R-Games fantasy adventure features turn-based party battles, customizable spell decks, and a great pixel art graphic style.
Not to sound like a know-it-all, but the game officially announced today had actually already made an appearance on TBL back in July. Today, however, Italian developer R-Games has finally made it official, formally unveiling Astral Dive, their first project, which is a story-driven fantasy RPG that blends the exploration and party adventuring of the classic JRPG with card-based combat.
Building a Better Spellbook, One Card at a Time
Combat is the most distinct element of the Astral Dive formula. It’s turn-based, with magic in the form of Stellar Tiles (collectible cards) which you assemble into your own spell decks. You find new spells as you progress through the adventure and that in turn expands your options. You can then go on to combine spells and create synergies to deal with the odd creature and the big bosses.
R-Games also mention an interactive aspect to the Stellar Tile system whereby you can interact with the battlefield and combine the various elemental effects for more powerful attacks. That’s all they say at this stage in terms of the mechanics, so the precise nature of the interplay between card selection, elemental effects, and the battlefield is still to be determined via future gameplay demonstrations.
An Academy Mystery Beyond the Astral Portals
The story is Atlas, a young mage tracking down the various incidents that had occurred at his magic academy a number of years previously. His investigation leads him through astral portals into various dimensions, where the local mysteries and bits of lore he encounters gradually begin to dovetail back into the story of the academy. The exploration is therefore inextricably linked to the investigation, with each dimension he visits providing another piece of the puzzle. It’s presumably far too simple to have just gone and checked the school archives.
The adventure announced is across seven different locations (enchanting forests, ancient ruins and all sorts of other oddities), each with its own enemies and look. Atlas will be recruiting companions with their own individual skills and backstories. You’ll be able to find out more about their backgrounds via additional dialogue and you can experiment with different party compositions as well as your spell decks.
Visually, it’s very much in the tradition of 2D fantasy RPGs with entirely hand-drawn artwork. That extends right through to the environments, the character animations and the spell effects. The worlds beyond each portal are differentiated by their layered scenery and their distinct visual themes. Astral Dive is available to wishlist on Steam, with an early 2027 launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch as well. Below, I share the announcement trailer.
