
It would appear that Astral Chain got off to a flying start after its launch last Friday; not only did it manage to grab first and second places in the UK and Japanese gaming charts respectively, but developer PlatinumGames has gone out of its way to thank players who have made it "such a success".
That thanks comes in the form of an exclusive art piece made by none other than PlatinumGames artist, Hajime Kimura. We're still playing the game every night ourselves and seeing its cast of characters like this is making us want to jump straight back into the Astral Plane for more action. Also, look at the kitty.

Have you been playing the game? Have you been enjoying your time with it? Let us know how you're getting on in the comments below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 66
You are welcome. Now please make the main character talk and fix the porn music at HQ. Ta.
Platinum genuinely cares about their fanbase and they always have a palpable passion toward game development that really shines. Astral Chain is another banger in their ever growing library. Can't wait to see Bayonetta 3 and beyond.
Astral Chains completely blew me away, there aren't many things than can drag my attention away from WoW Classic but Astral Chains is doing a good job of it.
The music is just so god damn good as well, I keep getting tracks stuck in my head.
Thank you for making such a good Nintendo exclusive game, PlatinumGames ! <3
Love the game so far
Only gripe is that the main char doesn't talk and the annoying brother talks way too much. Keep rooting for the enemies every time he's in a fight, hoping he'll finally die
eaaager to play.. i think ill buy at the same time, this one and fire emblem.. which one play first? such a hard question..
This is, so far, my favorite game this year and maybe even one of my favorite games of all time. I love the art style, the gameplay, the boss fights, the pacing, the music, the characters (got a few favorites by now - anyone else who enjoys Kyle?), even the story ain't that bad. I'm glad I bought it, I'm in the middle of chapter 7 as we speak. Here's hoping for a standalone release of the soundtrack.
Thanks Platinum Games and Nintendo!
@Gelantious I'm the other way round as I am the annoying brother so all I hear is yap yap yap from the annoying sister.
Game companies take note:
If you make high quality single player experiences, consumers will reward you with their cash and praise.
I’m super happy this worked out for Platinum.
So glad for them. Platinum really needed that one big success to show them that all those years of hard work and amazing games would finally pay off. I was getting worried that they'd never get rewarded for all they've given me. Hopefully this will ensure many more high quality action games from them for years to come. Also, Nintendo should be praised for sticking by them and funding a lot of their games. They knew they were a quality studio and that it would only be a matter of time before the gaming community realised how good they are.
I'm about 2 hours in, and wow this game is really good. Congrats, Platinum
@rex_rex whatever you choose to play first will do the other an injustice. Both absolute bangers. I wouldnt want to have to make that decision 🤣
Astral Chain is the best action game I've played since Bayonetta 2. The art style is gorgeous, the levels are great, The combat is top notch, the music rocks and the characters are so cute! Lappy!!!
I'm so happy for Platinum Games. They've worked so hard, they deserve this.
@Old-Red
Don't worry, the big sales they are making is already the reward for both Platinum and Nintendo. And with such a big success, I'm very sure they wanted to make it a habit.
I can't wait to join in with the crowd. But I want a physical copy, and it's still not available here yet. I guess I just have to be patient and wait because I don't really believe in Pre-Order system here.
@Kidfunkadelic83 hahahahaha!! i know man.. i know..
It's great to see nearly everyone who's been playing it talking so highly of it, so it's not one of those 'universally praised by critics, not so much by gamers' games as some on here predicted it would be. If anything, the 9/10 Damo gave it and its 88 Metacritic score is underating it. It's a 10l10 all the way from me. It's unique, spectacular, absolutely gorgeous and it's one of those rare games that you know, you won't be forgetting any time soon. For me, it's the best Switch exclusive,no doubt about it.
@HappyMaskedGuy what's a single player experience? Surely you mean online, multiplayer focused, microtransaction riddled gambling simulator?
Great game, 12 hours in now and only just discovered the achievement bit in the menu. I can see this one lasting a very long time.
Only negative is the detective work. Can become kinda boring just searching for people to talk to in order to gather red key words.
Hoping for DLC for some new suits in the form of cameo appearances. Like a Bayonetta suit, maybe even some Nintendo themed suits like Samus etc?
