no deja de sorprenderme , el intro es muy frenético e interesante, pinta que astral chain me va a tener alejado de mis demás juegos por un buen rato , le pongo de calificación 10 por que me a mantenido pegado a mi switch sin sentir ni un momento de pesadez , aunque eso si hay que señalar que al fijar un enemigo la cámara sufre de algunos momentos incómodos pero creo yo se puede arreglar con un futuro parche , por cierto el juego hasta ahora me va bien fluido sin bajones de fps lo cual es muy importante para los momentos donde hay mas acción… Expand
  21. 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.
  22. x_jimilan_x
    Sep 4, 2019
    5
    Average game. Too much hype. Seriously, so many people giving the game a 10, really? It's an average game with mediocre graphics/story/gameplay.
  23. UnionJack0714
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    I was super lucky to get my copy a day early... I have played it for hours now. It is a truly amazing experience. Action games in general struggle to find a mechanic that makes it stand out from other games, this isn't one of those scenarios. Fighting with your legion makes you feel so clever and epic with the amount of potential moves. It's unique, bold and creative. It is also way slowerI was super lucky to get my copy a day early... I have played it for hours now. It is a truly amazing experience. Action games in general struggle to find a mechanic that makes it stand out from other games, this isn't one of those scenarios. Fighting with your legion makes you feel so clever and epic with the amount of potential moves. It's unique, bold and creative. It is also way slower in terms of combat pacing, compared to Bayonetta for example. But this is far from a bad thing, I actually personally prefer it. The visual design is stunning, the muisc is the birth child of a Bayonetta and Nier hybrid, there's plenty to do in terms of content, combat rarely gets boring, even outside of combat there is still a lot to enjoy such as customisation, collectables, investigations. I can't sing this games praises enough. Its probably my favourite game of 2019 so far.… Expand
  24. kare8019
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    ストーリーが面白くアクションがよく出来ています ストーリー序盤は微妙だと思ってたのですが進めていくとアクションの幅が広がりすごい楽しめます 難易度も選択でき子供も楽しめると思います
  25. AKtee
    Sep 16, 2019
    0
    i fell for the hype surrounding this game. Combat boring and repetitive. Music cheesy and not suitable to environments. Acting is garbage. Story predictable.
  26. DreamCore
    Sep 15, 2019
    7
    Cons:

    * Story is quite shallow. * Many garbage side quests like carrying boxes, delivering ice cream that don't really belong in a game like this. * The skill trees are the same for all legions, and they even have the same abilities. I mean, for real? * Combat ratings are off. Sometimes you play like a god and get ranked D while sometimes you play like **** and get ranked S+. * Too    Cons:

    * Story is quite shallow.
    * Many garbage side quests like carrying boxes, delivering ice cream that don't really belong in a game like this.
    * The skill trees are the same for all legions, and they even have the same abilities. I mean, for real?
    * Combat ratings are off. Sometimes you play like a god and get ranked D while sometimes you play like **** and get ranked S+.
    * Too easy on Standard (highest available at first). Never had too purchase any items or anything and only died once in a full playthrough. Since it was developed with Nintendo I guess they abandonded the Bayonetta style and and went toddler style instead.

    Pros:

