wfmag.cc \ 61ReviewRated
The visual style has an almost
cel-shaded sheen, with the
city especially giving off Jet
Set Radio vibes.ReviewRated
design approach over from Nier: Automata, with
a playful willingness to impede predictability,
using shifts of pace and perspective to keep
the experience fresh. As you gather more
/egions, each with its own helpful abilities, they
create potential for new forms of navigation,
minigames, and detective work (handled in
a more interesting manner than in Judgment,
incidentally). It’s not deep or taxing – the game
rarely seems keen to hold you up for long – but
it’s so slick and seamless that even occasional
busywork never feels gratuitous.
Besides, Astral Chain knows when to shift
away from minor distractions to more sustained
objectives, and has the perfect narrative
mechanism in place. Entering
a rift leads you to the Astral
3lane, an abstract void filled
with huge cuboids of floating
rock that provides the game’s
conventional challenge space.
With the clutter of reality swept away, it serves
purely to construct cunning arrangements of
platforms and switches, or provide flat, open
stages for more substantial battles.
And the battles are of course the key to the
game’s depth, as 3latinum’s latest system of
flair and intricacy remains the centrepiece of
the show. It’s not easy to grasp, as the game
bombards you with instructions and piles on
techniques with each new upgrade. The control
pad can seem overloaded with possible inputs,
to the point that remembering what you can do
and deciding when to do it can be paralysing.
With a camera that misbehaves in tight spaces,
the opening chapters can be a mess of air
shots and pratfalls as you stumble between
D-graded victories.
But in full flow, it’s as Moyfully artistic and
comprehensive as Bayonetta’s more immediate
fighting style. <ou soon adMust to moving
yourself and your /egion simultaneously and
turn the chain itself into your biggest asset.
Ȇ&hain Mumping’ is a game-changer, as you fire
your /egion towards a single opponent or weave
it into a pack then yank your character in behind,
knocking down anything en route. Or you wrap
an enemy in the chain to briefly immobilise
them, or catapult them away when they charge
towards you. &ombined with more familiar
3latinum flourishes – well-timed dodges enable
Tuick counters, combos end in Ȇsync’ attacks
that combine the power of human and /egion,
finishing moves can be triggered to refill lost
health – and the uniTue abilities of each /egion,
there’s incredible flexibility, and it eventually
becomes second nature.
The camera does still struggle, and you can
sometimes lose track of your position in the
mayhem of a large brawl. Platforming can also
be needlessly fussy for a game that otherwise
doesn’t place a premium
on precise movement.
But these issues do become
less bothersome over time.
2nce you’re spinning through
the laser breath of a huge
boss to wrap your chain around its feet, and
especially when the S+ ranks start to trickle in,
anything else fades into insignificance.
Astral Chain is 3latinum’s most well-rounded
game. Structurally, it nestles between Bayonetta
and Nier: Automata, offering exploration and side
Tuests within the confines of designated mission
areas, and combining light RPG upgrading with
expressive and rewarding combat. But most of
all, with its laid-back tone, variety, and human-
legion partnership, it’s a thing all of its own.
It’s a game created through carefully-ordered
precision, with just enough joyful chaos to make
it truly special.“Astral Chain is
Platinum’s most
well-rounded game” Legions will attack on their own, but
learning how to combine your damage
and theirs is key to quick victories. Your own weapons are limited
to a baton, pistol, and blade,
but can be upgraded between
missions for new techniques.VERDICT
Astral Chain is
Platinum at its most
daring and confident.
A genuine pleasure.91%