It seems like a lifetime ago (at least to us) since the action-adventure hack and slash Astral Chain arrived exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, but this week it's only just reached the one year mark.
To celebrate the game's first anniversary, PlatinumGames prepared a special Lappy cake for the occasion, and Platinum concept artist Yuki Suda and scenario writer Akiteru Naka drew the following illustrations:
Platinum's Hideki Kamiya - a supervisor on the project - also supposedly joined in on the fun by apparently sending out an English tweet that simply read "Astral Chain 2". The tweet (assuming the screenshot doing the rounds online isn't a fake) appears to now be unavailable on his Twitter page.
Real, fake or even a joke - we're sure Kamiya already has enough on his plate between Bayonetta 3 and Project GG.
If you haven't played Astral Chain already, what are you waiting for? The game "sold above expectations" (presumably a lot of people like it) and we awarded it nine out of ten stars in our review and said it was one of the standout hits available on the Nintendo Switch.
Comments 64
Last couple of years were about the games. This year is the celebrations. Next year will be the hangover.
How about putting it on sale, it's still $60. I'd probably pick it up for $40
Astral Chain is one of the best switch exclusives. A stellar game and news of a sequel would make my day. It might be at the point where I'd be more excited for a follow up to this than Bayonetta 3, but that's probably because the wait for 3 is taking so long I'm starting to lose interest.
Mention a game, show a few demos of what's to come in the run up months before release then knock it out the park. That's how a game should be announced and released in my opinion.
Crazy how a year ago was the beginning of the complete insanity that was the Switch lineup from August 30th (Astral Chain) to September 27th (Dragon Quest XI S, Ori).
Couldn't get on with it at all really.
Must try again sometime
Awesome game!! Spent 70+ hours in it. I want to believe they are doing the second part.
I think we've already seen how Kamiya has a particularly **** sense of humour/likes trolling, so I wouldn't read much into that sequel business.
I would love to try it out but it's crazy that it's still $60. PS4 keeps taking my money...games from last spring like RE2 Remake and Nino No Kuni HD Remaster are marked down right now.
One of the best Switch exclusives. It sold pretty well for a new IP, didn't it? So a sequel wouldn't be too surprising.
I think it was good but not great and definitely not as good as NieR Automata. I guess the game didn't reach my expectations and I stopped playing as soon as I finished the story
I hope they make the "dungeons" less boring in the sequel. That was definitely the worst part for me, really uninspired. The parts in the real world were what kept me going.
Also, please more side quests.
Why are both Akiras displayed with light brown hair when in the official artworks their hair is black (or very dark brown)
Btw definitely one of the best exclusives on the switch, you should give it a try if you haven't already
I only just finally played astral chain last may and i had a really good time with it. The combat style took some getting used to. It's not exactly like bayonetta so don't go in expecting that. There were stages that involved stealth that got pretty annoying and the detective segments sometimes seemed to drag on too long. If it was just a straight up action game i probably would have enjoyed it more but overall it was a fun time. I'd welcome a sequel if the gripes i mentioned were ironed out a bit.
@thugpipe dude it was 40 dollars a few days ago I saw the sale on wario64 tweet
What a great game, this deserves the full 60€
This his how you do it, thanks for the game Plat.
@Grumblevolcano No kidding. Daemon X Machina was part of that lineup too. Not to mention Luigi's Mansion 3 and Pokemon Sword/Shield in the last quarter of 2019.
ZOMG, Nintendolife stop making articles about unconfirmed rumored games /s
I enjoyed AC more than TW101
I liked alot of things about Astral Chain, the combat however, never clicked with me, much like MGRR and W101. So far I preferred Vanquish, Bayonetta and Transformers. May try Nier some time but the PC version ran badly (brother had it and hated it). Not sure I would give an astral chain sequel a go either. Looking forward to Bayo 3 tho.
Bought it on launch sold it on launch.
@Rhaoulos I like them both but NA just didn’t do it for me. Astral Chain was new and refreshing. Nier Automata is a good game but it felt like a PS3 game.
@BishopShiozawa
Yep they had a strong quarter last year that started with astral chain, followed by demon x followed by Zelda links awaking followed by Luigi 3 followed by Pokémon and yet 2020 has been dull and lifeless. With no releases announced/planned yet for autumn/Xmas.....I’m getting a bad feeling about this.