    * Combat is really cool.
    * Nice art-style.
    * Very polished and good performance.    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. MZAr
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    Uwuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuuwuwuwuwuw
  29. leitoga
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Amazing game, i love it... its drve crazy!!! The gameplay, the characters... its perfect
  30. chacladmc
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Una obra maestra, el juego es impresionante, mi asombro es mucho, simplemente porque las mecánicas de juego son diferentes a los hack and slash habituales, el hecho de poder controlar a las Legion me recuerda un poco a la forma de como controlamos a V en devil may cry 5, la historia es atractiva cuando menos te lo esperas, cumple con todo lo que promete, éste juego te da muchas horas deUna obra maestra, el juego es impresionante, mi asombro es mucho, simplemente porque las mecánicas de juego son diferentes a los hack and slash habituales, el hecho de poder controlar a las Legion me recuerda un poco a la forma de como controlamos a V en devil may cry 5, la historia es atractiva cuando menos te lo esperas, cumple con todo lo que promete, éste juego te da muchas horas de diversión y puedes darle varias vueltas! Gracias Platinum por ésta imperdible joya… Expand
  31. mrme5
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    So much fun! The fighting reminds me of neir automata, just super smooth, fluid, with cool combos. Ofc they have a progression system where you rank up and learn new moves, combos, and skills. Just the bread and butter of a really good story rpg game. Highly recommend this one!!
  32. mutante2
    Sep 3, 2019
    10
    El juego es simplemente espectacular, tiene toda la mano de platinum games, me acaba de llegar y ya le heche mas de 5 horas seguidas, me tiene atrapado su jugabibilidad y estilo artistico!!
  33. VirgoCave
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    A few hours in and this is a gem, 9.0 for now but i smell a 10. But i give it for now a 10 just for the troll fanboy that are gonna come with they 0s just because they go full manchild when nintendo delivers masterpieces
  34. xMorikunx
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Yeah. So. It’s pretty sick. If you like Plat you know what you’re getting. Some over the top anime bullsh*t and top notch fighting. That’s what play does, and they do it well. But they’ve also excelled in all other areas of world building and other mechanics that they’ve experimented with in this game, making the whole package a blast to play.
  35. Superman_94
    Dec 7, 2019
    0
    Switch devs need to do better. I know the hardware isn’t great to be working with and god knows how much it limits them, but this title is unacceptable.
  36. Redmighty18
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Amazing graphic one of the best switch exclusive this year, the combat is breathtaking to watch and while playing
  37. 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.
  38. s2ada
    Sep 8, 2019
    1
    Franchement l'un des pires jeux de chez Platinium Games, tout dedans est très mauvais voir nul.
  39. 1011tas
    Sep 20, 2019
    0
    1.畫面太複雜，根本看不到敵人和攻擊，連主角自己的狀態都看不到
    2.背景會擋住主角視線
    3.操作雷基恩移動就不能調視角，失敗 4.按鍵之間有優先順序，動作之間的切換沒有很流暢，常常因為前一個動作沒執行完錯過回避的時機 5.劇情背景很多沒交代，玩完還是一頭霧水 6.錯過小型事件要整節重打 7.一些按鍵設計要按下類比搖桿，但是又沒有很精準 8.對敵人的視角沒有很好調整的機制，打不到想打的敵人，從遊戲很前期就有這個缺陷 9.鎖鍊跳的位置在邊緣的判定有問題，很難完全判斷能不能跳到不會摔落的位置    1.畫面太複雜，根本看不到敵人和攻擊，連主角自己的狀態都看不到
    2.背景會擋住主角視線
    3.操作雷基恩移動就不能調視角，失敗
    4.按鍵之間有優先順序，動作之間的切換沒有很流暢，常常因為前一個動作沒執行完錯過回避的時機
    5.劇情背景很多沒交代，玩完還是一頭霧水
    6.錯過小型事件要整節重打
    7.一些按鍵設計要按下類比搖桿，但是又沒有很精準
    8.對敵人的視角沒有很好調整的機制，打不到想打的敵人，從遊戲很前期就有這個缺陷
    9.鎖鍊跳的位置在邊緣的判定有問題，很難完全判斷能不能跳到不會摔落的位置
  40. 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.
  41. DanielNS87
    Apr 21, 2020
    1
    Awfull game, like all games of platinum, this Japanesse games like a manga or anime are boreed and so fuc...and annoying, the music make a headache, the gameplay its simply bad and the palet of colors are sooooo fu... ugly, this colors have can to provoke a epiletical attack.
  42. Jet76
    Sep 8, 2019
    9
    Buenísimo juego con un aspecto visual muy chulo. Pequeños detalles para no darle un 10, no verse el reflejo en los espejos del baño por ejemplo. Sé que para algunos serán tonterías pero creo q cosas así son las q dan ese punto a los juegos
  43. Phaidros
    Sep 3, 2019
    4
    I am stunned, how the well known sites and reviewers are hyping this game.
    For me it plays like a 10$ game, unpolished and uninspired. Graphics are nice, but that is all.
    Pro:
    - graphics
    Cons:
    - sloppy programmed acting of the characters
    - uninspired story
    - no reason to play it, basically. Predecessors (Bajonetta, Nier Automata) are way better
  44. Lurau
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Just wow such good graphics this amazing Story and one of the best fighting systems ever!
  45. hassan08
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    The more you play this game, the more you'll be amazed.
    So profound and awesome.
  46. FranchuteKikito
    Sep 4, 2019
    3
    This is such a meh game, I can not understand the hype around it, It does not excels in anything, is pretty but no different from many other arts I've seen in other Japanese games, and that this level of graphics are running in 30 fps is just a shame.
  47. devenge
    Sep 1, 2019
    6
    Another J-act game .just like the old ones .It's not fun anymore . only finger pains.
  48. 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
  49. Luis2087
    Aug 31, 2019
    5
    De lo mejor que ha salido en este 2019, y mas considerando que es para una portátil como la switch, en verdad si pueden comprenlo
  50. M4N0R4F43L
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Best game since The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. Amazing job for Platinum games .
  51. rpacoc
    Sep 4, 2019
    0
    Una falta de respeto por borrar las notas. El juego es uno del montón. No destaca en historia haciendola muy predecible. El sistema de combate nada innovador.
  52. Satansibles
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Great characters, world and my god the music is top notch I could chill in neuron HQ all day the tunes are pumping. Most of all the Combat is 10/10. lucky for me in Australia I got my copy a couple days early :) I've put 25hrs in on first play through barely slept now I'm ready for higher difficulty! Lets GO.

    Thankyou Platinum!!!!
  53. Skyward_Hearts
    Sep 3, 2019
    2
    Let me start by saying, no, this isn't a fake review by a Sony fanboy like a lot are claiming all negative reviews are. I am more likely to be a Nintendo fanboy, my favourite games of all time are Nintendo exclusive, the Switch is my favourite console ever, I pretty much only play Switch and PC these days. Not only that, but I am a huge fan of Platinum Games, who I believe are responsibleLet me start by saying, no, this isn't a fake review by a Sony fanboy like a lot are claiming all negative reviews are. I am more likely to be a Nintendo fanboy, my favourite games of all time are Nintendo exclusive, the Switch is my favourite console ever, I pretty much only play Switch and PC these days. Not only that, but I am a huge fan of Platinum Games, who I believe are responsible for some of the best action games ever.

    With that out of the way, let me express how I think this game is utter garbage. First I will list off the positives, as it will be quite quick to get through them all:

    Pros:
    -Interesting world building full of interesting ideas. This is one of the first Platinum Games original IPs that has an intricate and well thought out world design, that doesn't exist solely as an excuse for bombastic action set pieces.

