Astral Chain Game Review: PlatinumGames' Pinnacle on Nintendo Switch

Hello everyone, I'm your old friend, a seasoned gamer with over ten years of experience. Today, we'll delve into an action game that once shone brightly on the Nintendo Switch and remains captivating even now – Astral Chain. Developed by PlatinumGames, this title has garnered praise from countless players and critics for its unique dual-protagonist combat system, engaging storyline, and stunning visuals. With the rumored Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, let's revisit this classic and see how it might perform on the next-generation console.

1. Astral Chain: Story Background and Initial Impressions

The story of Astral Chain takes place in a near-future metropolis called "The Ark." Due to the invasion of the extradimensional "Astral Plane," Earth is threatened by polluted creatures known as "Chimeras." To combat the Chimeras, humanity established the special police force "Neuron," who use a technology called "Chain" to convert captured Chimeras into their own weapons and fight alongside them.

Players will play as one of a pair of twins, becoming a new member of Neuron. In the game, players need to control the protagonist and their Legion, working together to fight the Chimeras and unravel the truth behind the Astral Plane invasion.

My initial impression was: this is a very "PlatinumGames" game. The fast-paced combat, gorgeous combos, and slightly cheesy storyline are all hallmarks of PlatinumGames' unique style. However, unlike previous works, Astral Chain adds dual-protagonist control and a unique "Chain" mechanism, making its combat system deeper and more strategic.

2. Astral Chain Gameplay Review: A Unique Dual-Protagonist Combat System

The core feature of Astral Chain is undoubtedly its unique dual-protagonist combat system. Players need to control both the protagonist and their Legion simultaneously, coordinating attacks, defenses, and movements. This dual-line operation requires players to have a certain level of reaction speed and coordination ability.

2.1 Controls

The protagonist's controls are relatively traditional. Players can use the joystick to control movement and buttons to attack, jump, and dodge. The Legion's controls are more flexible and diverse. Players can use different button combinations to control the Legion to perform different actions, such as:

• Sync Attacks: The protagonist and Legion launch an attack simultaneously, dealing higher damage.
• Chain Bind: Use the Chain to bind enemies, preventing them from moving or attacking.
• Chain Jump: Use the Chain for long-distance movement or climbing.

2.2 Legion Types and Abilities

There are five different types of Legion in the game: Sword Legion, Arrow Legion, Arm Legion, Beast Legion, and Axe Legion. Each Legion has unique skills and characteristics. For example, the Sword Legion excels in melee attacks, the Arrow Legion excels in ranged attacks, and the Arm Legion can lift heavy objects.

Players can choose the appropriate Legion for combat based on different enemies and scenarios. In addition, the Legion can be upgraded and customized to enhance its abilities and unlock new skills.

2.3 Combat Strategy and Depth

The combat system in Astral Chain is not just about mindless combos. Players need to formulate appropriate combat strategies based on the enemy's type, position, and attack method. For example, when facing a fast enemy, you can use Chain Bind to restrict its movement; when facing a large enemy, you can use the Arm Legion to lift heavy objects to attack.

In addition, the game encourages players to explore and experiment, searching for different Legion combinations and combat styles. This depth and freedom make Astral Chain's combat system extremely attractive.

3. Astral Chain Graphics and Sound Effects: PlatinumGames' Excellent Production

Astral Chain's visual style leans towards cel-shading, with bright and vibrant colors, and the character and scene designs are full of futuristic elements. Although the screen resolution and frame rate are somewhat limited when running on the Nintendo Switch, the overall performance is still very good.

The game's sound effects are also commendable. The sound effects during battle are exciting and dynamic, and the background music is full of atmosphere. In addition, the game also invited many well-known voice actors to participate in the dubbing, giving the characters more distinct personalities and charms.

On the rumored Nintendo Switch 2, Astral Chain's graphics will undoubtedly be greatly improved. Higher resolution, smoother frame rates, and more detailed textures will make the game's world more vivid. If the game can be optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2, it will surely bring players a more stunning visual experience. And the news of nintendo switch2 first look makes people even more excited about the game performance on the new console.

4. Astral Chain Storyline: An Engaging Science Fiction Story

The plot of Astral Chain revolves around the Astral Plane invasion and Neuron's investigation. As the story progresses, players will gradually uncover the truth about the Astral Plane, understand the origin of the Chimeras, and the relationship between humans and Chimeras.

The plot is full of suspense, conspiracies, and emotional entanglements, which are very engaging. In addition, the game also adds a large number of side quests and character interactions, enriching the content of the story and allowing players to better understand the world of the game.

Although the plot is not perfect, for example, the portrayal of some characters is slightly thin, overall, the plot of Astral Chain is still a major highlight.

5. Astral Chain Handling Feel: Smooth and Challenging

Astral Chain's handling feel is very smooth, and the protagonist and Legion's actions are very natural and fluid. However, due to the complexity of the dual-protagonist control, the game's difficulty is also relatively high.

