If you use a key on one door, you might not find one for a while. Astalon locks doors with keys and there are many doors for them to open. The problem is that it’s easy to get yourself into a position where you can’t find characters or abilities until much later. There are also relics that increase the effectiveness of each character, whether it be pure combat or granting them the skills to interact with different objects. Later on, you’ll find a relic that lets you swap between members on the fly, which you’ll need to use increasingly as areas will require abilities to be used in tandem. They have additional abilities that you’ll need to fully investigate the tower. There are actually two more characters in the game, but you might not even find them before seeing the credits. Algus can activate specific switches, only Arias can cut away overgrowth, and you’ll need Kyuli to reach taller ledges. You’ll need to use specific characters to progress. Initially, Astalon forces you to pick which of the three characters you want to use at campfires that double as save points. For the vast majority of the game, this isn’t much of an impediment, save for the aforementioned section. You don’t lose all the items and currency you’ve obtained upon death. However, this is not a rogue-lite of any sort. Therefore, whenever our heroes die, they’re whisked back to the start of the tower, with only Algus retaining his memories.
As such, he cannot die until the demon decides to take what is his. Prior to the events of Astalon, Algus has sold his soul to Epithemius.
Finally, there’s Kyuli, a ranger that can climb walls.īut, there’s a catch. Then there’s Arias, the short-range knight that uses a sword. The main character is Algus, the mage that uses spells to fight at mid-range. Our initial three heroes are based on classes. Unfortunately, the tower is crawling with monsters and protected by a black knight that’s happy to cut down any foes that step into his line of sight. A nearby tower is polluting their water source, so they head out to put a stop to it. Also, I’m going to bitch my head off about that artificial difficulty section later, so be ready.Īstalon focuses on the journey of a trio seeking to rid their home of poisoned waters. It has some issues with the signposting of its side content, and one section of the game is nearly ruined by pointless artificial difficulty, but this is one of the most engrossing games I’ve played in recent memory. The tower in which it’s set is so dense with secrets and so endlessly clever, that I was still finding myself surprised after beating it. Astalon: Tears of the Earth may have 8-bit graphics, but don’t let that fool you. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, but the best games in the subgenre are trailblazers. It’s rare to come across one that actually attempts to do its own thing. While I love Metroid-likes, many of them are less than intrepid.
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