    -Lots of unique and great ideas with combat and exploration using the game's centric gimmick.

    -A distinct visual style with popping colour design.

    Ok, now that's out of the way, let's talk about the negatives, which, in my opinion, is basically everything else:

    -The combat system. Right, so the opening of the game shows you what the combat system is like without the legion gimmick, and I think anyone who would argue this is in any way good is lying. You have one button for attacks and you can dodge out the way. That's essentially as deep as the core combat of your character is, instead of having a super powerful, quick and stylish playable character that feels constantly fun and rewarding, you have a slow, weak and simple human that can't really do a whole lot. Luckily, you are given a legion near the end of the opening, where combat opens up slightly more. Now you have the ability to summon in an assistant who is chained to you, and control where they move. But that is it for now. You get to tell what looks like a fun character where to attack, while you're still stuck being boring. As the game goes on, you get given more and more abilities for your legion and the chain between you is used as a combat mechanic in various ways that are actually quite clever in concept, One of the most fun examples is the way you can make a chain line that acts as an elastic band to fling charging enemies back and stun them. The first time you use it, it feels pretty fun, but eventually, it just becomes a chore to keep doing. Imagine a significantly slower paced version of The Wonderful 101's mechanics. The other thing is you get legion attacks, which you can activate in certain situations or after your one button combos finish. This never seems to go beyond 'press the button' when you see a flash and only seems to add to the flashy visuals than it does to the gameplay. You can also learn parrying, which works similarly to Metal Gear Rising. The game continues like this, where instead of fleshing out your base combat, you're simply given more and more 'extras' to make it more complicated. There are a lot of clever ideas, but they felt more to me like tacked on gimmicks that got in the way of the fun, rather than enhancing it.The entire time I was playing, I was wishing that I would just play as the legion on its own, that actually looks fun. Why is the game getting to have all the fun while I have to deal with the busy work?

    The other huge negative is the camera and lock on controls, which in tight spaces, are **** atrocious. Your view is constantly getting obscured by various objects, walls or other enemies. You can't move the camera manually without locking on to another enemy and changing your camera completely, so you're left relying on the auto lock on to focus on the right thing without getting blocked - which is rare. The developers seemed to know this, so they decided to make the vast majority of the games combat take place is barren, flat and open grey and red areas, sacrificing interesting and varied level design to make the camera more bearable. This ties in to the next criticism:

    The mission and area design. The structure of a mission starts with extremely slow paced, ancient-feeling investigative sections in small and samey urban areas. There is nothing interesting about these sections at all other than a few cool little secrets to find. Other than that, they just serve as a blockade preventing you from just getting to action gameplay at a reasonable pace. Which makes the term 'action-packed' for this game feel quite insulting. Once you finally reach the actual gameplay - the levels are all indistinguishable red and grey cubey areas with very basic and slow paced platforming that feels straight out of a bad PS2 era game, mixed with lite and uninteresting puzzle solving, with a few combat encounters here and there. I honestly feel anyone who describes this game as 'action-packed' is spitefully lying to you. It's slow, awkward, clumsy and altogether all these ideas come together in a poorly executed mess.

    Hugely disappointed.    … Expand
  54. gunk91
    Sep 4, 2019
    1
    No comprendo a la gente que está tan contenta con este juego. Va completamente a tirones y me ha crasheado varias veces, la historia no tiene ningún sentido, es completamente infumable.

    A ver si tengo suerte y no borran mi review por ser negativa, ya que gastarste 50€ en esto es tirar el dinero completamente.
  55. tygerjoe
    Sep 5, 2019
    0
    I traded it in after playing for several hours. Exploration is a bore and using the astral chain is clunky. Rumor is it gets better but I want willing to put any more time into this game. Traded in within the first week. Buyer beware. Rating game too low because others are rating it too high. Visuals are great but gameplay is most important to me.
  56. kerunker
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Stylish and amazing combat action to fight with Legion
    Investigation part also a good accent
    Good music & beautiful animations
    2019 Game of the Year Candidates    … Expand
  57. Heero
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    -It looks awesome, mainly in portable mode -The game is fun, interesting characters, interesting world, no 10-minute cinematics -Music is great, excites fighting and is nice to hear
  58. Neatqt
    Nov 10, 2019
    3
    Cast: 2/10
    Story: 2/10
    Fun: 2/10
    Gameplay: 4/10

    Not Recommended
    ----------------------
  59. 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
  60. Carck10
    Aug 31, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Lo he visto i esta excelenten es un gran juego selos recomiendo,lo estoy pensando en aquerirlo para hecharme unas viciadas¡¡¡… Expand
  61. 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
  62. BrapBrapPewPew
    Sep 2, 2019
    3
    This is a game about making circles... its aggressively mediocre. Boring and bland. What happened? How is this popular? It looks worse than some phone games. I'm disappointed I spent the money for it, was really excited actually. Love the bayonetta series, why did they waste their time on this.
  63. DandelionJam
    Aug 31, 2019
    5
    Combat is flat and tedious, you rely on AI and button mash. The art style is passionless and derivative. The protagonists and main characters are flat and uninteresting and the story is predictable and makes little sense. This is not a character-action game because it has no character and dull action.
  64. XB0
    Aug 30, 2019
    1
    ¿Qué se puede decir de Astral Chain?
    Antes de que uno lo probara puede decir muchas cosas ya que el desarrollador no es nadie más que Platinum Games.
    Comenzaré con los puntos buenos. El apartado artístico es bueno (No lo mejor que he visto, pero ahí está) Ahora los puntos malos (Si eres fanboy de Platinum o Nintendo mejor busque otra review que le haya puesto 10 sin haberlo jugado)    ¿Qué se puede decir de Astral Chain?
    Antes de que uno lo probara puede decir muchas cosas ya que el desarrollador no es nadie más que Platinum Games.
    Comenzaré con los puntos buenos.
    El apartado artístico es bueno (No lo mejor que he visto, pero ahí está)
    Ahora los puntos malos (Si eres fanboy de Platinum o Nintendo mejor busque otra review que le haya puesto 10 sin haberlo jugado)

