Astral Chain Revealed

Calm down Bird! As you note, just stop going in for that style of comment. These players haven't really played CL and just have a widespread hive-mind opinion of it. Doesn't make them losers, just uninformed. That said I haven't seen the drama around this user.

Try to keep this in 'gamefaqs stupidity' topic though: stinger.actieforum.com/t255-the-definition-of-gamefaqs-hilarity

Regarding Astral Chain, I think we'll more see comments comparing it to DMC (again) and how it doens't have as many combos (again).

Well, they don't want to get informed, and attack those who try to inform them, then continue to campaign to discredit the game they don't know (or can't admit not knowing) anything about.

But yeah, just not getting involved is the best option. Used to waste too much time replying and arguing to this lot.

I don't know, I looked at some Youtube vids and a few people mentioned CL. Not a huge amount, but it seems to be reminding a lot of people. A lot of people did play it way back, but dropped it near instantly. I saw one comment say 'Chaos Legion upgrade' and it was really hard to not respond.

We'll definitely see the usual nonsense from DMC elitists and combo nutters.

I really hope I can afford a Switch for this game some time soon, but I doubt it. Have a lot of stuff to pay for regarding my wife's immigration.

Oh, is it finally finalizing (the immirgration that is). Great to hear man!

Congrats on the immigration!

We got married not long ago, but still have a visa or two to go before permanent residency. It's really just a lot of smaller costs adding up, like I need to renew my passport and that's $200 right there.

You should do a full run of CL Roy, in preparation for all the questions and comparisons I'm going to demand.

Dude, why didn't you say you were getting married? When was it? I'd have sent something your way! Super congratulations!

> full CL run in 8 days while juggling all these other games
You demand so much of me...

Hmmm

So on an 'unrelated' note, was checking out some prices. What do you think?
https://www.flightcentre.co.nz/cheap-flights/netherlands

I should be able to tell just by looking at good gameplay though.

Let's do it Roy, CL run! I am seriously considering marathoning it in prep for AC. I don't have anything I am really playing. I could not find a physical copy near me unfortunatly, but it emulates well.

Sent from Topic'it App

Do it. I'll need a legion of my own to deal with all the comparisons that are bound to pop up.
Hell I'll run it again just for fun.

Dude, why didn't you say you were getting married? When was it?
July 7. I really did forget to mention it. Was pretty low key though. I wore the same clothes I woke up in and like 5 people attended. Hate all that shit. Someone brought some cola and chocolate so that was cool. I really just wanted to get back to MHW and I was really happy when everyone left.

I'd have sent something your way!
A Switch with Astral Chain? Don't let me hold you back!

Ha! Now that is dedication. I have a spare-bedroom for guests so I'm definitely going to call your bluff.

Congrats Birdman!

Is everyone here getting this day one? I thought about it but I’m getting Catherine Full Body instead and I don’t want to buy two games in a row.

I've pre-ordered it digitally, but I'll also be playing WoW: Classic and Ninja Saviors which come out around the same time, so it won't have my complete attention, but I will be playing it yes.

Scrubs crying and trolls already trashing this on GFaqs.

No ability to think outside the button smashing box, no ability to learn, no consideration on any mechanical level whatsoever. No surprises.

There's a few idiots posting in near every topic slandering the game for, as far as I can tell, simply existing?

Why do this? Why waste the energy? What happens to these people when the game succeeds? What happens to them when it fails? These, friends, are the great perennial questions of the mysterious world of the GameFAQs troll.

Very interesting comments.

I'm seeing a lot of the exact same complaints that CL got in the early days and when new players came in after, further cementing my assertion that someone in Platinum played CL.

People not understanding how to use their legions (in both games) complaining that they attack and get absolutely flattened. Not understanding you use them in bursts and call them back when in danger.

Looks like there's even a similar system to CL when legions get wiped out. I've only heard it described as cool down in AC. In CL they cant be used until you build soul by attacking. You have items that give a chunk of soul back but if you're not learning then these won't help.

Action games with minions are pretty rare, and only CL has really done it right. Everyone should actually go back and play that before AC though AC still has its unique stuff. Someone with a brain did a short write up on the chain aspect and it seems there are numerous ways to bind and set them up which is one thing CL doesn't have. This probably means less calling back overall.

Interestingly, CL has a special move called Prisoner, where Sieg attaches a beam of electricity to the enemy. The special move extension let's him hurl the enemy upwards with the wave of his arm from a distance, then with a timed input, slam them back down. Prisoner in CL. Chain binding in AC. Hmmm.

