Astral Chain Reviews
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.
Pick it up, kill some monsters, crack a Monster, enjoy yourself. This is a video game, and video games are meant to be fun. Mission accomplished Platinum Games.
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.
Astral Chain is the latest and most accomplished model of PlatinumGames' ability to combine stylish action with player agency and accessibility. Exhausted storytelling and haphazard platforming also continue to underline their limitations. If Nier: Automata sought balance between power and ambience, Astral Chain finds power in power. It's a pure, grandiose spectacle.
While Astral Chain‘s storyline is filled with anime archetypes and familiar plot tropes, it all works well as an overall experience.
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 is a detective story of the near future, a game with a crazy rhythm and direction. However it is around the gravitational field of his combat system that sensational qualities and unexpected flaws rotate. We're still talking about a memorable, amusing, tachycardic experience, doped by a techno-aesthetic power that flexes Switch's muscles like only Nintendo managed to do. Despite certain flaws endemic to their work (unmanageable camera on all), PlatinumGames confirms itself as the king of stylish action games.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With a perfect blend of high-octane action and enjoyable laidback moments in-between, Astral Chain presents a masterfully immersive campaign.
Platinum Games is victorious in a risky bet, although with certain aspects to improve in its rhythm of play.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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
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 Platinum's best action game in recent years. It perfectly melts action and RPG elements together, and of course, it worth playing for multiple times. If you love action games, don't miss it.
Review in Chinese | 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.
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 feels like the culmination of Platinum Games’ work, combining sleek character-action gameplay with well-defined progression mechanics, a striking world, and more than a few memorable moments.
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.
PlatinumGames certainly did not disappoint. Almost all the course of the game I could not get bored, because activities lurked all the time. One of the few things that is a bit annoying on the game is the fact that the chapter can't be played 100% right away, because often there are activities requiring a Legion you don't already have. You must then go back in future chapters to complete these activities. The length of each chapter and the overall storyline also seemed great to me, and I had finished in about 18 hours. For a great combination of catchy story, amazing stylization and heaps of fun fighting, I'll give solid recommendation 9 out of 10.
Review in Czech | Read full review
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.
Astral Chain constantly moves forward and builds momentum for an explosive end. As part of an elite law enforcement unit known as Neuron, it's your job to fight the most deadly monsters humanity has ever encountered with tools only a handful of people have access to. Without a doubt, Astral Chain is one of PlatinumGames best work and one of the top exclusives for the Nintendo Switch. An outstanding story that constantly ramps up with bigger and more dangerous threat with a constant stream of new and deadly enemies within a beautifully decorated world. It's only when the developers attempt to go outside those strong mechanics and try something different that Astral Chain fumbles.
Astral Chain is something truly unique. Its characters, combat, world and how it is all brought together made it an action game I could not help but love. Its a meaty game with a lot to experience with every moment filled with something exciting to do.