    Prosigo
    Uno después de jugar NieR: Automata uno esperaba una historia sobresaliente, ya que al parecer se veia que cada título hecho por Platinum iba mejorando progresivamente. A mí parecer la historia peca de ser simplona y no te exige para nada el entenderla. (Para alguien casual supongo que la historia estará bien)
    Algo que hace por ejemplo muy amado a la saga Devil May Cry es el carisma de los personajes ya que estos te generan una empatía que te dan ganas de seguir jugando cosa que no pasa en Astral Chain, ya que muchos llegan a ser planos y monótonos cosa que no ayuda mucho a la rejugabilidad por espantarnos con ello.
    Los puzzles del juego tienden a ser repetitivos y muy poco interesantes. Este aspecto no contribuye mucho al gameplay, cosa que solo genera bajar la calidad del mismo.
    Siento mucho reciclaje en el uso de escenarios. Si bien reutilizar uno que otro escenario no está mal, aquí pudieron haberlo hecho mejor más que todo por el género.
    El diseño de personajes se me es muy genérico y eso es muy negativo ya que el juego no podrá ser muy memorable ni siquiera por ese apartado
    Algo muy importante en los hack & slash es la fluidez y que este juego vaya a 30fps es sin duda un gran handicap para la jugabilidad. Hay que ser muy necio para decir que los 60fps no son necesarios aquí y muy hater para decir que otros juegos (que no requieren 60fps) van a 30.

    Otras pegas:
    - La cámara
    - Las investigaciones entorpecen el ritmo del juego
    - Clichés

    Conclusión: Astral Chain llega a ser un videojuego que al final de todo no está muy seguro de qué quiere lograr. El gameplay llega a ser desordenado para los casuals a lo que me parece que el juego está más enfocado por su historia y sus pausas con mecánicas simples y aburridas. Además de no lograr los 60fps que en este género si se requieren.
    Personajes planos que solo lograran que Astral Chain sea un juego olvidable a menos que se te venga a la mente el apartado artístico, aunque en el diseño de personajes y niveles no se llega a apreciar el mismo. Una decepción para lo que puede ofrecer el equipo de Platinum.
    Este es el peor trabajo de Platinum Games después del de las tortugas ninja, ya que en este tuvieron libertad en el desarrollo cosa que no se pudo en el juego de Activision, una pena.
    Si quieres jugar un buen hack & slash ahí tienes a Devil May Cry V, Bayonetta 2 o NieR que valen 1000 veces la pena más que este juego.    … Expand
  65. Fumiko
    Sep 3, 2019
    0
    Barely 30fps action game with a silent/bland protagonist, bad graphics, forgettable story and mediocore combat. Just bad.
  66. Alextreme80
    Sep 3, 2019
    0
    Un juego.mas del montón de switch en lo personal no me gustó.....eso sin contar a nivel gráfico deja mucho que desear...en fin
  67. SnakeLeon
    Sep 4, 2019
    2
    LLevo ya más de 20 horas de juego, la intención es buena, pero mal ejecutada, no se siente la misma sensación frenética de otros Hack and Slash, el gameplay al estar a 30fps se siente muy poco fluído, un hack and slash siempre debe ir a 60fps, es lo que han hecho todos los buenos referentes del género. En un RPG por turnos no afecta, o en juegos de aventura, pero en juegos de este géneroLLevo ya más de 20 horas de juego, la intención es buena, pero mal ejecutada, no se siente la misma sensación frenética de otros Hack and Slash, el gameplay al estar a 30fps se siente muy poco fluído, un hack and slash siempre debe ir a 60fps, es lo que han hecho todos los buenos referentes del género. En un RPG por turnos no afecta, o en juegos de aventura, pero en juegos de este género es indispensable.
    Otra queja es que tiene mucho input lag el juego, y aunque la historia es muy buena, el gameplay defrauda bastante, ojalá mejore después con un parche o algo. Yo lo venderé y jugaré algo más por el momento.    … Expand
  68. Romangelo
    Sep 2, 2019
    0
    I'm not giving it a zero because "Not on PS4" like some people, but the game literally crashed my Switch. It's unplayable to me.
  69. MrWonderful32
    Sep 1, 2019
    3
    In my 20 plus years of gaming I never seen such an overhyped and overrated game such as Astral Chain, the initial first hour of the game is so slow pace that almost made me stop playing, the framerate is God awful, theres framepacing issues all over the place, the pacing of the game has no direction as it seems to be fluffed up with meaningless busy work, the graphics are okay but theIn my 20 plus years of gaming I never seen such an overhyped and overrated game such as Astral Chain, the initial first hour of the game is so slow pace that almost made me stop playing, the framerate is God awful, theres framepacing issues all over the place, the pacing of the game has no direction as it seems to be fluffed up with meaningless busy work, the graphics are okay but the whole "Cell shaded " look is played out already and it's mostly used to Hide the switch's shortcomings, the whole Cell shaded look is pretty outdated by today's standards, ....yes it was great on zelda botw but now its just redundant and getting old, in conclusion...Astral Chain is just not worth the asking price as it plays more like a budget tittle than its AAA price suggests.… Expand
  70. Rochter
    Sep 2, 2019
    0
    Switch died during a Fight on Chapter 8.
    Started slowing down really hard and overheated. Looked nice at least... But a Dead switch...
  71. Xingshouaguai
    Sep 3, 2019
    1
    The gameplay is really bad in TV mode,gameplay is worse than NieR Automata's
  72. Lewonski
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Joguei o Astral Chain por 3 horas e já considero um dos melhores jogos disponíveis no switch. As batalhas são bem elaboradas e frenéticas, a historia também é legal e te cativa a continuar jogando. Em minha opinião é quase uma obrigação ter esse jogo se você tiver um switch
  73. Klansterjander
    Sep 7, 2019
    1
    After finishing the game and giving it a chance, I can give an appropriate opinion with knowledge about this game. For my taste it has been long, heavy, boring and repetitive, I have not liked the graphics and the game mechanics very thick. With all this I do not recommend it at all and I give it a 1 of total note. Dont Buy this game people.
  74. Hyperbeam
    Aug 30, 2019
    0
    It’s a rare occasion that I have complete disdain for something while also heavy admiration for its creators. But here that only serves to heighten my dissatisfaction: astral chain is inadequate because, while not bad*, it has glaring, obvious faults:

