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AWAKEN - Astral Blade Review - The Next Big Metroidvania?

AWAKEN - Astral Blade

PC/PS5

10/22/24

Dark Pigeon Games/ESDigital Games





The Metroidvania genre has had no shortage of quality indie releases in 2024. Games such as ANIMAL WELL, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus and BIOMORPH left critics and audiences impressed with their intricate map designs, fast and fluid combat, and lovely visual aesthetics. But there have been disappointments too. Gestalt: Steam and Cinder was a bit of a letdown for me personally, and the psychedelic world of Ultros left me downright frustrated. While the genre remains popular, indie developers are needing to find different ways to innovate on the existing formula in order to stand out in a crowded space. This means offering something new and exciting while maintaining the spirit of what fans love about these games. 


AWAKEN - Astral Blade, coming to us from Dark Pigeon Games and ESDigital Games, is the latest Metroidvania release attempting to capture the attention of indie gaming fans. But did this title awaken my optimism for the genre going forward? Or does it die by the blade? Let’s find out in our full review!



AWAKEN - Astral Blade begins by having players select between two difficulty options. There's an accessible story mode for those seeking an easier experience, or a default normal setting. Players can also look forward to an unlockable hardcore mode for an additional challenge should they complete the game on normal. Regardless of which option you choose, the game does a nice job of adjusting to your struggles. Should you die repeatedly on a particular section, you will be offered an easier difficulty level, and eventually be allowed to boost your powers through a rookie mode that temporarily gives you both an attack and health advantage based on how many times you die. 



I always appreciate a game offering accessibility option, so it was nice to see the developers offer players a lifeline should it be needed. And need it they may, as AWAKEN - Astral Blade starts out deceptively easy even on the default difficulty, but eventually puts up greater resistance. The majority of my struggles came the way of the game's multi-staged boss encounters, but your mileage may vary depending on your skill level. 



It is unlikely anyone will be challenged by AWAKEN’s narrative however, which feels painfully generic. It’s a tale as old as time where a robotic girl is created by a Dr. in order to make the world a better place. In this case, Dr. Herverus creates Tania, and tasks her with exploring the Darkmist Rainforest which is located on a massive island. She is to find a missing advance team and locate Karpas Energy, energy sources that are causing plants and wildlife to mutate into monstrous abominations. 


One could forgive a played-out storyline if it offered decent writing, but sadly that isn’t the case here. Instead, the dialogue is bland, and the plot twists can be spotted a mile away. It's unlikely anyone will become invested in the characters of this world, or even give the story a second thought after completing what should be a roughly 10–12-hour campaign depending on skill level.  


Narrative shortcomings aside, it is clear that Dark Pigeon Games understand how to execute a solid Metroidvania gameplay loop. Here, they opt to play things relatively safe and stick to what the genre is best known for. The game features a large map to explore, decent combat with a small offering of different weapons, various upgrade systems, and plenty of boss encounters. Slap me if you’ve heard this one before, but at the least, AWAKEN - Astral Blade executes on the basics well enough. Your goal is the same as any other Metroidvania, complete objectives through action and exploration and reach the endgame. 



Thankfully, the island is a beautiful place to explore with varied locations. From misty forests to caverns and laboratories, each area of the map feels distinct and alive. Backgrounds thrive, whether it be small details such as waterfalls, or the moon off in the horizon. Creatures, much like a vegan diet, are often plant-based, almost always interesting to look at, though admittedly, the game could have done with a bit more enemy variety. Still, what’s here is lovely, and while the boss encounters aren’t always thrilling to take part in, the art design of each one of these creatures is impressive. Put simply, AWAKEN - Astral Blade is undeniably gorgeous. My only real complaint from a visual standpoint would be pointed at Tania herself. In motion, her animations can appear a bit stiff, and when standing still, her proportions don’t seem to match what we see in her portrait art. It almost feels like two entirely different artists worked on her design and didn’t coordinate properly.


