“Ten-four officers, we have reports of an astral chain in progress on Switch Ave., loud sirens and hot controllers are coming.” Developed by Platinum Games, the masters of the character action genre, Astral Chain offers a new version of the formula. The player guides a self-controlled demon (known as a Legion) linked to their character by the titular astral chain. As an officer in a special police force, the player uses his Legion to fight crime, solve mysteries and beat up criminals.
Fight
The flesh of Astral Chain lies in intense, fluid combat. Platinum Games fans will recognize the influences of their previous titles such as Bayonetta. This time around, Astral Chain does a great job of recruiting new players and pleasing old ones. No more relying on sprawling move lists and button combinations, your Legions do most of the fighting for you. There is still depth and challenge to field your Legion, but Platinum mercifully lowers the skill level. For those looking to enjoy history without the pressure, Astral Chain also offers lower difficulty levels with unlimited lives to keep everyone happy.
If ease doesn’t matter to you, Platinum Standard mode will test your combat performance. Just like other character action games, Astral Chain gives you a letter grade from D- to S + based on the points earned during the fight. This mode isn’t necessarily more difficult, but chasing the ranks pushes you to play better, not get hit and, in turn, look a lot more interesting.
It takes a while to get used to the controls, but the depth of available options makes any encounter interesting. For this reason, winning in Astral Chain is about style, efficiency and perfection, not just surviving to the end. Learning to fight is like learning an instrument. Sure, playing “Hot Crossed Buns” will pass a level, but achieving that S + requires some real work of imagination.
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