    Unintelligible combat - with the acception of some bosses every combat sequence is too busy with enemies acting independently contrasting    It’s a rare occasion that I have complete disdain for something while also heavy admiration for its creators. But here that only serves to heighten my dissatisfaction: astral chain is inadequate because, while not bad*, it has glaring, obvious faults:

    Unintelligible combat - with the acception of some bosses every combat sequence is too busy with enemies acting independently contrasting each other in a cacophony(sic?) of overlapping overlysimple monotony. And the combat mechanics are completely interchangable removing the development or necessity of any skill.

    Horrible dialogue/ voice acting - The characters have no personality or charisma. The lines are often highly illogical with the overal conclusion of each interaction conflicting characters haphazardly built up individualty betraying a sense of vacancy on the writers part. And the voice acting is equally robotic and contrived highlighted by being programmed disjointedly contributing to an overall sense of such flagrant carelessness it’s offensive.

    Bad visuals - the game has an attractive art style, but the environments are extremely repetitive and bland. The only saving grace here is the boss design

    Conclusion: the developers chose a cash grab at the expensive of the customers value. Why play astral chain? Because there’s nothing better to do. But there is

    *(in my opinion for a game to be bad it needs to be nearly empty or extremely sensually abrasive)    … Expand
  75. Nihon
    Aug 30, 2019
    3
    If you want a good action game buy Bayonetta, Nier Automata or MGR. This game has none depth.
  76. Lohenwolf
    Aug 30, 2019
    3
    30 FPS action game. In honesty there shouldn't be anything else to say but I can go the extra mile in telling you why you should stay away from this game, or at the very least dissuade you from paying full price for it. They decided to not let the game speak for itself and will flood you will cinematic shots and anime set pieces that distract away from the actual gameplay (which on it's30 FPS action game. In honesty there shouldn't be anything else to say but I can go the extra mile in telling you why you should stay away from this game, or at the very least dissuade you from paying full price for it. They decided to not let the game speak for itself and will flood you will cinematic shots and anime set pieces that distract away from the actual gameplay (which on it's own is pretty good). If they removed how many times the game decides to interrupt the flow of gameplay it would have been much better. Purchase it on sale if you really have to or try to borrow it from a friend since its only like 15 hours long.… Expand
  77. CaptPease
    Sep 2, 2019
    3
    Couldn’t get it to work at first. After 3 hours of customer service with a woman who definitely hates my guts, I finally got to play the game. It was buggy, generic, and had a lackluster story. Extremely disappointed, was looking forward to this game awhile now.
  78. MaroBaro
    Aug 31, 2019
    3
    I was very excited for this game however it is fairly disappointing.

    Technically the game is a mess. It runs with 30FPS like many have said and that sucks, but the larger issue is that the FOV is tiny which is a huge problem fighting mobs as you are supposed to fling your legion at enemies, then jump to it at a precise moment... however the camera rarely actually points at where you are    I was very excited for this game however it is fairly disappointing.

    Technically the game is a mess. It runs with 30FPS like many have said and that sucks, but the larger issue is that the FOV is tiny which is a huge problem fighting mobs as you are supposed to fling your legion at enemies, then jump to it at a precise moment... however the camera rarely actually points at where you are flinging him. this is why people say the bosses are most enjoyable because you can just target them and more or less the camera will stick to them but for 90% of fights you are fighting at least 3-4 enemies at a time and it is a mess... and you are doing it all in 30FPS. i guess what i am saying is that the fighting, which is by far the main attraction, ends up as a button masher.

    The structure of the game doesn't fare much better although that is mostly a matter of taste, and my taste don't like it :) For a hack and slash action game there are long stretches without actual hacking and slashing.

