#Astria ascending windows

I’ve really been enjoying Astria Ascending. The map system provided for when users are inside of a dungeon are also dismal, reducing the rooms down to just flat rectangles with no topography detail and a character head that stays stationary, so you're never quite sure where you actually are in a room. There is no way to auto equip optimal equipment for your character, there's no indicator of when new jobs are available, nor is there any sort of indication when a side quest is available in an area. Eight demigods with four job slots each containing three potential jobs equals way too many skill trees.Īside from the shoehorned mechanics, the majority of Astria Ascending's shortcomings come in the form of general quality of life improvements. Each combat style offers a corresponding skill tree that provides an avenue for equipping your character with different magic spells, weaponry, and other useful items. Overcomplication is a theme for Astria Ascending as even the game's skill tree systems revolve around each of the eight characters taking on four different 'jobs.' For each unlocked job slot players can choose one of three combat styles.

#Astria ascending windows

There is at least a difficulty option that can be lowered if you’re not willing to deal with these annoying spikes – but on the normal difficulty, it’s not uncommon to spend multiple hours leveling just to get past one specific fight only to have to do it again for a different one not too far down the road.Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central) This means you’ll occasionally need to spend a significant amount of time grinding to get past tough enemies.

Unfortunately, Astria Ascending also comes with some horrendous difficulty spikes. Members of your party begin with a starting job but will gain three more throughout the story, which provides them with a myriad of different skills to mix and match based on your personal preference and the weaknesses of the enemies you are facing. An intuitive job system provides a wide variety of abilities to use, and planning your team’s powers is where Astria Ascending’s true puzzles lie. Mix that exciting system with the art and animations and it truly makes combat an impressive package.Īlmost every encounter feels like a challenge that is satisfying to conquer too. You’ll also have to be careful since using the wrong attack on an enemy will make you lose Focus, adding an extra layer of tension to each fight. But while you’re collecting Focus, enemies can hit your weaknesses and do the exact same thing, raising the stakes the longer a fight goes on. Focus can stack up, allowing you to deal an abundance of damage once it maxes out. This is due to the excellent Focus mechanic, which makes the party gain Focus Points when striking an enemy’s weakness. The combat itself is some of the best I’ve seen in a traditional turn-based JRPG. Whether it be an attack, spell, buff, or status effect, everything is animated immaculately and with purpose. Since it’s presented as a 2D platformer outside of fights, the world of Orchanon feels as if it was created in a story book – each of its characters drawn with tender love and care, and they especially shine in combat. Every zone is drop dead gorgeous, especially in dungeons. Focus Your SkillsĪstria Ascending really stands out in its battles and its art style.

Every enemy type has distinct abilities so fighting these minibosses adds even more variety to the creatures that you face, which is especially welcome when combat is the shining star here. While none of them are very interesting, additional guild missions that task you with killing special enemies for money, experience, and skill points can be. You’ll often be asked to defeat a certain number of enemies or find the quest giver a specific item, and little else. As you explore Orchanon, you will also find plenty of side quests, but these are similarly straightforward and uninspired, doing little to make the world feel fleshed out.