Three explorers wander through a post-apocalyptic desert to find a way to save the people in their village. A dark, twisted tower has been pushed up from the depths of the Earth... but does it hold the answers they seek?
Released on
Genres
Reviews View More
2024 has been the year of discovering how much I enjoy metroidvanias. Among the likes of Pseudoregalia, Rabi-Ribi, and even Super Metroid itself, no game hooked me as much as Astalon: Tears of the Earth.
Don't have it in me to write a strong review, but this is the first game I've bothered 100%ing in a very long time. It clicked with me in a way that not many games do. Rock solid.
Don't have it in me to write a strong review, but this is the first game I've bothered 100%ing in a very long time. It clicked with me in a way that not many games do. Rock solid.
i really love dis game, it's really fun and da visuals and music is really great, but i think i progressed in a specific way dat i ended up soft-locking myself, i can't seem to find da items or abilities i need to progress despite backtracking to every room i can think of
other than dat, i kinda wish there were more shortcuts to get back to where you were after dying (dying is mandatory in dis game to get upgrades), cuz you always start at da tower's entrance and da elevator isn't enough of a shortcut most of da time
other than dat, i kinda wish there were more shortcuts to get back to where you were after dying (dying is mandatory in dis game to get upgrades), cuz you always start at da tower's entrance and da elevator isn't enough of a shortcut most of da time
Ta bien pero no llego al final me cansao de dar putas vueltas
Que jogo maravilhoso!
Acerta todos os pontos de um metroidvania: música boa, gameplay divertido, exploração recompensadora, desafio na medida certa, história interessante, muitos segredos, diversos modos extra... serio mesmo, não consigo pensar em defeitos pra esse joguinho. Sensacional.
Acerta todos os pontos de um metroidvania: música boa, gameplay divertido, exploração recompensadora, desafio na medida certa, história interessante, muitos segredos, diversos modos extra... serio mesmo, não consigo pensar em defeitos pra esse joguinho. Sensacional.
Delightful game! In fact, it's so full of little surprises that I'm not even going to say very much in this review. This game is a constant stream of experiences, big and small, that will make you smile and comment on how that was neat or clever. Or sometimes neat and clever. If you're even looking at reviews for this game, you're probably the right demographic to love it and should probably just get it.
I will detail one thing, though, because there is a rather massive flaw holding this game back from a perfect score, and that's the shoehorned roguelite system. Astalon is a regular metroidvania with all the elements you'd expect, except for save rooms and healing. Both are nearly non-existant and the idea is for you to die, buy metaprogression upgrades with your accrued currency and then restart, except it's the exact same castle down to the fact that minibosses retain the damage you've done to them before you died, so the roguelite aspect is entirely pointless and just leads to wasting even more time running back to where you were than other games in the genre do. This game is still a 15-hour experience to just clear, and a 25-hour experience to do everything including the bonus modes, so it's not too bad overall, but stay away if you value your time or can't handle repeating areas to progress.
Other than the roguelite flaw and the fact that boss rush kind of sucks, there really isn't much to complain about here. Charming, creative, clever and neat!
I will detail one thing, though, because there is a rather massive flaw holding this game back from a perfect score, and that's the shoehorned roguelite system. Astalon is a regular metroidvania with all the elements you'd expect, except for save rooms and healing. Both are nearly non-existant and the idea is for you to die, buy metaprogression upgrades with your accrued currency and then restart, except it's the exact same castle down to the fact that minibosses retain the damage you've done to them before you died, so the roguelite aspect is entirely pointless and just leads to wasting even more time running back to where you were than other games in the genre do. This game is still a 15-hour experience to just clear, and a 25-hour experience to do everything including the bonus modes, so it's not too bad overall, but stay away if you value your time or can't handle repeating areas to progress.
Other than the roguelite flaw and the fact that boss rush kind of sucks, there really isn't much to complain about here. Charming, creative, clever and neat!
Really lovely little retro Metroidvania/Search Action game with a couple of unique gimmicks. You have three characters that you swap between who develop their own unique strengths and weaknesses as you unlock upgrades, and there's a death loop where healing is basically nonexistant, but death sends you to a shop where you can cash out currency and then respawn back at the start of the map. Adds up to a pretty satisfying experience, exploring, trying to hold on to every hit point until the bitter end, then launching back in with juiced stats.
There are a couple of annoying or disappointing elements.
The tower is very big and rambling, which is fun to explore at first, but when you're backtracking in the late game it's easy to waste minutes of time only to hit an unmarked wall you forgot about and realise you have to take a completely different route. There's a lot of tantalising story hints thrown out, and I had hoped that exploring the most difficult optional areas would offer some answers, but they all give unsatisfying rewards instead.
Overall it's very well paced and a great size. The map feels expansive, but I 100%ed the main game in under 20 hours, which is pretty perfect for me. The art style is really gorgeous and all the characters feel great once they find their rhythm. Absolutely worth picking up if you like the genre.
There are a couple of annoying or disappointing elements.
The tower is very big and rambling, which is fun to explore at first, but when you're backtracking in the late game it's easy to waste minutes of time only to hit an unmarked wall you forgot about and realise you have to take a completely different route. There's a lot of tantalising story hints thrown out, and I had hoped that exploring the most difficult optional areas would offer some answers, but they all give unsatisfying rewards instead.
Overall it's very well paced and a great size. The map feels expansive, but I 100%ed the main game in under 20 hours, which is pretty perfect for me. The art style is really gorgeous and all the characters feel great once they find their rhythm. Absolutely worth picking up if you like the genre.