Astral Chain: First Impressions

Astral Chain is set in 2078, in a world ravaged by corruption from another dimension. What remains of humanity has retreated to ‘The Ark’ – a megacity constructed upon an artificial island. But this last refuge is now under threat, as creatures known as ‘chimeras’ enter our dimension through mysterious gateways. Unless humanity can find a way to stop them, we’ll face extinction.

This is where you come in as a newly recruited officer of Neuron – an elite police task force. Neuron intends to fight fire with fire, by capturing and enslaving chimeras and transforming them into weapons – Legions – capable of closing the gateways and defending The Ark.

It’s a pretty dark set up for a plot, but don’t fret – this is a game where, despite the dire odds, you still have time to rescue stray cats, pop into portable toilets, and dress up as a cartoon dog to spread cheer to your overworked colleagues.

Astral Chain is a Platinum Games title, their first on the Switch (if you don’t count the Bayonetta ports) and a new IP. I absolutely adore the Bayonetta games, and NieR: Automata was my 2017 GOTY. But I wouldn’t say I had very high expectations for Astral Chain prior to release. In fact, I really wasn’t sure what to make of it.

It’s obviously a third person action game at its core, but the combat isn’t quite what you might expect. It’s also an RPG, with a level up system and a variety of skill trees. But it’s also a platform / environmental puzzle game. To say there’s a lot to unpack when describing Astral Chain would be an understatement.

At the time of writing, I’ve played AC for about 14 hours and I reckon I’m about half way through the game. But even now there’s certain features and mechanics I’ve still not unlocked. And it’s only now, 10+ hours into the game, that it finally feels like I’ve got a decent grasp of the combat system – and I know there’s still a hell of a lot I need to learn.

Your character has a basic character attack combo (with 3 different weapons) and a dodge which is pretty basic on its own. But you don’t fight alone in Astral Chain – you fight alongside one of five Legion types, each with its own attack style and special abilities. You don’t control the Legion directly as such – you can move, position and focus its attacks on the target of your choice – but the Legion attacks automatically.

The Legions are connected to your character via the titular Astral Chain, which also plays an important role within combat. The chain can be used to wrap around and bind enemies, locking them into place or, if you line the chain up correctly, to catapult a charging enemy away. It can also be used to physically pull your character across the map – attacking enemies en route, or engaging them in the air.

When you first start trying to do this – essentially keeping track of two characters at the same time and trying to use your chain as effectively as you can – it can be confusing as f**k. But trust me, it does get easier as you progress. But here’s the thing about Astral Chain – just when you think you’ve got its combat figured out, it adds another layer on top.

As I said, each Legion has its own unique attack style, but they also have special abilities in addition to ‘command’ abilities which you can trigger during a fight. Oh, and you also have powerful ‘sync’ attacks which are triggered by performing combos or perfect dodges. It’s a hell of a lot to learn and a hell of a lot to wrap your head around. But once you do . . . oh boy, does Astral Chain become one of the most fun, engaging and creative combat systems you’ll ever play.

And Astral Chain encourages you to be creative through its ranking system. I thought it would be based primarily on time and damage taken, but though time is a factor, obtaining higher ranks seems far more dependant on how creative you are during each battle. You’re going to want to mix up your attacks, switching between Legion types from one combo to the next. You have so many combat options, so many potential combinations of attacks that it’s kind of ridiculous.

But the combat isn’t the only thing that Astral Chain does well. It also tells an intriguing story with some likeable characters. It has an enjoyable exploration and environmental puzzle element in which you must use your Legions and their various abilities to progress. It has some pretty extensive character and Legion visual customisation. Oh, and the game looks amazing, too. I was a little worried about playing in 30FPS, but aside from one or two busy locations, the game runs silky smooth.

I guess I’d better wrap up this post so I’ve still got something left to say in my review. I wasn’t too sure about Astral Chain prior to release, and I still wasn’t too sure what to make of it when I began to play. It’s a game that certainly takes time to wrap your head around, but now I have, I’m having a real blast playing it.