Astor: Blade of the Monolith

About

In "Astor: Blade of the Monolith," explore the planet Gliese, inhabited by sentient creatures called Diokek, to uncover the mystery of the ancients' disappearance and defeat the malevolent Hiltsik. Learn new attacks, unlock magical powers, and collect legendary weapons as you journey across the planet to solve the mystery of the Monolith, an ancient structure holding immense power. Engage in intense battles against various enemies and bosses in this action-packed adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

story22 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game features a unique art style and visually captivating environments that enhance the overall experience.
Combat mechanics are satisfying and allow for a variety of weapon usage, making battles enjoyable.
The story is engaging and easy to follow, providing a pleasant narrative experience throughout the game.

The game suffers from repetitive combat and a lack of enemy variety, leading to a tedious gameplay experience.
There are numerous technical issues, including camera control problems and bugs that can disrupt gameplay.
The world feels sparse and is often limited by invisible walls, which detracts from exploration and immersion.

story
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
62%
8%
The game's story is generally well-received, described as interesting and easy to follow, though it may not be particularly groundbreaking or memorable. While some players appreciate the unique art style and character interactions, others criticize the storytelling for being interrupted by unimportant cutscenes and for lacking depth. Overall, it offers a simple narrative experience that can be enjoyable for those seeking a light, action-oriented game rather than a deeply engaging story.
- “This game is absolutely incredible, really good story, fights are cool (kinda remind me of Devil May Cry saga) and this is complemented with a fantastic soundtrack.”
- “Starting with the good, the game's art style is very unique and the story, while something you've probably heard before, is actually interesting and easy to understand.”
- “What I love about Astor: Blade of the Monolith is the story in combination with how beautiful the game looks.”
- “The story is told in a coma-inducing way.”
- “The dialog and story parts were very annoying.”
- “Astor is a silent protagonist, and you have your usual tropes like the sweet sidekick best friend, a grumpy village chief, etc. If you're looking for an enthralling story that will make you reflect about it long after the credits have run, I don't think you're going to find it here.”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
46%
8%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique art style and vibrant visuals, which enhance the overall aesthetic and fit well with the story. Players appreciate the dedication to artistic elements, noting that the graphics are particularly impressive on high-quality displays. However, some critiques mention that while the visuals are appealing, they do not compensate for the repetitive gameplay and bugs that detract from the overall experience.
- “The sound design is beautiful and the graphical style perfectly fits the game's story.”
- “Art style and story were good; the screenshots don't lie, it is a pretty game, especially on an OLED monitor.”
- “Beautiful art style and satisfying combat.”
- “It has some pretty visuals and you can tell that the team really dedicated a lot of love to the artistic elements, but its gameplay is very boring, it's not creative, the enemies hold too much that it extends the combat to give a false sense of difficulty and the cinematics destroy much of the flow of the game.”
- “The art style and personality is the only part of this game that impressed me.”
- “Character designs are simple but aesthetically pleasing, though I will say I could go for more variety in the enemy color palettes.”
gameplay
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
65%
14%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fast-paced and exhilarating combat mechanics, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. The open-zone level structure is seen as an interesting concept that ultimately feels sparse, leading to a disconnect between engaging combat and exploration. Overall, while the game offers satisfying moments and visually appealing elements, it suffers from a lack of creativity and meaningful gameplay density.
- “The gameplay is fast-paced and exhilarating, with satisfying combat mechanics.”
- “Almost every room has some sort of meaningful gameplay in it.”
- “The depth of the combat mechanics was a pleasant surprise.”
- “The attempt at a sort of 'open-zone' level structure was an interesting idea, but it ultimately falls flat because it winds up making the gameplay feel sparse.”
- “It has some pretty visuals and you can tell that the team really dedicated a lot of love to the artistic elements, but its gameplay is very boring, it's not creative, the enemies hold too much that it extends the combat to give a false sense of difficulty and the cinematics destroy much of the flow of the game.”
- “The combat system and the game mechanics feel a tad archaic and too repetitive.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unenjoyable, particularly due to the repetitive "kill all enemies to progress" mechanic, which lacks challenge and leads to frustration. Additionally, the pursuit of collectibles is also described as a grind, further detracting from the overall experience.
- “The game has a 'kill all the enemies to progress' style of gameplay where you kill a horde, and they just keep coming. I find this to be tedious and not enjoyable at all. I want to see what happens, not kill the same enemy five times.”
- “Wasn't challenging, just tedious.”
- “[b]Grinding achievements:[/b] Finding all the collectibles feels like a grind.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game is generally stable and polished, though players have noted some minor bugs and glitches in certain areas. Despite these issues, the overall experience remains positive, particularly due to its engaging story.
- “The game has a few glitches, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “There are some bugs in the game that can be frustrating at times.”
- “The stability issues make it hard to fully enjoy the gameplay.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The music in the game is generally praised, with many reviewers highlighting the fantastic soundtrack that complements the engaging story and action. While some describe the original soundtrack as "ok," it still enhances the overall experience, making the gameplay feel more dynamic and enjoyable. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some mixed opinions on its depth compared to more polished titles.
- “This game is absolutely incredible, really good story, fights are cool (kinda remind me of Devil May Cry saga) and this is complemented with a fantastic soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic and really enhances the overall experience of the game.”
- “The original soundtrack adds a lot of depth to the gameplay and keeps you engaged throughout.”
- “The OST is okay, but it doesn't stand out or enhance the experience as much as I hoped it would.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks the depth needed to keep me engaged throughout the game.”
- “While the game has its fun moments, the soundtrack is forgettable and doesn't add much to the overall atmosphere.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing noticeable stuttering during combat, which detracts from the overall experience, alongside poorly designed enemy AI. As a result, many users do not recommend the game due to these performance issues.
- “Between the stuttering in combat and the lazy enemies, I cannot recommend this game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with players highlighting its perfect blend of character design, vibrant colors, and well-crafted maps, all contributing to an immersive experience.
- “Finally, I defeated Haken! I really loved this game; everything is perfect: the atmosphere, characters, colors, and maps. <3 It really deserves it.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is noted for its simple yet aesthetically pleasing designs, though there is a desire for greater variety in enemy color palettes to enhance visual diversity.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a simple story complemented by character dialogue that often delivers hilarious moments, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The story is simple, and the character dialogue can be hilarious at times.”