Astral Chain Reviews
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 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 everything that’s right about Platinum, reflecting the fresh, quirky, gunslinging mentality that the studio displays in its best works. Part Bayonetta and part Pokemon with a heavy sprinkling of police sci-fi in between, Astral Chain is a breath of fresh air in an industry typically dominated by sequels and familiar formulas. Free time sections could be a bit more dialed down and the Legion combat can be a handful at times. Overall, though, Astral Chain marks a promising start to what will hopefully be a new franchise.
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.
Astral Chain features a perfectly realized world filled with wonderful characters and awesome architecture. It runs perfect on the Nintendo Switch and looks stellar, too. The predictable story is one of the only faults of this over-the-top, incredibly fun action game.
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
There are a lot of good ideas displayed in Astral Chain but very little is well executed. A sequel with improvements could be exciting
Astral Chain is a wonderfully fun and ambitious action title with a great gameplay hook that improves the more you master the basics. It's yet another example of why PlatinumGames continues to be one of the best in crafting a unique action-adventure hack-and-slash.
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.
Astral Chain keeps the level of style that has come to be associated with PlatinumGames, and it’s most evident in the combat.
In short, Astral Chain is fast, intense, stylish, beautiful, atmospheric and frustrating, it's nowhere near perfect but it's perfect enough in the impression it lives after you're done playing. This is one of the most technically impressive and fun experiences you can find on the Nintendo Switch and at this point, it's safe to say that it's a must-own, as it's easily one of the best games of 2019.
What I wanted is there, and it’s good. There’s just so much more, and I love it all.
Astral Chain is a different take on Platinum Games' proven formula, so much so that it still deserves to be given a chance if you're a fan of their previous works. Although the battles never quite reach the same level of finesse and variety as in Bayonetta, there are still a couple of opportunities in the game that are really close. Especially during confrontations with the bigger bosses.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
Astral Chain is one of the best Hack 'n' Slash titles in recent years and a reliable asset for Nintendo to help them in Console war.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Astral Chain is a unique and beautiful game that excels at what it’s trying to do. It’s one of the best games of the year so far, and it makes me excited to see what the studio will come up with next.
Since the moment Astral Chain was teased for the Nintendo Switch, I’ll be the first to admit this was a game I wasn’t going to just enjoy, but one I knew would be a must-have heavy hitter. From its visuals to its gameplay elements, it hasn’t disappointed, and it stands out rather well among its peers.
It may not be PlatinumGames' finest title, but it's definitely a fun time for any Switch owners looking for their next blood-pumping action title.
As it is now, Astral Chain is a great action game with a few blemishes. It might not be perfect, but it should be a high priority for any Switch owners, and fans of the action genre as a whole.
Astral Chain definitely falls within the higher tiers of Platinum Games’ offerings. It boasts a wholly unique and fully-realized gameplay mechanic, above-average world-building and characters straight out of animé, a memorable soundtrack, and more than enough replay value, all glistened with a coat of polish that will have you itching for more, even once you’ve completed its twenty-odd-hour campaign.
While it falls into some trappings both general and unique, its inspired design choices in combat and the wealth of customization it provides makes the game stand out even amongst other Nintendo published titles. It can be intimidating at times, but Astral Chain is a game anyone with a Switch should be investigating for themselves.