Astral Chain discussion thread

I've beaten it (Though, like other Platinum games, finishing the story isn't really the end of the content. The combat mechanics are satisfying enough that even near the end of the game I never fell into the perspective of wanting to rush through the battles just to get to the end. There's a huge amount of flexibility, but aside from specific legions having their in-battle tricks, I never felt like there was a better choice than using the Arrow legion. Given that they're all tied to you, you can choose between a legion that can attack enemies regardless of your position, or 4 that can't. Early on I started using the gun and the Arrow Legion and just shooting everything from a distance. It might be faster to slug it out close up, but when most things either don't have ranged attacks or are ranged and also flying, dodging and running and shooting just feels good and a lot more multi-purpose.

Graphics-wise, it's anime-inspired enough that if you appreciate the form you get additional depths of nuance from the interactions, but not so deep in as to lose people who aren't familiar with the conventions.

The story is perfectly fine. It's not groundbreaking or as interesting/weird as NIER: Automata was, but it carries you well through the game, and there are interesting details involved in its construction. Without spoiling, there are multiple cycles involved regarding the direction of the narrative and where you are physically: On one level you reach the midpoint and start heading back to the beginning, and on another you're repeating the same lessons again. It gets more and more surreal as you go, though. Interspersing battles with giant monsters with opportunities to save a cat or buy a kid ice cream feels surreal.

Difficulty-wise, I think they nailed it. The easiest mode is easy enough that you can enjoy the story without having to struggle with the fights, and there's an "Unchained" mode where it'll handle combat for you. You can step in at any moment, but otherwise it'll do all the fancy stuff and let you watch. On the other end of the spectrum, the hardest mode is really, truly brutal. Pleasantly, if you can't finish a File (Chapter) and have to back out, you'll still keep any rewards you find, experience you gained and get partial credit for the chapter. You won't progress in the plot, but you'll be stronger for your next attempt.

It's not cheap at $59.99 USD, but I definitely feel like I got my money's worth for it. The combat is fun enough to do even when you're speeding through the plot the second time, and there's so many hidden things to find.