Asteria
- July 2, 2014
- Legend Studio
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamAsteria is a Sci-Fi Platformer game that offers both single-player and multiplayer/co-op modes. As the last human colonist on Asteria, you must build your safe haven, defeat local aliens, and explore 9 hand-crafted dungeons. The game features ranged mining and fighting, over 100 items across 9 tiers of gear, a 900-slot inventory, and full mod community support. With good music and a creative mode, Asteria offers an engaging and immersive experience.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful pixel graphics and a captivating storyline that keeps players engaged.
- The gameplay is fun and satisfying, especially when played with friends, offering a mix of crafting, exploration, and boss fights.
- The game has a unique sci-fi aesthetic and interesting mechanics, such as a mining tool that allows for quick resource gathering.
- The game suffers from clunky controls and unresponsive mechanics, making gameplay frustrating at times.
- Many players find the crafting and building systems to be overly simplistic and linear, lacking depth and variety.
- The final boss and some enemy encounters can feel cheap and unbalanced, leading to a frustrating experience.
- gameplay24 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its challenging mechanics and engaging exploration, while others criticize it for being a diluted version of Terraria, lacking depth in sandbox elements and crafting. Many players found the boss fights frustrating and the overall design uninspired, leading to a perception of repetitive and unoriginal gameplay. Despite some redeeming qualities, such as the music and certain mechanics, the game ultimately fails to deliver a satisfying experience for fans of the genre.
“The game has received generally positive reviews for its challenging gameplay, beautiful pixel graphics, and captivating storyline.”
“I love the OST and the gameplay is also amazing!”
“If you are a fan of games like Terraria, where crafting and exploration take center stage, Asteria's game mechanics will feel very familiar.”
“This game is supposed to mix sandbox gameplay, boss dungeons, and item crafting all in one, kinda like a mix of Metroid and Terraria. The first thing I must highlight is that it completely failed being a sandbox and item crafting game.”
“The idea of finding boss dungeons sounds fun at first, but it becomes annoying very fast. By the end of it, I was fairly sure it was more about extending the gameplay so they could claim a longer experience, but it was not fun at all.”
“This game feels like a stripped-down Terraria with a bunch of horrible mechanics.”
- music15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's music is generally praised for its beautiful ambient soundtrack that complements the theme well, with some players noting its responsiveness to gameplay actions. However, many reviewers found the soundtrack repetitive due to looping tracks, which diminished its initial impact over time. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, its repetitiveness can become a drawback.
“The game also has a good ambient soundtrack that fits its theme well.”
“When you first fire up the game, you'll be astounded by the wondrous soundtrack.”
“The music is so great and seems to be fairly responsive to changing to certain types of actions/progressions.”
“The audio featured some electronic music and weak sound effects for combat; the repetitiveness of the spider sound was getting grating.”
“Music is okay, but could get repetitive as it keeps looping over and over.”
“The soundtrack would be worth about $1 if I could listen to it outside of the game.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a unique chitinous alien aesthetic and polished pixel art, which some players appreciate for its beauty. However, criticisms include a lack of handcrafted level design, resulting in a visually cluttered experience, and a somewhat blurry, uninspired look reminiscent of early flash animations. Overall, while the art style has its merits, it falls short in certain areas, impacting the overall visual appeal.
“I like the chitinous alien aesthetic.”
“The game has received generally positive reviews for its challenging gameplay, beautiful pixel graphics, and captivating storyline.”
“The game uses very tiny tiles to make graphics, which gives it a nice and polished look.”
“But you did not even get handcrafted level design and instead are left with geographical messes with a lack of interesting features and a bunch of randomly generated resources all represented by samey looking tiny icons.”
“The graphics are slightly blurry and lackluster, but it's not a game-breaker.”
“Even if I got past that, the graphics feel like 1st generation Flash animation style.”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story of Asteria follows a young hero named Callum on his quest to save his kingdom from an evil force known as Darkness, which has garnered generally positive feedback for its captivating elements. However, some players feel that the narrative lacks depth and engagement, suggesting that it feels like an afterthought and could benefit from more player interaction to enhance immersion. Overall, while the storyline has potential, its execution leaves room for improvement.
“In Asteria, players take on the role of a young hero named Callum, who sets out on a quest to save his kingdom from an evil force called Darkness.”
“The game has received generally positive reviews for its challenging gameplay, beautiful pixel graphics, and captivating storyline.”
“The game has compelling makings of a story.”
“The storyline feels like an afterthought and does not at all engage the player throughout the game.”
“What I would have liked to see here is some form of player-story interaction.”
“It seems pretty simple, and it would engage the player in at least a very small manner and give the illusion that the storyline is not just the beginning and the end.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and less rewarding compared to similar titles, as it often feels like a necessary chore to progress rather than an engaging part of the experience. While some appreciate the farming mechanics for base-building, many feel that the effort required to gather materials detracts from the enjoyment, especially during challenging boss fights. Overall, the grinding is seen as a barrier to reaching the more enjoyable elements of the game.
“Part of the allure for games like this includes building a base - but this game takes that element and makes it far more tedious than any other game like it.”
“Getting far in the game is tedious, and not at all rewarding.”
“As a result, it kinda feels like grinding to get to the good part.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as isolated and reminiscent of the Metro series, with a sense of potential that is not fully realized. While the handcrafted dungeons contribute to a unique environment, they detract from a true sandbox experience, leaving some players feeling that the overall atmosphere is only "okay."
“I like the idea of it; the atmosphere is okay and it really had a lot of potential.”
“I cannot vouch for the multiplayer as I played it solo from start to finish; the isolated atmosphere is akin to the Metro series.”
“Dungeons themselves are not generated but handcrafted instead, completely breaking the sandbox atmosphere.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to its reliance on nine hand-crafted dungeons, which remain unchanged in each playthrough. While enjoyable, the experience feels more like a platformer with repetitive elements rather than a sandbox game, leading to a sense of disappointment regarding its long-term engagement.
“Had a blast, but it suffers from a lack of replayability.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the absurdity of nuclear bombs, which are portrayed in a comically exaggerated manner, leading to destruction that defies physical laws. This blend of dark humor and over-the-top scenarios adds a unique comedic element to the gameplay.
“On the plus side, nuclear bombs are hilarious and destroy things in ways that seem physically impossible.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users note that the game effectively creates a level of emotional impact, enhancing the overall experience and engagement.
“The game masterfully creates emotional connections with its characters.”
“I was genuinely moved by the story and the depth of the characters' experiences.”
“The emotional impact of the game's narrative left a lasting impression on me.”
