However, as I mentioned, if they manage to Stun or Confuse your entire party, it’s a frustrating game over as you wait three turns to regain control of your units.Įach character has a general Job class and extra job classes available to them. Stocking up on Revives, Omni-Ethers, and Omni-Potions will allow you to pretty much chip damage any foe until they are defeated. This makes battles become repetitious and lengthy, but the biggest issue is that it mostly comes down to having enough items to get you through the fight. After I unlocked group hitting abilities, I pretty much just relied on Focusing with all party members and then charging an ability.

By doing this, you’ll gain Focus which can be used to charge up an attack. The best way to take on enemies is to first find their weakness and then attack that as much as possible. Enemies have group Stun Lock and Confusion abilities that will wipe out your party in a matter of turns, and you’ll rarely be leveled enough for the encounters within new dungeons. Don’t get me wrong, the battle system is fun most of the time, but it’s not hard to know that it is broken. Some provide access to areas in previous dungeons, which are rewarded with treasure.īattles are where you’ll spend a significant amount of time because they are primarily unbalanced. Some of them feature puzzle-like elements, but honestly, they aren’t used too much, and I often forgot about them until I needed them. Ring Powers are collected over time and allow access to new areas.

Ulan can jump and execute a Ring Power while in a dungeon. This shows in the various villages you see as well, which are more or less the same in what they offer but stand out thanks to the architecture and style of the environment. They make the 2D world more distinct as the more places you visit, the more you understand how it all connects. It’s rather basic, but the overall design of the backgrounds and environments are excellent. When it comes to the final hours of the game, you’ll be in tune with these warriors’ cause and the injustices they’ve faced, but getting there is the issue.Įxploration takes place on a 2D field where Ulan can visit towns, navigate dungeons, and talk to NPCs. Small arguments pop up in conversation, and that creates some of the more engaging moments of dialogue. They aren’t friends, and yet, they must work together to complete this mission.

What creates some of the more interesting moments is the sheer amount of tension the group shares. The characters’ backstory is delivered at a steady pace, but it’s easy to lose interest in some of them, such as Arpagjo and Alek I didn’t care about them at all.

This is an issue with how the game begins where the group has already been formed, and they set out from there. The story is the absolute highlight of this experience as each character will receive their own bit of backstory, but it isn’t until 10 hours into the game where you’ll start to care about them. In this case, they have three months left to live, but some strange events begin appearing that cause them to journey across the lands and piece together the disturbances. Although this group of eight is chosen, they have to accept that their life has a time limit, and their power comes at a cost. Astria Ascending introduces players to Ulan, the leader of the 333rd Demi-Gods, a group of warriors assigned to protect the peace and fate of the world.

Astria ascending open critic