    During half of the game you end up solving mundane puzzles that are not very thematic. basically most of the puzzles in this game will be right at home in BOTW for instance. seriously, stepping on 2 panes to unlock the next section, have to hit 3 flying balls at the same time to open the next section. simple and uninspired.

    puzzles in action games really break the flow too. for instance you go to training and you get tutorials for all those cool and useful fighting stuff, and next mission was to have to talk to every person in a city block. the mission didn't mark who i need to talk to (just who i have talked to) so I spend the next 45 minutes, ended up watching an youtube video) because there was this kid in a corner not marked in any way, that i had to press A next to.

    Or a little later, I am fighting, its good, then I they tell me i have to hit 3 moving balls at the same time. That took a few tries and completely ruined the pacing of the whole level, which was already ruined because there is a dumb puzzle between every fight.

    And a lot of bosses are puzzles in themselves, like a mario boss. you have to do specific things to be able to hurt the boss. there is no creativity, just use this skill in this exact way and then you can do dmg for a few seconds, rinse and repeat 20 to 30 times.

    in a way the combat is not even that original as it is basically DMC5 crow character, the guy that doesn't fight directly you know but uses animals and stuff.

    overall, i think the game is a technical failure and whatever good design may exist I for one could not get to it. i still have strong respect for platinum games and will pre-order their next game no questions asked. they are trying new things, it just doesn't always work out.    … Expand
  79. AceAscendus
    Sep 9, 2019
    4
    30fps... lmao, this game is overrated and mediocre, just another cheap and uninspired side project for Nintendo by Platinum Games. Astral Chain, Bayonetta 3, Babylon's Fall are all being worked on at the same time by B-Team members and are small side projects to scam idiots out of their money, that is why Kamiya is not involved with them. Platinum game has 2 MAIN projects that are both30fps... lmao, this game is overrated and mediocre, just another cheap and uninspired side project for Nintendo by Platinum Games. Astral Chain, Bayonetta 3, Babylon's Fall are all being worked on at the same time by B-Team members and are small side projects to scam idiots out of their money, that is why Kamiya is not involved with them. Platinum game has 2 MAIN projects that are both currently secret and being designed for next generation consoles, these are the real GOOD games we will see from Platinum Games and Platinum Games have stated that they will own these IPs and want to become a proper independent studio, similar to From Software and Capcom. We are going to see great things from Platinum Games. So these two next gen titles will be PC/PS5/XboxScarlet multi-platform games.… Expand
  80. Radamanthys777
    Sep 6, 2019
    2
    -Bad story
    -Too easy
    -Bad optimization
    -Bad graphics
    -Goes at 30 fps
    -In short it is a mediocre game
  81. RpgGuru
    Sep 3, 2019
    1
    Totally dissapointed not an open world, very repetitive, 60 usd very expensive, low resolution and low frame rate on portable mode.on switch
  82. justin_cantrell
    Aug 31, 2019
    0
    So tired of Nintendo games being cell shaded, first Breath Of The Wild, Fire Emblem, now **** Chain, Stop with everything being Cell Shaded. What's next Metroid Prime 4 being cell shaded? Done with it.
  83. IvanUrrego
    Sep 3, 2019
    1
    The game is short, 9 hours I finished and easy, the story is very linear, I expected something else.
  84. ZeLegend
    Aug 30, 2019
    0
    Awful, awful. Do not recommend. The combat is not as cool as the trailers made it seem. Characters are boring and uninspired. The controls are hit and miss. Do not buy.
  85. xyztrainer
    Sep 1, 2019
    1
    Annoying combat features (slowing down), ugly graphics/character design looking pixelated, bland characters and predictable typical anime story. Just returned the game half-way in. Not everyone who gave this game a low rating was because it's an exclusive tbh. Just personally unenjoyable.
  86. solomonsdemon
    Aug 31, 2019
    0
    Horrible combat with a lot of stopping, pausing, flashing and limitations, Summoning and fighting against an enemy has a lot of interruptions some are QTE-segments breaking the flow of combat the Legions are clunky to control, character moveset is poor compared to the like of bayonetta, MGRR etc. and the poor stealth mechanic that shouldn't be in game. The game runs 30fps with enemiesHorrible combat with a lot of stopping, pausing, flashing and limitations, Summoning and fighting against an enemy has a lot of interruptions some are QTE-segments breaking the flow of combat the Legions are clunky to control, character moveset is poor compared to the like of bayonetta, MGRR etc. and the poor stealth mechanic that shouldn't be in game. The game runs 30fps with enemies having huge hitboxes, the story, quest, voice acting,cenimatics etc. the gameplay in general is not as good as most platinum games all in all not worth it!… Expand
  87. switchplayer
    Sep 2, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I played this game and returned it the next day for less than half of what I payed because I don't like tedious button mashing, I don't like long time to kills, and i especially don't like playing a grunting sidekick who has to kill his/her own sibling(who is the actual hero).
    What's more, I don't like professional Nintendo review sites saying people giving this game a low score are jealous because they don't have Switches. I do but that doesn't mean I have to like this game. If it weren't for the M.S.M. I never would have left this review to refute them. Good job!    … Expand
  88. pucp1998
    Aug 30, 2019
    1
    Astral Chain is The Little Engine That Couldn't become a Nier: Automata.
    It was a good try, though. Maybe in a better platform with not that many limitations.
  89. amedzone
    Sep 4, 2019
    0
    Bad game and boring nothing special about it it just hack and slash game with boring storyline
  90. alucard5
    Sep 6, 2019
    0
    I don’t like the colors of this game. The gameplay is not very appealing. I am very disappointed, maybe I would give it better score if it was much cheaper. I don’t understand why many were excited about this.
  91. DopaminE
    Sep 18, 2019
    7
    + Combat system
    + Art Style
    + OST
    - Investigate
    - Side Quest
    - NPC Dialogue
    - Riding Beast Legion
  92. evands
    Dec 12, 2021
    3
    Huge repetitive mess!!! It doesnt know when to end. Like 7 times I thought the game would end and then it starts all over again. The director was having ideas everyday and inserting as he pleased.