No, thank you to Platinum! It's a game that exceeds by expectations by a fair amount, definitely my game of the year so far.
I find it it weird they kept this game quiet for so long because it's one of the most polished, in-depth action games on the system - not forgetting that it looks and sounds amazing Hopefully Platinum keeps bringing exclusive gems like these to Nintendo systems.
Amazing game, worth every penny. Other than the silence of your chosen protagonist, I really have no issues at all with the game. Switch GOTY? Maybe.
@Scottwood101 I actually love the detective work. It kind of reminds me a bit of playing the old Batman Arkham games, using the IRIS thing to see what regular visuals hide and chatting folks up to get information. I feel it does a nice job of breaking up the action sequences and really pushing the feeling that your character isn't just an action hero but an actual cop too.
@Lordplops If that's how you depict the music then that's on you mate. The music is fantastic,the game is fantastic. Well deserved Platinum 👍
@NintenDan_
Don’t forget to focus-test it to within an inch of its life!
@Scottwood101 I just can't get enough of bayonetta. This does look so good astral chain can't wait to play it 👍
@Lordplops If the main character talked I'd love this game soooo much more! I personally connect less with silent protagonists.
You're welcome. Thanks to Platinum for that great game
Always nice to see PG succeed
@NinjaWaddleDee if everyone else was similarly muted...or maybe not so chatty it wouldn't be so annoying. Plus why, if they have all the audio for both characters - which they clearly do - could'nt they have worked it in?
@Lordplops I really don't know. I'd even be satisfied if they just had the protag voice the lines that you choose during conversations. That, combined with the detective work that I'm really not a fan of, is making this game more of an 8/10 for me personally compared to some of Platinum's other work. Still a great game, but for me I doesn't reach the heights of Nier Automata or Bayonetta.
@Lordplops I 100% agree that the player character doesn't need to be muted. The way this game's dialogue goes he/she can fully interact with the cast with full voice acting.
Also, no, the Neuron track is dope
What's all this main character doesn't talk nonsense?
Link doesn't talk, and no one says anything. Come off it.
@HatosBlack preference and opinion. Is that a bad thing? Though in the end I'm fine either way. We're just saying the potential is there. Link is a different story IMO.
Also, don't assume everybody who played Astral Chain have also played a Zelda game. "Who the f is Link?"...
@HatosBlack I don’t mind a silent protagonist, Link and Freeman are fine, but in my opinion it’s a mistake that the main character in Astral Chain isn’t voiced. It just doesn’t really suit the game.
@Lordplops It doesn't matter which character you choose, the sister/brother say exactly the same lines so I'm not sure how they could have worked it in.
@graysoncharles @Zyph to clarify it's only the HQ track that makes me reach for the tissues, everything else is spot on. But, IMO, the HQ track just reeks of 'Hey, I've come to fix the washing machine with my big tool'.
I wasn't expecting to love Astral Chain as much as I do. I love the pacing, art style and music. It feels like playing a 90's sci-fi anime. I'm a huge fan of Platinum and Astral Chain might be my favorite of their games.
W00t! I couldn’t even find it nearby. Will try again next payday.
@Retron might be, best selling game in many territories, best selling in Amazon for a while and still very high at the gaming charts, best selling or second best selling in most territories on the eshop.....
@rex_rex play Astral chain first, it will take a very very long time to complete FE, so it make sense to me at least to play it as the second game
@Tantani I think you are right, but the thing is.. if I delay FE, both link's awakening and dragon quest XI will arrive... I know, im doomed!
It's great to see new IPs reviewing and selling well - I'd bet that one of the additional DLC characters for Smash Ultimate is the protagonist (probably going by Akira).
@PikaPhantom I tought the same man, it would but AMAZING having them in Smash! some ppl say the next pass will be only nintendo characters.. let's see and wait..
@HappyMaskedGuy that goes without saying, how else would we snag the whales!?
I have way too many games on my docket, and they're all Switch. I might get this game after it goes on sale, either physically or digitally. But after seeing the latest Nintendo Direct, I'll have even more games sitting in my "to play" bucket.
Looking forward to this it’s on my list to pick up soon, so many games to play/catch up on right now.
