Astral Chain Reviews
Astral Chain delivers the full PlatinumGames package while revising a number of gameplay elements that allow more players to appreciate the studio's love for combat.
Astral Chain is one of my favourite games that I’ve played recently, largely because of its combat system. It’s incredibly fast-paced, satisfying, and deep, especially when you get comfortable enough with the system to start going out of your way to explore it. There are so many options at your disposal, and none of them feel bad to use or extraneous, even if certain things feel a bit cumbersome at first. That isn’t to say that the game is perfect, considering the somewhat ill-advised stealth segments, unreliable Chain Jump, and woefully underutilized motorcycle, but I think the stellar combat makes up for those shortcomings. If you enjoyed the gameplay in the other work of Hideki Kamiya – such as Bayonetta and Devil May Cry – or Taura’s previous work Nier: Automata, Astral Chain will likely be right up your alley. It’s well worth the $59.99 USD for the over 30 hours and counting it’s offered me so far, and it’ll be much more before I find everything hidden in the various stages. Even if some of the more auxiliary mechanics may fall short, Astral Chain is still one of the best action games I’ve played in quite some time.
Part RPG, part open-world quest-a-thon, but mostly an action game with a pretty neat tag-team mechanic that takes a while to master, Astral Chain is anything but a slog. In essence, Takahisa is clearly taking the diversity and open-ended nature of his past game and putting it all here in this Nintendo Switch title. Next to Splatoon, this is definitely one of Nintendo's best new IPs in a long, long while.
In many ways, Astral Chain manages to have a big range and targets different types of players, no matter which genre (or genres) it implies that it belongs to.
Review in Greek | Read full review
A one of a kind combat experience and Platinum’s most well-rounded adventure to date. A killer combo in every sense of the term.
Astral Chain turned out, undoubtedly, a very pleasant surprise. The ability to amalgamate different types of games, a multifaceted Combat System and able to show all the capabilities of Platinum Games in the sector, has given life to a peculiar Hack And Slash, solid and damn fun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Astral Chain is an ambitious game that gives players almost too many options. Whether you decide to stick to the captivating storyline or want to fill up your photo album with pictures of your Neuron co-workers or decide to clean up the streets of all that pesky Red Shift (that only you can see), you'll easily lose yourself in the beautiful world of the game. Astral Chain pushes the boundaries of what an action game can be, but it doesn't get so experimental that it loses sight of its goal -- which is to present an intriguing and layered story while giving players lots of horrifying monsters to kill.
Astral Chain is a gem that—despite its flaws—prospers on two points that are as salient as they come where games are concerned: originality and fun.
Astral Chain is PlatinumGames newest adrenaline shot, that's clearly inspired by a lot of previous titles from the studio. It takes the best of out of all those games and delivers a kick-ass adventure that's a must play for the fans.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
PlatinumGames have shown yet again why they are masters of the action-adventure genre. Astral Chain delivers a fun and engaging story that is enhanced with fast paced combat with a unique tethering mechanic. It’s a game that’s right at home on the Nintendo Switch. If you’re a fan of PlatinumGame’s previous offerings or like games with anime art directions and tropes you’re going to have a lot of fun with Astral Chain.
With a perfect blend of high-octane action and enjoyable laidback moments in-between, Astral Chain presents a masterfully immersive campaign.
Given your character's role as a police officer, I found the gradual de-emphasizing of the investigation mechanics to be a tad disappointing. A few areas of the visual design could also use work, but they'll hardly affect enjoyment of the game. Ultimately, what we're left with is one of the most exciting and original action games on Switch, if not the most.
Astral Chain really is another classic from Platinum Games with top notch combat system, beautiful art and interesting story.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
So, it goes without saying that I recommend Astral Chain to all fans of PlatinumGames' work since it takes everything that makes most of their games special but adds a unique flavor that will remind you why it is such a beloved studio. Also, I consider it an appropriate title for the owners of a Switch who are in search of something frantic and novel.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Astral Chain is both beautiful and mesmerising. You’re not likely to come across a better action gameplay system for quite some time – likely until PlatinumGames’ own next effort. Truly this is a developer that understands the principles of movement in action better than any, and while its games might struggle in other areas to meet the brilliance of the action, every second with that action is satisfying, exciting, and a very pure form of entertainment.
Platinum delivers another winner with Astral Chain. Fans of fast-paced action games shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up.
Home to an incredibly immersive world and the best combat on the Nintendo Switch, Astral Chain is a must-play not only for fans of the genre, but the medium as a whole. It is a title that understands the importance of balancing gameplay, story, and style without ever sacrificing substance for anything else. It's more accessible than most PlatinumGames titles without ever having to compromise its core mechanics. The slower start may alienate potential fans but sticking with Astral Chain leads to a surprisingly thematic script, incredibly deep combat, and what might be Platinum's best game to date.
All in all, Astral Chain is a solid and enjoyable action-RPG. It suffers from a lot of Platinum Games' most common problems, such as poor instructions for basic gameplay and an over-reliance on minigames, but the charm and enjoyment of the core game more than make up for that once you get past the rough opening. It's not quite up the highs of a Bayonetta or Nier Automata, but it's worth playing for fans of the company or those looking for a fun action-RPG on the Switch.
Astral Chain is one of the most unusual and awesome games of this year. It has incredible and deep battle system, nice plot and a huge variety of missions, most of which use unique mechanics. This game will suck your free time like a black hole.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Astral Chain, in short, is one of the best games of the year and one of the finest action games ever made.