    It doesnt know if it is a action hack'n slash, or rpg or stealth. Mix all them together and you have a boring repetitive (including the music) game. story is cliche AF. even naruto didnt    Huge repetitive mess!!! It doesnt know when to end. Like 7 times I thought the game would end and then it starts all over again. The director was having ideas everyday and inserting as he pleased.

    It doesnt know if it is a action hack'n slash, or rpg or stealth. Mix all them together and you have a boring repetitive (including the music) game.

    story is cliche AF. even naruto didnt have so many cheesy dialogues and predictable story points. You play the chapters already knowing the boss doesnt die and will come back later.

    All the good score were made by people that played 3 to 5 hours max, and all of them say they will come back to play the game later and just give high score fo this **** Even critics didnt finish this game or got to half of it to realize how bad this exclusive game is.

    Buy for 20 bucks if you can, Not worth full price.    … Expand
  93. 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
  94. MiracSpectac
    Sep 6, 2019
    7
    Having read so many conflicting things about this game before release, I was really apprehensive to pick it up. However, I'm glad I did. Being a fan of both Nier and Bayonetta, I really appreciated the "middle of the road" approach to combat in this game. It's really simple enough to feel uninhibited but makes every fight somehow feel like some epic challenge. This is really where the gameHaving read so many conflicting things about this game before release, I was really apprehensive to pick it up. However, I'm glad I did. Being a fan of both Nier and Bayonetta, I really appreciated the "middle of the road" approach to combat in this game. It's really simple enough to feel uninhibited but makes every fight somehow feel like some epic challenge. This is really where the game shines, but everything else is just OK, nothing too special here. The story is fairly uninteresting beyond some fun characters and the features of the game, like customization and upgrades, are pretty bare bones. This definitely could've benefitted from some more time in the cooker, but it's still a fun game that will hopefully see an even better sequel.… Expand
  95. MetaMach
    Sep 4, 2019
    10
    One of the best games made by Platinum. Congrats for Nintendo for his new IP!
  96. Valkeers
    Sep 1, 2019
    9
    (Disclaimer: English isnt my mother tongue, i'm doing my best to express my thoughts tough.)

    Normally i'd be the first to moan about 30 fps in action games (I literally couldnt play Bloodborne without the motion plus setting on my tv) That being said this game just works for me. It feels really smooth to actually(!) play and doesnt hurt my eyes even after several hours. I also    (Disclaimer: English isnt my mother tongue, i'm doing my best to express my thoughts tough.)

    Normally i'd be the first to moan about 30 fps in action games (I literally couldnt play Bloodborne without the motion plus setting on my tv) That being said this game just works for me.
    It feels really smooth to actually(!) play and doesnt hurt my eyes even after several hours.

    I also really dont get people complaining about bad graphics and cell shading either.
    First off all: This game is running on tablet hardware, which also needs to run portable without draining the complete battery in 15 minutes.
    Some concessions have to be made, and everyone owning a Switch knows this. Its also not like every cell shaded art style looks the same.
    This one imo is surely on the cooler side, with some a lot off cool inbetween steps on rounded surfaces, cool particle effects and such. All of this also really helps selling this unique style of cyberpunk to me. And maybe, just maybe, these sly "issues" with fidelity even help with that, as everything about this aesthetic is digital glitches and pixelation.

    As for the soundtrack: It's simply amazing. It's just the right kind of music to go with every moment and set piece. Especially the combat themes are superb to me.
    It's all a cool blend between what i would call scifi-electro stuff, and cool metal guitar riffs.
    I own the collectors edition with the soundtrack, and i'm really looking forward to having many of these tracks come into play later in the game.

    Now to the gameplay side. I'm about 4 hours in and the game really starts to open up in the gameplay variety department. You get introduced to new legions (kinda the main "weapons" in this game), customization and updgrade options, new combos and new ways to use the chain mechanic in a really good pace. I also really appreciate how the game manages to coherently splice many mechanics from other games into it. The game really feels like a "platinum games best of" in that regard. And all of this doesnt feel shoehorned to me.

    At last i want to talk about the "weeby" characters and story. This game is an unapologetic loveletter to classic anime, and i love the game for it.
    Do many character stereotypes look familiar and one dimensional? Yes. Are the dialoges often corny as hell? Yes. Does the story feel like every shonen anime ever smashed together? Yes.
    Yet i enjoy every second of it. It's still just so entertaining to experience and have fun with. You'll never know what crazy Thing happens next. Nothing more to say really. (as i wouldnt want to spoil stuff)

