Review of the astral chain

Personalization

Astral Chain takes customization to the extreme by allowing the player to alter almost every minute detail. The player can choose their gender, customize their appearance, change the colors of the legions, upgrade their character and legions, and more. Even the game itself becomes incredibly customizable through a robust options menu.

Do you want to change the color of the HUD or disable it all at once? You can do it. Most of the customization is locked behind special challenges, which guide the player to explore to the full. However, this can also be a detriment. For example, the option to change the HUD opacity requires you to collect 10 soda cans.

Final verdict

Take strong personalization and player choice, add sprawling levels full of secrets, and top it all off with a combat that gives a rating for a game that requires just one more playthrough. There is so much to see and do, sometimes Astral Chain reminds me of the best parts of Mario Odyssey. It draws on the same innate drive that completists must check every box and sift through every corner of the map. Reaching an S + rank in an entire chapter means perfection in combat and unwavering investigative skills, a feat not easily achievable.

If action games tickle your fancy, or if police stories appeal to you, Astral Chain offers a real bounty of content. Don’t go on hold True detective levels of narrative complexity. However, if you play long enough you may find yourself growing fond of the adorable cast of cops. Available for Nintendo Switch, check out the Nintendo eshop today.