Astral Chain: A Dystopian Nintendo Switch Experience

Astral Chain is a Nintendo Switch-exclusive action-adventure; beat 'em up style game developed by Platinum Games. Platinum Games developed games such as the Bayonetta Series, as well as Nier: Automata, which was one of my favorite games of the last generation of video game consoles. It is safe to say that Platinum Games have some experience in making a satisfying and critically acclaimed action-adventure game. Astral is a solid game, but I think the game falls short of being an outstanding game on the Switch.

Astral Chain takes place in the dystopian, cyberpunk-style future of the late 21st century. You play as a twin (either the boy or the girl) as you join a police force called Neuron, led by your father. Neuron is responsible for keeping the peace in the city and protecting humanity by fighting trans-dimensional monsters called Chimeras. I enjoy the imagined futuristic setting and the world building of this game, and the cel-shaded graphics make the environment and the characters pop with their bold outlines. While playing this game, I felt like I could have lived in this futuristic world. I was impressed with the presentation of this game, and I liked the EDM/metal fusion of the soundtrack.

I have to mention one significant negative with Astral Chain. Astral Chain's story relies heavily on the relationships between characters, and in particular, the relationship between you and your twin, and with the relationship the twins have with their father. So, why in the world would Platinum Games make your playable character a silent protagonist? How hard was it for Platinum Games to give your character some lines to read? Your twin has dialogue in the game, so why make the twin you play silent, especially when there is an emotional moment that involves your family members in the game? I thought this decision was a bone-headed move and ultimately soured me on the story, as much as I enjoyed the other aspects of the game.

I will go back to a positive about Astral Chain, and that would be the general combat. In fighting sequences, you can summon a creature tethered to you by a chain (The Astral Chain) called a Legion that fights alongside you. The fighting controls reflect having to control your own character, as well as your legion, at the same time. The controls took a lot of getting used to, but I was able to get comfortable enough to chain attacks with my character and legion. There is a lot of variety with the different legions and their abilities, as well as the many different types of Chimeras to fight, so I never felt bored with the combat.

One last thing that I want to talk about is the game length of Astral Chain. My play through of the main story took around 25 hours, and that was with significant investment in completing the side cases for each police file. If you spent minimal time on the side content, you can finish the story in about 10 hours, and I felt like the game length was too short for a full-price game. There is post-game content, and the game encourages and generates replay value by going back to the earlier police files and discovering new things with newly captured Legions. However, by the time I was done with the main story, I did not feel like playing the game anymore.

Astral Chain offers a striking futuristic setting and presentation with vibrant and engaging combat and gameplay. The story is not too bad either, though the presence of a silent protagonist significantly hampers the emotional impact of the story to the player. Astral Chain still gets a recommendation from me to play, if you are looking for a more mature action-adventure experience that is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.