Players need to spend some time familiarizing themselves with different button combinations and Legion skills in order to master the game's combat system proficiently. However, once you master the operating skills, players can experience smooth and challenging combat fun.

6. Astral Chain Pros and Cons Analysis

6.1 Pros

• Unique dual-protagonist combat system: The innovative dual-protagonist control method makes the combat system deeper and more strategic.
• Exquisite graphics and sound effects: PlatinumGames' excellent production makes the game's graphics and sound effects very outstanding.
• Engaging science fiction story: The plot is full of suspense, conspiracies, and emotional entanglements, which is very engaging.
• Smooth and challenging handling feel: The operation is smooth and natural, but the difficulty is high, and players need to spend time getting familiar with it.
• Excellent level design: The level design is clever, full of exploration and puzzle-solving elements.

6.2 Cons

• The portrayal of some characters is slightly thin: The background and personality of some characters are not full enough and lack depth.
• The pace of the plot is slightly slow: The pace of the early plot is slow, and players need to be patient.
• Poor dual-player mode experience: In dual-player mode, the operation is slightly chaotic, and the experience is not ideal.
• The graphics performance is limited on the Nintendo Switch: Due to hardware limitations, the screen resolution and frame rate are somewhat affected.

7. Astral Chain Score and Summary

Overall, Astral Chain is a very excellent action game. Its unique dual-protagonist combat system, exquisite graphics and sound effects, and engaging storyline have left a deep impression on players. Although the game has some shortcomings, its advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and it is still one of the most worthwhile games to experience on the Nintendo Switch.

IGN Score: 9.0/10 (can be viewed at IGN Astral Chain Review) Metacritic Score: 87/100 (can be viewed at Metacritic Astral Chain Review)

My Score: 9.2/10

Reason for Score: Astral Chain is a highly innovative action game. It perfectly combines dual-protagonist control and chain mechanics to create a deep and challenging combat system. The game's graphics and sound effects are also excellent, and the plot is also engaging. Although the game has some shortcomings, its advantages are enough to cover these shortcomings. If it can be optimized on the Nintendo Switch 2, I believe Astral Chain will be even more perfect. And the news of nintendo switch2 price also makes us full of expectations for the performance of the new console.

8. Astral Chain Compared to Similar Games

Compared with similar action games, Astral Chain's biggest feature is its unique dual-protagonist combat system. This dual-line operation makes the game more in-depth and free in combat strategy.

For example, compared to Bayonetta, Astral Chain's combat system is more complex, requiring players to control two characters simultaneously for coordination. Compared to NieR:Automata, Astral Chain's plot focuses more on suspense and puzzle-solving, rather than emotional expression.

All in all, Astral Chain is unique in the field of action games, and it is a highly innovative and personalized work.

9. Astral Chain Guide Sharing: Beginner's Guide

For novice players, Astral Chain's difficulty may be higher. Here are some beginner's guides, hoping to help you familiarize yourself with the game faster:

1. Familiarize yourself with the Legion's operation methods: Different Legions have different skills and characteristics. Players need to familiarize themselves with the operation methods of each Legion in order to fight better.
2. Master the skills of Chain Bind: Chain Bind is a very important skill in Astral Chain. It can restrict the enemy's actions and create output opportunities for players.
3. Make reasonable use of Sync Attacks: Sync Attacks can cause higher damage. Players should make reasonable use of Sync Attacks to quickly defeat enemies.
4. Pay attention to the cooperation between the protagonist and the Legion: The cooperation between the protagonist and the Legion is crucial. Players need to reasonably coordinate attacks and defenses based on the enemy's type and position.
5. Try different Legion combinations: There are five different types of Legion in the game. Players can try different Legion combinations to find the combat style that suits them best.

10. Astral Chain's Prospects for the Nintendo Switch 2

With the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, we are full of expectations for the performance of Astral Chain on the next-generation console.

• Higher screen resolution and frame rate: The hardware performance of the Nintendo Switch 2 will be greatly improved, so that the screen resolution and frame rate of Astral Chain can be greatly improved, presenting more exquisite visual effects.
• Faster loading speed: The storage speed of the Nintendo Switch 2 will also be improved, making the loading speed of Astral Chain faster and reducing players' waiting time.
• Smoother dual-player mode: The hardware performance of the Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to better support dual-player mode, making the experience of dual-player mode smoother.
• Possible new content and updates: In addition to the improvement in graphics and performance, we also expect Astral Chain to launch new content and updates on the Nintendo Switch 2, such as new Legions, new levels, and new plots.

All in all, we are full of expectations for the performance of Astral Chain on the Nintendo Switch 2, and hope that it can continue to bring players a more exciting gaming experience. And compatibility is also an important consideration, nintendo switch2 compatibility is crucial for players.

11. Summary

Astral Chain is undoubtedly a bright pearl on the Nintendo Switch. Its innovative game mechanics, excellent production, and engaging story make it a masterpiece worthy of experience for all action game lovers. Even with the Nintendo Switch 2 coming soon, it still exudes unique charm. I hope that in the future, we can see more creative and personalized game works like Astral Chain.