Astria Ascending

"A fascinating effort from a writer who&s;s delivered some of the most beloved JRPG stories has too many flaws to be another classic."

"Astria Ascending had me invested in the 25 hours it took me to get to the final dungeon. However, that comes with a padded runtime of level grinding, lengthy battles, dungeon navigation confusion, and many menu interactions. So if you …"

"Astria Ascending attracts you with its art, keeps you interested with its combat, but may lose you entirely due to its bland story full of annoying difficulty spikes."

"An ambitious project featuring big names from the JRPG scene. It uses many JRPG conventions from the past, but ultimately, fails to stand up to the best in the genre."

"Astria Ascending&s;s 2D puzzle platforming blended with turn-based combat and stunning art style does all the heavy lifting to keep players interested as the game&s;s writing feels a bit generic."

"Review code provided by the publisher."

"While this choice may be unorthodox, Astria Ascending does a marvelous job at providing its players with a finely executed combat system, as well as a very engaging sense of character progression. Completionists too will enjoy clearing every single path …"

"If you&s;re ready to go all-in on Astria Ascending… well, you probably already have. If not, there&s;s plenty of fish in the RPG sea on Switch and some more marlins coming before the year&s;s out. You&s;ll be able to get …"

"Astria Ascending is a gorgeous JRPG with wonderful world-building that overwhelms the player with characters and progression systems. With somewhat standard-feeling combat that is overly punishing at the default difficulty, I felt at a loss as far as what to …"

"There are a few issues that stop it from being an amazing experience like the huge difficulty spikes or lack of quality of life features that JRPG fans have come to expect from the genre. But Astria Ascending for the …"

"A JRPG that drinks from very good titles and has good ideas, nice and pleasant. Unfortunately it has certain design decisions that do not let it shine and make it a little heavy for its genre."

"With so many other incredible JRPGs released in 2021, it’s hard to recommend Astria Ascending. It does have a very pretty artstyle, which is what will draw most players initially. The battle system and customization options can be enjoyable to …"

"I came into Astria Ascending expecting a pretty by the numbers classic RPG experience but came out pleasantly surprised. My only main niggle was I didn’t find the story particularly compelling. However, the battle system and the depth to character …"

"For a game with so many valid criticisms, a recommendation might not seem forthcoming, but Astria Ascending rises above all of these issues as a total experience, with the art alone making worth the price of admission."

"Astria Ascending is filled with countless features and mechanics to add more flavor to an adventure that can last dozens of hours. However, it does have some noticeable issues that can sour the experience. The poor narrative and progression can …"

"Astria Ascending is a beautifully hand-drawn game with an old school JRPG feel. It tries to keep the experience modern with some much needed quality of life improvements, but annoying bugs hold it back. It&s;s a bit of a shame …"

"Astria Ascending has the makings of a unique RPG but never builds on its strengths to rise above average."

"Astria Ascending is a bit of an odd bird to me..."

"Astria Ascending is a fascinating JRPG with intriguing storytelling, distinctive characters and charming hand-drawn art. Artisan Studios has outdone themselves providing a lengthy gameplay experience and addictive mini-game that will have you entrenched for hours. My only grudge against the …"

"Built by talented designers of some of the most celebrated RPGs in history, Astria Ascending introduces a beautiful fantasy world and a cast of characters that promise to pull nostalgic players in. Will your adventure with the Fated Eight bring …"

"Astria Ascending checks off the proper JRPG boxes while adding enough unique twists to satisfy fans of the genre. It won&s;t sit at the top of your "must complete" list, but it&s;ll serve you well when you need a break …"

"Astria Ascending tries to convey the "feel-good" atmosphere of the classic JRPGs with an aesthetically pleasing art direction and promises of pure turn-based combat extravaganza. Unfortunately its ambition falls flat due to a forgettable writing and an unbalanced combat system."

"Astria Ascending seeks to captivate you by the eyes and she succeeds. However, convincing you at the controls has it more complicated if you are a veteran in the genre, since his history and combats could take a couple of …"

"Astria Ascending may not be a flawless release but the solid combat system, spectacular visuals, deep character skill building, and wealth of content make for an experience that JRPG fans will feel right at home with. We&s;d give this one …"

"A sensory achievement for nostalgic JRPGs left without any enjoyable game under the hood and falls short of an already exceptional 2021 JRPG roster."

"Overall, Astria Ascending is a perfectly good JRPG that is familiar and traditional in a way that is both refreshing and frustrating. What it does differently from others in its class (fun and unique temple puzzles, amazing quality art assets) …"

"Astria Ascending will take many gamers back to the heyday of classic RPGs. This is a single-player turn-based game that is easy to grasp, with perhaps not enough challenge for veterans of the genre. But with an entertaining story, great …"

"Despite some of the JRPG royalty involved, Astria Ascending just isn’t able to live up to the high expectations. The good news is that Artisan Studio seem committed to updating the game over time, so ideally the rough edges present …"

"Astria Ascending is not a great JRPG. I would hesitate to label it a good one. In a year of winners, it&s;s not a complete outlier but it&s;s no contemporary classic. Despite a few flirtations with intrigue, the story is …"

"Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Astria Ascending. While parts of it felt long and grindy, the English cast is abysmal, and the dungeons design themselves left more to be desired, Astria Ascending is still a solid entry in …"

"While Astria Ascending&s;s gorgeous world has a basic gameplay loop that can satisfy for a while, it lacks the knowledge to challenge minds or the spirit further. With no strategy in the later battles, a story moving too quickly to …"

"Astria Ascending has the makings of a great game, but it falls short on several fronts. A version of the game that started out at an earlier point in the story, in order to gradually introduce each character and their …"

"While Astria Ascending adds some flair to traditional turn-based combat, it has a lot of gaping flaws and too much going on for it."

"The beautiful graphics, unique characters and fun combat doesn’t take away from the fact that this is an old-school RPG at heart with new school wrappings. AA boasts a fun take on the traditional job systems found in JRPGs, I …"

"Astria Ascending is heavily inspired by classic JRPGs. Its combat is its strongest suit, but its narrative fails to hold of the player as it should, which keeps it from recreating the elements that made its inspirations so special."