I tried the Demo of This Very Promising SRPG Expected By The End Of The Year
Today, let’s dive into Astral Throne, a promising SRPG currently in development by the indie studio Zero Sun Games. This title merges the well-loved mechanics of Fire Emblem with the dynamic nature of a roguelite, offering exploration that evolves through nodes representing battles, shops, and various events.
The combat system in Astral Throne is impressively solid, capturing the essence of what made Fire Emblem and the SRPG genre so iconic, while adding its own twist with remarkable polish. Character progression is just the right level of complexity, and the diverse classes provide plenty of variety. What truly stands out, though, is the UI—it’s always ready to explain every mechanic, menu, and rule governing the game world, making it incredibly user-friendly.
At the start of the demo, you can choose from several characters belonging to different classes, each paired with two militia members. You can set the difficulty level, and then you’re off. The game world seems to be divided into islands, and as soon as you land on the first one, you’re thrust into a battle in this bustling port city.
As I mentioned, the UI is stellar in providing all the information you need to plan each move: weapon strengths and weaknesses, enemy movement ranges, and even detailed status screens for each unit. Terrain tiles affect combat outcomes, there are units to recruit directly from the map, and items hidden in chests. The map design often offers multiple routes to achieve your mission objectives, keeping each battle fresh and strategic.
Units have various stats that improve with each attack or skill use, and as they level up, they also boost the overall character level, unlocking three new skills to choose from. You can discover and equip different creatures during exploration, along with various skills and items to customize your units. In short, there’s a lot here for fans of Fire Emblem and SRPGs to sink their teeth into.
The retro pixel art style, which blends 3D with low-poly graphics, might not appeal to everyone, but personally, I love it. Astral Throne is in the later stages of development and is expected to launch on PC before the end of 2024. In the meantime, you can give the demo a go. Below is an overview, screens, and release window trailer through our new YouTube channel dedicated to trailers.
Experience a new twist on a familiar genre ✨
Embark on an enigmatic journey in Astral Throne, a captivating blend of retro-style turn-based strategy and roguelike adventure. Navigate a once-prosperous land cloaked in a memory-stealing fog from a fallen star.
Your party’s composition shapes a dynamic narrative, offering a new story with every run. Engage in strategic gameplay involving permadeath, diverse objectives, and synergistic team-building.
Customize characters with flexible classes and varied encounters, ensuring each decision holds the power to drastically alter your course. Unravel the mystery, embrace challenging gameplay, and immerse yourself in the rich world. Every choice can butterfly-effect into vastly different outcomes every run.
- Astral Throne is a unique blend of Roguelike, Strategy, and RPG
- Strategize around weapon and magic triangles, stat and experience distribution, and permadeath
- Encounters are handcrafted to retain the tight design of a strategic experience
- However, there are pockets of variance through enemy spawns, recruitable characters, loot, and the layout of an ever-changing overworld
- Small choices can lead to vastly different outcomes every run
- Flexibly customize your party, which can change drastically between runs
- Each playthrough presents numerous opportunities to change your characters’ builds in diverse ways
- Synergize classes, skills, and ability-granting equipment
- Choose your path through a procedurally generated overworld map and which objectives you accomplish
- Collect weapons, items, and team-affecting relics that can change every run
- Unlock and recruit characters, heroes, and leaders that offer diverse experiences
- Replay with a multitude of difficulty modifiers that put your skills to the test
- Special care was put into the menu and tooltip systems for maximum clarity of information
- Explore a once-prosperous realm shrouded in memory-stealing Stardust
- Each hero has unique character traits and stories that blend to create a compelling world
- The story of each run changes depending on who you’ve recruited into your party
- Even the music adapts to your actions in encounters and the world map
- Reveal the truth of a mysterious plot over the course of multiple runs