What if Nintendo don’t have anything ready for Xmas and decide to move all releases to the launch of the pro...eg Zelda botw2 pro only MH? Pro only japan only 2021worldwide 2022 etc a bit like they did with the ‘New’3DS games when that came out.
I mean we only know of Metroid 4 and bayonet 3 as other titles and they could still be 2022 releases.
Let's add that game to the long list of switch exclusives I have yet to play. I don't even have Mario odyssey yet.
Astral Chain is one of my favourite Switch games. I really hope PG manages to turn it into a trilogy like they intended to.
Everytime I try a game from PlatinumGames I get all excited and think it looks really cool, only to be let down by its difficult gameplay. They're usually way too fast for my liking.
However, I'm really glad PlatinumGames is gaining popularity the last couple of years. They deserve it.
@meltendo @thugpipe it was on sale some weeks ago on the eShop and physical at best buy. But it was not 40, more like 48 digital and 45 physical. But that's basically 1-2 Starbucks coffee away from your price
@Shulkalot I totally agree! Bayo 1-2 were ok in terms of difficulty, but TW101 was too arcade sometimes. You basically have to repeat some areas 5-6 time until you figure out what to do, how to kill the enemy or how to solve the puzzle. The game itself is great and I haven't played anything like it before. But having basically 80% Plastic performance rating is also not so great in terms of motivation. Especially the shoot em up parts were ruined by the ***** camera paired with unfair one hit death logics...
How about, I don't know, celebrate the anniversary with an eshop discount rather than posting pics or tweets that are of interest to almont nobody...
They really needs to do something about the barebones combat and slow as fk camera in the sequel. Personally never got invested into Astral Chains due to as per mentioned and it seemingly low budget considering how we got Nier Automata few years prior.
Confession time - I preordered Astral Chain (based on its looks and the fact that the game radiates that Japanese tokusatsu/mech anime vibe I love) and yet haven’t started playing it. I keep buying and playing smaller titles and ACNH keeps eating up the rest of my gaming time.
One year of shame. ☹️
Thanks for reminding me I finally need to get this game off the backlog!
I still need to grab and play this game. While I'm looking forward to the action sequences, the investigation bits look fun as well. They'll provide a nice break from the action.
@Lord I get what you mean. 2020 has been a good year for third-party releases, funny enough. Ninja Storm 4 and My Hero One's Justice 2 have been fun to play.
Seems 1st party titles may be hush-hush this remainder of this year as all these rather legit (legal copyright filings) news leaks of 1stQ new switch has, hopefully, peeps busy on games and hardware to showcase and polish 'its' final touches for roll out. Maybe that is why Nintendo has been so quiet..........
First Platinum game I've ever played and it was a good one for sure. I'd be delighted if it got a sequel.
I wish I liked Astral Chain. I really disliked any time you went into the Astral dimension thing or whatever. The art style in that area was so boring, and I also wasn't into the puzzle solving aspects of it.
@Lord I legitimately almost did the same thing. I bought it, realized immediately that I wouldn't gel with it like I did Nier and Bayonetta, and almost sold it. I trucked through the story and made myself finish it, but I immediately traded it in afterward. I really wanted to like it, but something was just off the whole time.
It was definitely my favorite Switch exclusive of last year (up there with BotW, Odyssey, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, & Smash Ultimate as one of the best exclusives on the system).
Would love to see a sequel.
Just got it a bit ago and started it a couple days ago. Took a bit for it to click, but now it has and it's awesome! Highly recommend sticking through the first couple hours!
Great game! We want a sequel.
@Maney well sadly i seem to have missed that sale because in my region i have only seen it on sale once and it was still about $50 and that was still a little high for me given my level of enthusiasm, I am sure the game is worth the full price just not for me.
My Favorite new IP of the generation so far. Love the World they created, the art style and the music. So looking forward to a sequel. If you haven't played this yet and like action adventure games, definitely give this one a look!
@LUIGITORNADO nintendolife is allowed to post rumors just like any other game sites does plus it keeps us updated on potential games coming to switch.
Hey Platinum, why not talk to Nintendo and drop this price to $40 regular price. It is a hit for you guys, but it is not selling on the Mario Kart levels.
