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| Image courtesy of Acme Game Studio |
If there's one thing that I like to be known for in my life, it's perseverance. The determination to never give up is a staple for me, and it's something that I impart on a lot of those around me. This even extends to video games. I don't like quitting. It pisses me off and makes me feel like I've given up on a part of myself, even when it's something as ridiculous as a damn game. Nevertheless...
I have played a few games in my life that have gotten me to that point. Enough frustration was felt that I decided it was probably best for my own sanity to pull the plug. The biggest perpetrator of this for me was probably Bloodborne. I'm loathe to lay blame at the foot of an inanimate object, but hot damn that game pissed me off pretty quickly in the 2 hours total that I spent playing it. I took it back that day and got something else.
Years later, I bought Asterigos while it was on sale through PSN. It looked like something that would be right up my alley. Inspirations from Greek/Roman architecture and mythology, a character whipping a sword around and slapping baddies, and enough discovery and lore to keep my mind occupied for days on end. After 16 hours of playing it... I gave up. Now, don't give up on this review just yet. In the iconic words of Matthew Lillard's Stu from Scream, "But wait, there's more!"
I came back to it nearly one year later. And I'm so glad I did.
Asterigos is a semi-soulslike. That's one of the reasons that I put it down originally. The frustration over getting killed over and over, coupled with my personal refusal to lower the difficulty setting, is a recipe for setting something aside entirely. That said, it's a game lovingly made by an indie company that can stand on its own against bigger names. You play as Hilda, a Northwind Legion warrior from a Celtic/Viking inspired homeland called Anbari. She arrives at Aphes, the locale for the entirety of the game, in order to figure out why her commander father has not reported back on his progress to find and alleviate their ailing king's curse. Shortly after arrival, Hilda discovers that the entire city of Aphes is not only affected by the same curse that their king is... but they have been affected by it for 1,000 years.
With the support of a small, but growing, faction of Aphesian nobility, Hilda takes on several missions that will help to gather together the items, powers, and allies necessary to topple a vindictive overseer and cure the curse.
The Good
There's a lot to be unpacked here, but I like to keep these reviews short enough to read in just a few minutes.
First off, the story. The narrative of Asterigos is great. It's one of the better games that I've played this year, and a lot of that has to do with the lore. The world that Acme built out for this game was done with a lot of love. They fleshed out the different cultures of Anbari and Aphes, bringing about an interesting world with realistic class/power dynamics between the aristocracy, the middle class, and the slaves on the bottom rungs. Coupled with that, you have a disaster in the form of a curse that has not only lasted for a millennium but has also given all those groups a form of immortality (so long as they get their rations and don't get killed). With all those things in place, it's easy to see how those very dynamics contribute to a collapsing society that Hilda struggles to hold together.
The gameplay is fun here, too. Hilda has immediate access to six different weapons and can use two at all times interchangeably. Because of this, it makes doing simple combos and magic usage a fun part of combat that anyone can pick up easily. Her stats are simplistic with only 3 attributes affected by each level up, but the talent tree is extensive and contains branches into all 6 pieces of weaponry. While Acme kept their ambitions grounded here, they did a fair job of gifting plenty of options that allow you to mix and match more than Uncle Rico shopping for Napoleon's markers.
Musically, Asterigos sets an incredible tone. From the score that plays during epic battles, to the downtime music drifting through the halls of the shelter, Asterigos found the perfect mood and held onto it. Personally, I think the song that plays in the shelter is best. It's a dreamlike piece that really emphasizes the beauty of this world Hilda has stumbled into, and it matches the characters that have begun to fill those halls with their stories and presence.
The atmosphere and side characters of Asterigos are where the game sets itself apart from other soulslikes I've played. The characters that Hilda meets and interacts with are all distinct from one another yet don't just fill stereotypical archetypes. Minerva, Bion, and Roxane fill the roles of the main three that Hilda interacts with, but there are plenty of others that fill the shelter from wall to wall. Vulcane the smith, Quintus the trader, Starlight the lion, Iraeneus, Otto, Shaye, Marisa, Whitebrow, Abellone, and the list goes on. Not every character that Hilda works with is going to be the most endearing individual, but that's what makes the cast so great. There's plenty of mud mixed in with the gold... just like life.
The Bad
No game is perfect, and as good as Asterigos is, it does fall behind in a couple areas. In terms of general movement, sometimes the controls can feel a bit clunky. That clunkiness lends itself to a feeling of being a tad dated for a game that was released only a few years ago. As powerful as Hilda becomes, the controls still prevent her from reaching her maximum potential. She's no Anakin... but that's not her fault.
I believe the design of the world is done well, however, I can certainly see how many might get confused by the lack of a tangible map. This is something typical in soulslikes, but can be frustrating in the beginning stages of any game where you're scratching your head on a street corner wondering "Have I been here before?"
Another qualm I have with the game is the late reveal of fast traveling. It wasn't until about 15-17 hours into the game that fast traveling between conduits is unlocked. At this point, the game is halfway over. I understand that it might have gone even faster had fast traveling been revealed even sooner... but it was something of a hurdle that every player will need to push through until they get to that midpoint.
The Epicness
I never thought that I would dig this game as much as I did. When I played it a year ago, I became frustrated with it and put it aside. I'm refraining from saying that I quit because ultimately... I didn't. I beat it, and I'm so glad that I did, because Acme deserves some love after all they have poured into their debut title.
Asterigos stands in its own class because it takes the great things of multiple titles and makes them its own. The game looks like Kena or Immortals: Fenyx Rising, sounds like a Mozart piece, has more characters than Horizon Zero Dawn, with the controls of a Souls. Give it a shot and help that team create something else, because I just know it's only up from here.
9/10
Epic
To see my latest attempt at epicness, check out Leatherneck
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