Astra
- January 5, 2024
- NewOrderFantasy
"ASTRA" is an RPG-lite prequel that lets you explore the town of Cladworn in the world of Gor3, with a character creator, numerous side quests, and an open world with handcrafted environments and dynamic weather. The game features a proper story with lore engagement and free postlaunch content, allowing you to shape your experience through quests and purchases from earned rewards. Create your character, delve into side quests, and uncover the mystery of Cladworn.
Reviews
- The visuals are charming and the sound design is good, contributing to an enjoyable atmosphere.
- The game has a good foundation with interesting elements and potential for future development.
- Speedrunning the game can be incredibly fun, providing a unique challenge despite its short length.
- The game suffers from a lack of content, with minimal story, limited weapon and enemy variety, and a very short playtime.
- Gameplay mechanics are poorly executed, with no key mapping, lack of visual feedback for attacks, and clunky controls.
- Numerous bugs and design flaws detract from the experience, including glitches and a lack of engaging quests.
- graphics7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as charming and well-crafted, contributing positively to the overall aesthetic, but they do not compensate for shortcomings in gameplay and uniqueness. While some players appreciate the art style and sound design, others feel that the visuals alone are insufficient to elevate the game, emphasizing the need for more distinctive gameplay mechanics. Overall, the graphics are seen as a pleasant aspect, yet they do not define the game's success.
“Astra fixes almost all of the issues I had with GOR3 and Devinica. More content, actually somewhat engaging combat, and a very fun art style.”
“You have worked a lot on the artwork and the story, and it's good that you allowed access to the dev console.”
“Graphics aren't everything; they just need to find their own uniqueness with gameplay mechanics like they have with their unique world building.”
“That being said, the graphical style plus the gameplay unfortunately don't make this game stand out.”
“Graphics aren't everything, but the game needs to find its own uniqueness with gameplay mechanics, similar to its unique world-building.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with some players noting that improvements could be made to mechanics such as button toggling and jumping. While the game features interesting world-building, it lacks distinctive gameplay elements and could benefit from additional content and refined mechanics to enhance the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, some players still find it enjoyable and recommend it.
“I can look past graphics for good gameplay, interesting mechanics, or something that is trying to be uniquely imaginative or distinctive.”
“Graphics aren't everything; they just need to find their own uniqueness with gameplay mechanics like they have with their unique world building.”
“If the game was a bit longer, more fleshed out, with more gameplay loops and interesting gameplay mechanics, I would have enjoyed this game a lot more.”
“Some improvements to the game mechanics could have been made, like the use of toggling with buttons instead of proximity (just like we had with the merchant). Player jump could have been improved.”
“Controls were weird, and the mechanic to banish the boss didn't work as well as I would have liked, but I still recommend it.”
“That being said, the graphical style plus the gameplay unfortunately don't make this game stand out.”
- story6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story is conveyed minimally through scattered texts, leaving players wanting more context and depth, particularly at the end. While quests are enjoyable, many reviewers express a desire for longer and more numerous quests. Overall, the artwork and effort put into the story are appreciated, but there is a clear call for a richer narrative experience.
“The quests are fun, but I wish they were longer and that there were more of them.”
“You have worked a lot on the artwork and the story, and it's good that you allowed access to the dev console.”
“Would love to see more of this story!”
“Minimal story conveyed only through scattered texts.”
“The absence of a quest tab doesn't matter, even though people still urge you to help them.”
“More context on the end of the story is needed.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game experiences stability issues, particularly with a glitch that causes bosses to freeze and become unresponsive when summoned, impacting gameplay.
“However, I must mention that there is often a glitch where the boss freezes in place when you summon him; he won't fire at you at all.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players have reported experiencing bugs and performance issues, with average frame rates around 30-40 fps, particularly when using the Nvidia RTX tool, which can significantly impact gameplay and streaming quality.
“For me, there were some bugs, and I played the game at an average of 30-40 FPS because I wasn't aware that the NVIDIA RTX tool would consume that much performance and ruin my live stream.”
“The optimization is terrible; I constantly experience frame drops and stuttering, making it nearly unplayable.”
“Even on high-end hardware, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, which is incredibly frustrating.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's larger exploration area, which offers hidden secrets and elements that can be missed, enhancing its replayability.
“The larger area to explore offers the possibility of discovering secrets or hidden elements, enhancing the game's replayability.”
“Each playthrough reveals new secrets and surprises, making you want to dive back in for more.”
“The variety of choices and paths ensures that no two playthroughs are the same, significantly boosting the game's replayability.”
“The game offers a larger area to explore, but the lack of meaningful secrets or hidden content makes replayability feel limited.”
“While there are some areas to revisit, the overall experience doesn't change enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
“I found the game enjoyable, but once I completed it, there was little incentive to replay it.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with particular praise for its effectiveness during boss reveals, enhancing the overall experience.
“Honestly, the music is not bad, and the boss reveal is really good, especially with the accompanying soundtrack.”