Astral Chain Review

(Astral Chain, Rated TEEN, Nintendo Switch)

(Video Review)

The Switch is full of awesome games, but, when it comes to frenetic action titles that are exclusive to the console, the pickings have been a little slim. Until now, Astral Chain from Platinum Games is a fast-paced action RPG that is frenetic, charming, challenging and somehow feels like a classic Nintendo title.

This game is just as intense as it is accessible, there are little combos to learn, and most of the game's flow comes from combining your attacks, with your Legion's slick moves, The Chain in Astral Chain, is what connects you to your Legion and grants you control over these impressive beasts. You will start the game with access to one Legion, but soon, you will capture a total of five Legions, each with their own varying skills. Now, I am not saying "you gotta catch em all", but, you do have to catch them all to beat the game. Don't worry though, catching these beasts involves fun boss battles and you won't have to search high and low to find these legendary creatures. The controls may seem imposing, as you will use the left analog stick to control your movements, and the right analog stick to control your Legion when it is on the battlefield, the Right Z trigger controls your attacks, and the Left Z trigger controls your Legion's attacks, with the Left bumper controlling your Legion's special ability. 

Having your Legion present on the field drains their energy, and this means you have to perform impressive takedowns on the game's enemies known as the Chimera, to recharge your Legion, or you can press the Right bumper to call your Legion back to it's Pokeball to recharge, oh, I meant Legion storage device. Moving your character and your Legion together as one, to execute some very sleek combat maneuvers is insanely gratifying. You can perform special Sync Attacks to synchronize your mollywhomping, you can juggle a crowd together, or you can even tie up the besties your fighting with your Astral Chain TM. At first, it may feel a little clunky, but that is not due to poor design, it is due to learning a whole new combat system that plays radically different from most action games, while still having a familiar foundation. 

Beyond your Legion, you have the X Baton at your side, this is a modular weapon that takes the form of a Pistol, Baton, and finally a massive Buster Sword. You can freely switch between any of the weapon styles and they all have their uses, although, the Pistol is the only one required for certain enemies, the Baton and Sword mode will mostly be chosen based on player preference, however, the Pistol is very necessary for flying enemies. You can use your melee weapons, in conjunction with your Legion tossing you into the air to deal with the flying beasties, but, in my experience, these enemies are there to remind you, oh yea, I have a gun too. 

When you start the game, you choose a Male or Female character who you're able to customize, you will also get to customize your outfit's colors and gain access to new clothing options as you progress. Your character is a silent protagonist, although the gender you do not play as will be your twin and they will be fully voiced acted, this is mostly a Japanese thing, as a great number of RPG's in Japan feature silent protagonists, and offer you a couple dialogue options to personalize your character to your tastes.

Beyond all the ass-kicking you will be performing, there are many sidequests that could seem mundane in theory, such as finding lost animals, helping lost children, getting a kid an ice cream to replace the one they lost, and cheering up your co-workers. Ok, they seem really mundane when I think about it, however, the execution of these mini-quests is so charming and coupled with some very fun exploration, that I was addicted to solving each little case that came my way.

The game is not open world, but mission-based, with each mission taking place in fairly large environments, that are full of missable quests and items that take exploring to find. In between your missions, you will be back at Police HQ to upgrade and customize your character, as well as do a little item shopping. Yep, you're playing a Futuristic Cop, in a city that is mostly based on Tokyo, remember kids, this is a Japanese game, which means these Cops represent the Japanese idea of Police, not American Police Officers. If it seems like I am making some kind of deal out of that, it's because liberal gamers have already bitched about the game being Police Propaganda, when they have not played the thing, or even thought about the fact that Cops in Japan are radically different from American Police.

 Now, personally, I am not a fan of American Police, most of them do more harm than good, but I do have a fascination for the profession, and I actually am pretty impressed that in Japan, Cops perform mostly boring tasks that are beneficial to the public at large. I for one, am more sick of gamers bitching about things they do not understand, than I am of playing a good Cop in a Video Game, or watching good Cops in TV and Film. Somehow, Liberals think the representation of good Police Officers in media, somehow makes us all think Cops are Golden Heroic Gods, and not that these portrayals are to influence current or future Police Officers on what makes a real hero. I for one, think that the game is making a point about what a real hero should be, not only do you kick the ass of evil, but you take the time to assist the good people who just need an ice cream cone replaced. 

Yes, I will get off the soapbox, for now... The variety in the level design keeps the action fresh and engaging, on top of that, the boss battles are perhaps some of the most fun encounters I have played. Let me put it this way, I do not remember the last time I beat a boss fight and thought, damn, it's over already, let's go again Daddy! These fights are not too easy, nor are they too short, they are just so much damn fun you want to get back on right after you climax, kinda like sex with your Dad.

 Besides the fetch quests and the superb combat, there are puzzles to solve, platforms to be platformed, and even some stealth-based missions, which made me groan, until I played them. This is one seriously well-polished game, there are so many facets to the entire experience, and all of them feel like they belong in this universe, most of all, nothing you do in this game is boring. Even if the more mundane quests seem uninteresting to you, the rewards will make them worth your while, and then you will realize just how much fun those silly things can be. 

 This game is a reason for any action fan to own a Nintendo Switch, yea, it's that good, on all fronts. The story is entertaining, with great twists and turns, the world-building is stellar, combat is fresh and invigorating, and this all means Nintendo has caught another fantastic franchise, to add to their growing collection of unique and highly polished exclusives that offer something that you just cannot find on any other console. Now, am I some kind of Fanboy? Well, I guess between Astral Chain, Breath Of The Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Bayonetta 2, I have certainly become one. It doesn't hurt that I also get to take these great games with me, anywhere I go. Ok, Nintendo, let's see that paycheck! Oh, you mean I did this all for free? Well, shit, I guess I just love being Nintendo's whore.