I'm back with a review! My first review in several months and my first review of 2024, I've been playing other games this year (I recently beat the PS4 version of Sand Land, and yes, I won't review that game but I recommend it) and I can still review many games. Astria Ascending, released in 2021, is another game developed by Artisan Studios, yes, this game is made by the same developer that developed Super Neptunia RPG, a game I really like more or less, and yes, like Super Neptunia RPG, Astria Ascending does have fan service...let's leave it at that. Anyway, let's begin!

Story: The game begins with a narration that mentions different races, it shouldn't be a surprise that, like other RPGs, Astria Ascending takes place in a fantasy world (Orcanon) where different races live in, ahem, harmony. The story in simple terms is ''there is evil that wants to destroy the peace/harmony of the world and we have to stop them'', the enemies or monsters in the game are called ''noises'' or ''discordancias'' in the spanish translation. The different races are Arktans, Awisis, Zefts, Peyskas and Meryos, and yes, if you play the game you'll definitely memorize at least 2 of those terms. For the most part the story of Astria Ascending is very black and white when it comes to morality, there are moments where the villains question the role of the heroes and give a monologue that almost makes you question the heroes but as I said, it's very black and white for the most part and not very morally complex, which is fine, I don't have a problem with that. One or two revelations keep the story interesting and overall, I like the story of Astria Ascending and it works, the story could be even better and the cast of characters isn't the best but I still like the characters (Ulan is a decent protagonist). I want to point out that Astria Ascending takes itself very seriously and the game only made me laugh once (and it wasn't a moment in the game that was trying to be very funny or anything), so, if you want to play a game that takes itself seriously and doesn't have comedy or humor, Astria Ascending isn't a bad choice for that.

Graphics: Probably the best part of the game, Astria Ascending has beautiful graphics and the art style reminds me of games developed by Vanillaware, which is good, I love the art of Vanillaware games and the fact that Astria Ascending looks like a game developed by Vanillaware is something I really like. The animations are smooth and overall Astria Ascending is very appealing to the eye. I have no complaints when it comes to the graphics, this aspect is easily a 10/10.

Sound: The soundtrack of Astria Ascending is made by Hitoshi Sakimoto and other composers, the orchestral and acoustic music is great and I really like the soundtrack, what brings this category down however is the voice acting, Astria Ascending doesn't have the best English voice acting and for the most part the voice acting is only good and at least average, and at times, the voice acting is kind of bad, this is especially true for Kaydin's voice. If the voice acting was even better, this could be a 9/10 or something like that, but yes, if we talk about the music, sound effects (some sounds are satisfying) and voice acting, definitely an 8/10 at best.

Addictive: Unlike Super Neptunia RPG, Astria Ascending is a turn-based RPG, it's another 2D game and there is a lot of turn-based combat throughout the game. The exploration of the areas is fun and satisfying with new mechanics introduced later in the game, I like the fact that the game isn't just about the combat and that you will also have to solve puzzles, the puzzles aren't very complex or difficult but I like them and there are even Shoot 'em up sections that are very fun speaking as a fan of that genre. Of course, the game can be very repetitive especially the turn-based combat, even so, I think that Astria Ascending is fun and enjoyable to play, but it could be even better...Astria Ascending is kind of rough around the edges and some flaws affect the experience and enjoyment of the game. The inconsistent framerate (especially bad in that temple with the frame drops and stutters), rare glitches or bugs, the controls that can be unresponsive...it's a mess of a game more or less, heck, Astria Ascending doesn't even let you return to the title screen unless you lose a fight! Why? Letting you return to the title screen is a basic feature that even Super Neptunia RPG has, but here, if you don't want to close the game and boot it again in order to go to the main menu, you'll have to lose a fight or get a game over for some reason...that's the game we are dealing with here, so, it shouldn't be a surprise that Astria Ascending has several flaws or that the negative aspects affect the experience.

Depth: I beat Astria Ascending in around 32 hours, and if you want to beat the game as quiclly as possible, it's a game that lasts at least 10 or 12 hours. The game itself has achievements even in the Nintendo Switch version and getting all those achievements (easier said than done) should take you at least 55 or 60 hours. It's a game with many things to do and a lot of optional quests, definitely at least a 9/10.

Difficulty: Astria Ascending is a difficult and complex game, the 4 difficulty levels, different jobs or classes, the Ascension Tree...I don't recommend Astria Ascending if you don't have a lot of experience with turn-based games, if you have only played a few turn-based RPGs, the game can be very difficult and overwhelming when it comes to the features or mechanics. I lost at least 9 times throughout the game and when I beat the game I was playing on the lowest difficulty (Very Easy), and that's before losing on Easy and Normal, I can only imagine how difficult the game should be if you play on Hard. The game is on Normal by default, and if you want to beat the game, you may want to lower the difficulty...

I recommend Astria Ascending if you are a fan of turn-based RPG and/or if you have a lot of experience with the genre, if you have only played 5 turn-based RPGs for example, or worse, if you have never played a turn-based RPG before, I don't recommend Astria Ascending. It's an enjoyable game but it could be even better, in the end, Astria Ascending is only a good game at best and it doesn't surprise me that other people consider Astria Ascending a mediocre game or even a bad game. I don't regret playing Astria Ascending, I don't like the lack of one or two features, the stutters or inconsistent framerate especially in that area, and the voice acting isn't the best (in the credits only the name Brittany Cox sounded familiar...who are the other voice actors?), that said, the beautiful graphics, the story, the gameplay (especially the shoot 'em up sections) and the soundtrack are things I like about the game. Overall...not bad.