Astor Blade of the Monolith Review

Astor Blade of the Monolith seems like a stable motion RPG hack-and-slash sport on paper however does it truly ship on its guarantees and is it price trying out? The reply to this query is a blended bag however one which it is best to take a while to think about totally earlier than you dive proper in.

So what precisely is Astor Blade of the Monolith from Versus Evil, tinyBuild and C2 Sport Studio ?

Astor Blade of the Monolith is an action-adventure hack-and-slash third-person title that places you within the sneakers of Astor, the “Chosen One”. Sure sure, that is extraordinarily cliché however gaming is all about residing a fantasy proper? Gamers will tackle the position of Astor as he and his pal Zan enter a temple. He finally ends up falling down onto a decrease degree and instantly will get gifted the ability of a Runic Blade. Zulfiqar, the legendary runic blade seems in Astor’s fingers and after a quick tutorial, you’ll be wielding it towards enemies with impunity.

Astor and his pal enterprise out in the direction of a hidden Diokek village and that is the place they be taught that he’s a part of a prophecy to carry salvation to the world of Gliese. Once more, tremendous cliché but it surely works as a plot system particularly because the sport appears to be geared toward a youthful viewers. There’s even a narrator who tends to over-explain some story features as they play out which lends extra credence to the truth that this can be a title geared toward youthful avid gamers. Aside from her although, there isn’t a lot voice performing within the sport.

Gameplay in Astor Blade of the Monolith entails combo-ing mild and heavy assaults collectively utilizing 4 weapons which can be unlocked as you progress all through the sport. It’s very Legend of Zelda-esque and formulaic. The place Astor falters nonetheless lies with the truth that the sport has a thick layer of jank to it.

From the truth that there’s no actual usable in-game map to the truth that the digicam management will be unwieldy throughout some intense fights, to the writing being somewhat generic, Astor Blade of the Monolith simply looks like a sport that would have immensely benefited from some extra improvement time to actually polish it.

The place the sport does excel lies with its fight which is somewhat enjoyable. Astor is ready to combo mild and heavy assaults very successfully towards enemies and can be capable of name upon his Runic powers to inflict huge injury on foes in an especially flashy method. It actually jogged my memory of how Darksiders had finishers again within the day full with sluggish movement being activated for optimum cinematic factors.

Astor also can summon highly effective constructs alongside his journey although for probably the most half, fight will simply be you hacking and slashing your means via enemies when you discover an open world and acquire objects and full aims.

The sport’s issue is a tad hit or miss with some enemies with the ability to wipe the ground with you when you’re not cautious about dodging or blocking. Astor additionally can not swim so in case you have a mishap when platforming, you’re going to drown and can respawn elsewhere. Astor additionally has the power to enter the Spirit World which considerably cuts down his well being bar and lets him see issues that aren’t there within the regular world.

When you get hit whereas utilizing the spirit worldview, you’re going to finish up dying very quickly flat since your well being bar was reduce down a lot. Gamers ought to due to this fact be very cautious about utilizing this capacity except they need to make their lives extremely troublesome in-game.

Graphically, Astor Blade of the Monolith is a really visually interesting sport. It’s Unreal Engine-powered and has a vibrant cartoony aesthetic that instantly attracts you in. Assaults are additionally very flashy and fairly pleasing to drag off however the sport’s thick layer of jank once more detracts from what could be fairly an pleasing title. The artwork model is de facto interesting which makes the sport’s damaging features harm a lot extra. There’s a lot potential right here that was positively squandered and it’s extremely disappointing to say the least.

Oh, and the sound mixing within the sport is unquestionably off too with some assaults sounding means too loud in comparison with others. And the music in-game itself is kind of forgettable.

Youthful avid gamers may be extra forgiving in the direction of Astor Blade of the Monolith however when you’re a seasoned veteran of action-adventure hack-and-slash titles like The Legend of Zelda or Darksiders 1 and a couple of, Astor Blade of the Monolith will simply go away you wanting to return to a sport that’s truly polished and fewer of a ache to get via. Particularly once you realise that many of the open-world areas are simply devoid of something to do and are empty with you operating round for ages earlier than encountering an enemy or a hidden collectable that may very well be missable.

Surprisingly sufficient, Astor Blade of the Monolith felt like I used to be taking part in a janky sport from the very early PS2 period. The kind of sport that might ultimately spawn a sequel, get refined and would grow to be a cult basic. Alas, there simply isn’t a lot to advocate right here when different video games within the style have executed a superb job and much outmatch what Astor Blade of the Monolith tried to do. That is additionally worsened by the truth that on PC, the sport instantly crashed quite a few instances all through my playthrough.

It’s in no way a horrible sport. It’s only a title that would have been a lot extra with just a little bit extra love and a focus paid to it. Give it a try to see for your self. That is the equal of a bland cup of espresso. It is going to possibly satiate you but it surely’s not going to do a lot else for you. Once more although, youthful avid gamers might need been the goal market and could also be prepared to forgive this title’s shortcomings whereas I discover them extremely disappointing in 2024.