Combat in AWAKEN - Astral Blade feels relatively fast and responsive. You begin the game with an Enginery sword, but eventually earn more weapons such as a scythe. I would argue the game could have benefitted from more weapon variety in totality, but I digress. These weapons are easily cycled between and can eventually be upgraded via an in-game currency that also allows you to enhance Tania’s skills and abilities. While I didn’t mind having one main currency to upgrade everything, it did make progression feel like a bit of a slog at times. Hours into my adventure I felt like I still hadn’t unlocked as much as I would have liked despite killing just about every enemy on screen and doing plenty of exploring. Regardless, AWAKEN’s combat engine and upgrade systems are perfectly serviceable.



Outside of her standard attack, Tania can also parry, dodge, run, and perform combos that dish out additional damage. She also has a devastating special attack that can be earned through battling enemies, and finishing moves that can be utilized on mortally wounded foes. Healing is similar to a Soulslike where you have a set number of potions that can be activated with the push of a button. 


I say the word Soulslike, but fear not as this is a mostly forgiving experience. This is due to the game having plenty of save areas scattered across its world that restore your health entirely while acting as checkpoints. Death also doesn't offer any real penalty outside of respawning previously defeated enemies. Save points are also where you will do the vast majority of your upgrading.


Getting around is a breeze thanks to AWAKEN’s excellent map. A common frustration in Metroidvania games is the amount of time that can be spent aimlessly wandering corridors unsure of where to go next. This wasn’t the case here, as your goals are clearly defined and well labeled at all times. This can make the game feel a bit more structured when compared to other releases within this genre, while still offering plenty of optional exploration. Traveling between locations is a breeze too, with a fast travel system that unlocks about halfway through. 


Outside of combat and exploration, AWAKEN - Astral Blade will occasionally attempt to mix things up a bit. There were a few puzzles to be solved which while not amazing, were a welcome change of pace. Chase sequences also occur from time to time which much like the puzzles, are simply OK. While none of its gameplay shifts are wildly successful, I can appreciate the developer attempting to add a bit of variety.


As far as sound design is concerned, the music in Awaken - Astral Blade is a bit forgettable. While I enjoyed the opening menu music, a lovely little ballad, the rest of the soundtrack lacks personality. Many of these tracks feature abstract synths and light melodies that drift off into the background. Sound effects are also nothing special, though there are some decent touches such as the pitter patter of Tania’s feet across the island's varied landscapes. The game does have a small bit of voice acting which was presented in Chinese by default, but it is not fully voiced. In general, I found that the music and sound were a bit lacking when compared to the lovely visual design.


Performance on the other hand was mostly great, with no major frame rate drops to report. That said, I did hit a few janky spots where my screen would momentarily glitch out, or the game didn’t transition between new scenes perfectly. There was nothing game breaking that I found throughout my time playing, with the biggest bug being incorrect button prompts being displayed on-screen. While using an Xbox controller on my PC, I would often see Playstation button prompts, which threw my brain for a bit of a loop. 



In the end, AWAKEN - Astral Blade is a well-made Metroidvania release that doesn’t attempt to rewrite the book. Its map is easy to understand and well designed, the visuals are quite beautiful, and the combat feels good despite a few balancing issues, mainly with some rather steep difficulty spikes during boss encounters. Luckily, that particular issue is offset by the game featuring great accessibility options. While it doesn’t do a whole lot to stand out, and its narrative and sound design feel like missed opportunities, what's here should be enough to satisfy gamers that wish to add another solid Metroidvania game to their collections.


GOOD


PROS


  • Lovely visual design

  • Great map that is easy to understand

  • Combat feels good

  • Nice accessibility options for difficulty


CONS

  • Sound design could be better

  • Narrative isn’t very exciting

  • Doesn’t take many creative risks

  • Difficulty feels a bit unbalanced in spots

  • Progression feels slow at times

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