Astral Chain is an absolutely jaw dropping experience from start to finish and is probably my 2019 switch game of the year, although this probably doesn’t mean much coming from an individual on the internet, allow me to explain why I love this game so much.
First off let me say I am a Phoenix Wright fan. The franchise is absolutely brilliant and the reason I bring this up is because the investigative segments in this game make me SO happy. I would consider there to be two main portions to the gameplay here. There are the “investigations” and then the combat.
The “investigations” in this game are something of a masterpiece. They are what I wish phoenix wright would be able to do in their future games; they are almost perfect in my mind. You are a police officer in this game and your job first and foremost as an officer is to enforce the law and help the general public- along with solving the cases that make up the main story. In regards to the side quests in this game, they are extremely well done. They are usually problems that people are having or smaller cases for you to solve and they do an excellent job at making you, the player, feeling invested in them. They all feel like they have purpose without the need for reward in game. Which is interesting- the side quests don’t yield incredible incentive for you to do them, but as a police officer it is your job. The side quests add a sense of reality to your job and it doesn’t feel like a chore to do them because they do flesh out the story or what is going on behind the scenes in the place you live in. Now with respect the main line investigations, they are incredibly fun. In these investigations you are given a decent number of ways to analyze the crime scene and eye witnesses that were able to see the crime as it occurred. With all these tools at your disposal you are able to piece together what happened at the scene of the crime as well as help other citizens along the way.
The combat in this game is EXTREMLY well designed and thought out. The battle system is centered around you and a partner you have in battle known as your “Legion”. Compared to similar games on the switch, I would say you can’t compare it to anything else (unless its very similar to Bayonetta, witch I haven’t played). It’s miles more complex than BOTW and much more involved than Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (an admittedly farfetched reference point). To showcase Astral Chain’s unique combat system, I will tell you about something simple- the dodging mechanic. Compared to other games, the dodging in Astral Chain is admittedly very odd. It’s pretty slow in comparison to other games and the timing that enables you to combo those dodges with other things is really tight. Perfect dodges, similar to BOTW, exist in this game, however what you can do with those dodges is much greater. In tandem with your Legion, you are able to make a simple dodge into something that will be able to deal massive damage as long as you can optimize your kit to do so. There are many more things that make the combat great that are just as intricate as what I have described.
Its not that everything about this game is exceptional, the world, although incredibly detailed, is not very big compared so some of the games we have see already seen and not everything is voice acted (when coming to FETH this stuck out to me). This does not hold the game back too much however. I believe the story is phenomenal and when working together with the elements I have described already, it makes playing through Astral Chain an unforgettable experience.