Next up in the review box, is a game that lived up to the hype that it should have received. It also got in its own way in certain aspects. This is Astral Chain, developed by Platinum games, yet surprisingly published by Nintendo. It was advertised as a very left field game for the Nintendo Switch, where you have to master odd controls as you maneuver your character along with the Legion companions that you partner with. The game is another dystopian game in a futuristic setting, similar to Earth Wars, where humanity has been all but eliminated, save a few colonies protected by a brillian scientist and his initiative. His name is Yoseph, and from the very start, he has a very sinister nature and aggressive drive to maximize the potential of the Legion physiology and genetics. The Legions are the invading creatures responsible for the destruction in the world, but they also hold a great deal of powerful assets, and Yosef has managed to find a way to control and harness their power. A rogue accomplice of his, named Jena is on the loose wreaking destruction with the Legion army at her disposal, and you are tasked with finding and taking her down. In this game, you are a police officer, so you spend a great deal of the game completing various tasks in everyday life, such as finding parents, catching fleeing criminals and protecting the public. It is actually very rewarding. There is a merit system attached to all jobs that gets your rank and power increased. I didn't do a tremendous amount of them on the first playthrough.
In the game, you do have a vehicle, but it isn't something you ride often or on command. I wish you did, as the action bike levels were very intense and fun. They were very challenging. The movement mechanics have you click the left analog stick to sprint and you have a dodge button with A while the right trigger is you attack button. Your Right bumper unleashes your Legion and your left one retrieves them. They each have different abilities and combat skills that they can learn and use to help you on your mission such as the bulk Legion who can lift heavy objects and the sword legion that can cut wires. These skills will help you often in missions and in combat. You have an Iris machine that you can activate with the start button that gives a grid allowing you to visualize information about your surroundings. As you combat enemies, you will have the same standard weapon types. You have a heavy sword, a baton, and a small pistol. You can upgrade and get better versions of these. I did not upgrade very much in this game, and improved my Legions rather late in the game. There is an item system, where many different foods you can buy from vending machines and find in the world will increase defense, offense, or recharge of your special meter with various sacrifices. As you destroy enemy legions you gather healing energy orbs, which made combat enjoyable. Up until the end of the game, boss battles felt more tiring than difficult.
The level design was very good, and the missions were good, but had auto save, and never felt too long. You had puzzles at times that took a bit of time to figure out. There were always hidden side missions and levels that fleshed out more of the story. You are the twin to a sister who were created in some kind of mysterious sense, and children of Captain Howard. While on a mission early in the game, he has to sacrifice himself to save both twins, and your twin has a hard time getting past the loss. Often times, they run off to be heroic, and eventually get gravely injured on a mission, losing their life briefly. They are in a coma for a long time, and you eventually get them back due to some of Yosef's scientific miracles. You come to find that it was at a price. The Jena that you chase for much of the game reveals that she actually wants to foil wicked plans of Yosef, and provides convincing evidence before her demise.
What I wanted to focus on was the convoluted menus and game interface. They are extremely annoying at times, and make action levels and combat very impossible at times. There is platforming in the game, but it isn't too much of an issue. In boss fights and when facing hordes, such as when fighting the clones in the later game, which I won't spoil, it is too clunky trying to change Legions effectively and use items. Many times, while doing this, the game doesn't pause, but just slows down. Where the idiocy of the controls really shines is in the last boss fight. It was memorable to say the least. Thankfully, in this game you have an AED item, which gives you a maximum of 7 lives or as few as 3 if you have some in stock. I didn't stock up on them alot, but I had a few, and they can be game breakers to be honest, because as you're gettting clapped by the enemies in the later game, you get several do-overs. The last boss tested this to the max. You face Yosef in the end, who is a very memorable boss. He has over 4 forms. He is also extremely fast. There is a hyper mode that you unlock with your legion in the later part of the game that give you a fusion with your legion with increased strength, speed, and health. It lasts for a limited time, and needs a meter to be built. Building the meter is extremely hard, as you have to perform perfect link attacks and counters. I blew my fusion mode on the sub boss like an idiot.
Noah, as the last boss calls himself, fuses with all of the clones that he created. After fighting him on a rooftop, you face his energy orb, and then you face him in a hyper state, and then you face his critical hyper state. I shudder to think how he would be on hard mode, but the fight was robbed of fun factor by the clunky nature of trying to switch legions as he took them down, and cycle in items to my wheel in order to heal. I also got caught in executing combo strings and being open, because it's not easy to buffer your combos in the game. Everything you do takes so much freaking time, that he's already blasting you by the time you turn around. And he is equipped with several instant kill laser beams and bombs. Even with the AED, I lost to him a lot of times, and almost broke my system in rage. But it was also refreshing to see such a well done Last Boss. It was very tense when you do beat him, because you will be on your last legs as you do. I was afraid he would have another form. But he did finally fall.
The ending saw your twin appear to sacrifice themself to hold off Noah as you finish him. However, one of their clones is preserved and seems to be the twin, although stripped of memory. You take over the colony as Yosef did and his secretary becomes the acting director in his old position. There isn't a ton of closure in the game, as you have more missions to continue, and the game essentially goes on from there. It gives it a great deal of replayability, but I would like to have seen more back story and information on new threats. I will enjoy getting into it further, on a harder difficulty. It was a great game, and in a twisted way, Awesome! 9/10