@Kidfunkadelic83
@rex_rex
I bought FE Three Houses about 2 weeks before Astral Chain's release. I'd preordered and picked up Astral that day but still haven't unwrapped it - I'm determined to get through FE first.
Boy we are spoilt for great games lately! ^_^
@Teksetter I've put FE down for now as I played it for 72 hours so far and the battles get a lot longer and harder later on. I actually thought I'd completed it to then find out I havnt. It's a fantastic game for sure. I love the characters and when you find a couple you like and are determined to recruit them to your house 🤣
@Teksetter LOL, true.. such a big problem we have ahn??? uahuahuaa.. meanwhile ppl are review bombing our games, uahuahaua, they seem to be very busy...
HA!... great game.
Bring on Bayo3 and Babylon's Fall and I'll buy those also 😀
Same story here, I have to do justice to Fire Emblem first. I'm gonna need a few months to recover from the upcoming game flood. I gave up trying to play all the good games a long time ago, but so many games coming up are must-haves.
@rex_rex astral chain. Not knocking on FE; it’s just that FE is so much more of a time sink.
Those who have played the game seem to be (on the whole) raving about it! I'd say the success is well-deserved. This game will eventually join my own library.
It’s been a week since the release and I guess I’m about halfway in. I just clocked in 10 hours and I’ve been hearing it will take about 15-20 hours to finish the game. I’m taking my time and try to do, see and find as much as I can but after every cleared File there are still some things I ’ve missed.
The love for this game is real. I love everything about it. Especially Olive!
The tasks are cool and the fights and battles are very satisfying indeed!
I can’t put this game down and that doesn’t happen to me a lot!
Thank you Platinum and Nintendo!
@Kidfunkadelic83
FE3H is as I feared, then - the battles will get bigger and higher stakes, but I’ll grow more attached to my charas and absolutely will NOT let them perma-die.
Not good when you’re as plodding a gamer as me. I’m about 50hrs in and only up to the battle of the eagle and the lion so far.
When oh WHEN will I get to play Astral? ☹️
Main character: Grunts at dad
@NintenDan_ Man the harpoon, laddie!
@rex_rex you poor thing🤣
@Teksetter tou wont be able to keep your characters all safe later on so best get deciding which ones you can sacrifice. I've got stuck on a couple of missions later in the game that have taken me 40 or 50 mins to do and I ended up with about 4 characters alive at the end of it. It does get very tough imo and I'd never play on perma death. I couldn't bare to lose anyone 🤣🤣
I'm glad they were successful, really. I was afraid that with this kind of game, in addition to Switch exclusivity, and just at the end of August, the game would pass a little under the eyes and everyone would forget it because Zelda was coming. Very happy to see that people bought it and loved the game for its true value. It's really an excellent game, one of the best of PlatinumGames, that's for sure. Hideki Kamiya did not disappoint.
@Kidfunkadelic83
What?? No harm must come to my precious anime kids of the golden deer house! If I can’t cheat death I may get stuck and end up playing Astral Chain sooner than I thought. 😬
@rex_rex
Maybe you should get Astral first, and avoid all this FE3H anxiety!
It’s PlatinumGames’ best game, and it’s top 3 on the Switch. Stunning achievement.
Well, thank you for making a great game I can't think of a Platinum game I didn't like. I'd love to see a sequel to Astral Chain. The way they build the world in game makes me think an open world aspect might be really cool. Exploring an anime city on your sweet motorcycle? Sounds like a great game to me!
There's fifty billion games coming out on Switch so I keep letting myself get distracted by new stuff. I like Astral Chain, but have been playing the awesome SNES games, Excitebike Vs, Creature in the Well, Spyro (damn those constant drops below 30fps!), CTR (I like this is spite of it being a 30fps racing game!), Hellblade (incredible!), Wuppo (have this on PC and glad to have it on Switch!), Dig dog, Daemon X Machina demo (also hate this games drops below 30fps, and really wish it ran at 60fps, of course), etc
Thank you platinumgames, I really enjoy it!
@rex_rex
I'll get it eventually but my next game is the zelda remake I think. Just too cute.
@Lordplops Ha ha ha ha! That was a good one.
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