Excellent Game for Nintendo Switch! I highly recommend it!!
I really wanted to adore this game but I just got bored after the first hour or so. Here's to a port of Lollipop Chainsaw instead of a sequel.
Definitely on the list of favorite games of ALL TIME for me. I'd be totally down if they at least released some DLC of extra missions and/or survival mode(s). It took a long time but I S+'s all of Olive's cases and it just made me hunger for more! I still randomly play those Olive cases to get a fix but it isn't the same (especially some of them are straight up troll cases with a lot of annoyances).
@thugpipe I grabbed it digitally for $47 on sale a few months back
@Sakaixx The combat in Astral Chain is not barebones....
I picked up Astral Chain earlier this year (before COVID) when I picked up a bunch of games I was interested in at Best Buy: Witcher 3, Link's Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 3 and this game. Out of those, this was the last one I played and for some reason I struggled initially getting interested in it. However, eventually I got into it and really enjoyed my time with the game. Honestly, it's a bit awkward controlling both the character and the legion, but once you figure it out, it's not too bad. I like that it's not just fighting, but other objectives as well like finding clues, solving mysteries and more. I also turned off the grading after fights. I don't know, I just got annoyed when I didn't get a high grade and after a while I was just like "If I win the fight, that's what matters to me", so I found I had more fun going that route. I wish more exclusives that were more adult oriented like that came to the Switch. Love Mario games, but enjoy more mature content as well.
@meltendo Nintendo games don't drop in price. I like PS4 games they hold people's attention longer than a month.
I'm seeing quite a few comments about the game still being full price.... on a nintendo centric website about nintendo games.... They're always full price until a rare sale like Luigi's mansion 3 and arms currently and some of those games are 3 years old or more in some cases. so I don't really know why anybody is surprised a one year old game isnt cheaper.
With Bayonetta 3 I had thought development was going so fluid Kamiya tweeted out in random excitement. But Astral Chain 2? He's letting himself go. I want to see another game like that..
@deucezulu22 it is to me due to what I experienced in Nier Automata.
@Sakaixx I would say that game has a deeper system than Astral Chain, instead of bare bones. That's just me.
Currently one of the games I'm playing. Great action title so far, a shame so many Sony fanboys review bombed it. Fans of action games owe it to themselves to check it out.
@deucezulu22 probably just could not get into it. Worst combat and camera plus boring scenery hurts Astral Chains alot for me.
Playing this currently (would have been sooner, but everything stops for Xenoblade!). Absolutely love it.
Such an amazing game, absolutely loved it. A sequel or at least some DLCs would be very welcome.
Games like astral chain is part of the reason why Nintendo is still my favorite despite certain... disapointments. Such a great game and switch exclusive. I hope to see some other upcoming Nintendo exclusives get even a fraction of it's attention. Remember the name "Silver Falls", it just may pay off in a few months.
Loved the game, give me more fast paced action hack n' slash heartpounding gameplay anytime! LOL
Sometimes I still listen to Dark Hero and Saviour in loop
And that art is adorable. Astral Chain 2, if it comes out, is a must buy for me
I'm waiting for a price drop or a sale. This game has been out for a year and it's still $60. Nintendo never lowers the price for their published games.
How about s sale then lol.
Ive been wanting to try this out, but without a means to actually try(ie a demo), i cant justify more than $30.
@mazzel @Shulkalot Totally agreed. Everything P* looks fantastic, but when I play it the repeating of things over and over until you actually make it past something, only to get a low ranking just kinds of puts me off. It's very very arcade, indeed, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.
In many ways Astral Chain is the first P* game that feels like a total game, and is well rounded, and is probably my favorite of their games as a result. W101 was weird and cool and experimental, but never actually knowing what you're doing or how to actually successfully do it without just trial and error a hundred times, being forced to redo sections (and saying you'll redo it automatically docking your points) gets irritating more than fun many times.
Nier Automata is wonderful, but it's not a fully Platinum game.
@NEStalgia @mazzel
Glad to hear I'm not alone. 😁
I bought it shortly after it released and have enjoyed it everytime I played it, I've taken a break from it but I plan to get back into it soon. I'm in no rush to finish it but I do need to put some more time in it since it's been a few months since I last played. A sequel will be awesome at some point so if it does happen I will get it for sure.
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