    To summarize: I really, really like this 30fps, cellshaded, lofi, piece of badass anime-cyberpunk trash for all that it is. And i'm really looking forward to playing much more of it.    … Expand
  97. VTL
    Sep 24, 2019
    8
    Jugavilidad totalmente impecable, es de Platinium, no esperava menos. Lo unico que me chascarrea es la historia, algo predecible a mi gusto. Sin duda uno de los mejores juegos de este año sin duda y un gran gran reto en el modo de juego más dificil. Juego para rato si quieres rejugar y conseguir el 100%.
  98. Titan897
    Sep 22, 2019
    7
    Alla lunga un po' ripetitivo. In compenso il gameplay e la trama non è male, però non vedevo l'ora di finirlo (Ed è durato solo 25 ore cercando di raccogliere più roba possibile)
    Ero indeciso tra 7 e 8, ho scelto 7, ma avrei messo 7,5 potendo.
  99. Brokenchikara
    Sep 4, 2019
    7
    Me he terminado Astral Chain en unas 25-26 horas. Os comentaré mi experiencia:
    JUGABILIDAD 8
    Al principio es una mierda simplísima. Hasta las 10 horas es bastante meh la jugabilidad y los 30 fps no ayudan para nada. Si fuera a 60 fps la jugabilidad y el manejo de la legión (los bichos con cadenas) se haría mucho más ágil e intuitivo. Después de superar las 10 horas el gameplay mejora con    Me he terminado Astral Chain en unas 25-26 horas. Os comentaré mi experiencia:
    JUGABILIDAD 8
    Al principio es una mierda simplísima. Hasta las 10 horas es bastante meh la jugabilidad y los 30 fps no ayudan para nada. Si fuera a 60 fps la jugabilidad y el manejo de la legión (los bichos con cadenas) se haría mucho más ágil e intuitivo. Después de superar las 10 horas el gameplay mejora con todas las habilidades que has conseguido (si las quieres todas hay que farmear misiones, una cagada a mi parecer). Hay mecánicas de algunas legiones que usarás 4 veces contadas durante el juego. Los bosses han ido mejorando según avanzaba el juego y me han gustado mucho los bosses finales de la segunda mitad del juego. Pero nada de esto quita que al principio el juego se me ha hecho insufrible por lo monótono que resultaba todo.
    Las fases de infiltración son de lo peor del juego con diferencia por lo aburridas que resultan.
    La dificultad en normal es de chiste, no he muerto ni una sola vez en todo el juego porque puedes abusar muchas mecánicas que te da el juego para no morir.
    La personalización de tu avatar es muy limitada en cuanto a indumentaria se refiere (y los accesorios son feos de cojones).
    Al final, todo se centra en saber mover la cadena de tu legión cuando toca y qué combos lanzar en cada enemigo. Hablando de los combos, es difícil memorizarlos porque en lugar de combinaciones de botones tienes que mover el analógico y pulsar el gatillo.

    Al final, no puedo decir que el gameplay no me ha gustado porque hacer combos con las distintas legiones es divertido y algunos bosses son sencillamente brutales. ¿Es un mal juego? NO, EN ABSOLUTO. ¿Es una obra maestra? TAMPOCO, está un escalón por debajo de otro títulos como Nier Automata.

    Por último, se me ha hecho bastante incómodo jugar en portátil por los controles del juego ya que se corre apretando el gatillo (lo que sería el L3 en la PS4) y se me hace incómodo al no jugar con mando.

    HISTORIA 5
    Es esencia, la historia me ha parecido super cutre y genérica. Parece la típica historia creada por un adolescente con las hormonas por las nubes y que cree que las explosiones son lo mejor que ha parido la humanidad. En el segundo tramo del juego mejora bastante porque había margen de mejora pero ya os digo, una mierda predecible desde el minuto 1. No me ha gustado el trato que han dado a ciertos personajes del juego que desaparecen de la misma sin razón aparente.

    Un fallo muy grave que le he encontrado es que el personaje que controlamos no tiene voz, es un avatar sin personalidad ni carisma alguno. Sinceramente creo que sobraba tanta personalización del avatar en este juego porque al final ni me he fijado en mi avatar mientras jugaba porque el juego intenta hacer que la historia te interese y a mi por lo menos no ha sido así. Si hubiera habido diálogos pues a lo mejor otro gallo cantaría.

    Además el reciclaje de escenarios es abusivo porque he llegado a visitar las mismas zonas hasta 3 veces en menos de 25 horas. Hay algunas zonas mejores que otras lógicamente por la narrativa.

    Conclusión, no esperes un Nier Automata o que se te caigan los huevos al suelo porque todo lo ves venir.

    SONIDO 8
    Hasta la mitad del juego la banda sonora me ha parecido pasable, aceptable; nada que ver con Nier Automata que es un orgasmo auditivo constantemente. Con esto quiero decir que las canciones buenas de verdad las puedes contar con los dedos de la mano. Por otro lado, los efectos de sonido son bastante buenos.

    GRÁFICOS 6
    Me han decepcionado bastante. Esperaba muchos mejores gráficos. Me ha recordado a los juegos de Telltale Games por lo raro que se veían los personajes. Las legiones se ven bastante bien eso si. No se ve mal en absoluto pero esperaba mucho más después de todo el hype que rodeaba el juego. En portátil tiene un bajón de calidad que se aprecia fácilmente. Los 720p y los 30 fps lastran la experiencia que podría haber brindado los 60 fps que he reiterado que le hacen falta en mi mini análisis. El diseño artístico es bueno, aunque reciclan diseños de jefes con un reskin de color en muchas ocasiones.

    NOTA FINAL: 6.75 ≈ 7

    A Nier Automata por ejemplo le daría un 9,5 para que comparéis y veáis mi vara de medir. Si me he dejado algo preguntádmelo y os lo contaré en base a mi experiencia.    … Expand
  100. Animegroove
    Nov 12, 2019
    10
    juego digno de platinum games

    un juego frenetico de accion para nintendo switch

    recomendado
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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.
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