Been thinking about whether or not to get this game. I already have a lot of games I need to play. But on Reddit I saw this post that kinda makes me worried.
So if anyone here's playing can you confirm what this guy says is true or not,please.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/cvnrk3/comment/eya1lz0
He basically says that the gun is useless as you can just attack the enemies up close, now I'm not sure what to take from it, but it reminds of GoW in a way, as the throwing mechanics of the axe is kinda pointless for most of the game, especially tripping the enemies.
He also says that the binding mechanics is also pointless.
Now I'm not sure what to take from this, especially since this guy seems to think that everything he's saying is "factual".
Can anyone confirm any of these, please?

No one has gone in depth on this game yet.

With every action game under the sun, there is that initial huge wave of idiocy where these know-nothing trolls spout nonsense based on their button mashing first playthrough. They all think they're factual but they have no concept of mechanical depth. This moron probably used the chain once and it didn't work so he disregarded it.

Wait for the scrub wave to end and some good players get their hands on it. I wont be able to for a while.

Birdman wrote:No one has gone in depth on this game yet.

With every action game under the sun, there is that initial huge wave of idiocy where these know-nothing trolls spout nonsense based on their button mashing first playthrough. They all think they're factual but they have no concept of mechanical depth. This moron probably used the chain once and it didn't work so he disregarded it.

Wait for the scrub wave to end and some good players get their hands on it. I wont be able to for a while.

You're right, I suppose. But I'm playing GoW recently and the "gun and chain being useless" just reminded me of the that games throwing mechanics. I hope this game ends up being good though.

I found axe throwing maintained a decent degree of use. Look at wall pinning for example.

Here's the thing, there is no game that DOESN'T have something either outright useless, less useful than something else or highly specific in use. All the 'best' action games are jam packed with 'useless' stuff.

I don't think I've come across anything that can't be used though. Useless usually translates to 'less useful than this other thing'. Doesn't ruin the game and you're free to use or not use.

I know plenty of games where I'll use stuff of lesser use because it's fun.

Like I said, these comments are always prevalent on release by those who don't want to learn and believe their limited experience is all there is.

Birdman wrote:I found axe throwing maintained a decent degree of use. Look at wall pinning for example.

Here's the thing, there is no game that DOESN'T have something either outright useless, less useful than something else or highly specific use. All the 'best' action games are jam packed with useless stuff.

I dont think I've come across anything that cant be used though. Useless usually translates to 'less useful than this other thing'. Doesn't ruin the game and you're free to use or not use.

I know plenty of games where I'll use stuff of lesser use because it's fun.

Like I said, these comments are always prevalent on release by those who don't want to learn and believe their limited experience is all there is.

Yes I agree with the wall pin or the kicking enemies into one another or in the wall but correct me if I'm wrong but aren't higher level enemies, basically enemies with Orange or Purple bars are immune to freezing or is it only in Give me GoW after they level up? Basically the enemies you fight most of the time?
Also in GMGOW to wall pin I believe you have to juggle the enemies.
Not to mention it doesn't work on heavy enemies.

You're 100% correct on different properties. These can either improve or limit usefulness.

Every action game has enemy types that are immune to certain things. DMC has enemies you can't launch, as does Chaos Legion. MGR has attacks that can't be parried. All this means is you need to vary your tactics.

Just because you can't launch certain enemy types, it doesn't mean the launcher is useless. It just means it has situationally lost its use as a launcher. Don't forget, a launcher is STILL an attack even if it isn't launching. Such a move might have high stun value, or good speed and damage, or maybe not and you have to switch it up. Consider all these things.

You'll see players using Raiden's launcher and making it an effective attack with cancelling. That's another important point: can the move be cancelled? Cancelling could possibly remove any negative effects of using a launcher as a ground only attack. There's really so much to look at before determining whether something is truly useless.

So in GoW yeah, you have to juggle, but that means you are setting them up for a free kill making it, in that situation, of extreme use.

Birdman wrote:You're 100% correct on different properties. These can either improve or limit usefulness.

Every action game has enemy types that are immune to certain things. DMC has enemies you can't launch, as does Chaos Legion. MGR has attacks that can't be parried. All this means is you need to vary your tactics.

Just because you cant launch certain enemy types, it doesn't mean the launcher is useless. It just means it has situationally lost its use as a launcher. Dont forget, a launcher is STILL an attack even if it isn't launching. Such a move might have high stun value, or good speed and damage, or maybe not and you have to switch it up. Consider all these things.

You'll see players using Raiden's launcher and making it an effective attack with cancelling. That's another important point: can the move be cancelled? Cancelling could possibly remove any negative effects of using a launcher as a ground attack. There's really so much to look at before determining whether something is truly useless.

So in GoW yeah you have to juggle, but that means you are setting them up for a free kill making it, in that situation, of extreme use.

Good points.

I played the game for about 3 hours yesterday, and I can say most of those comments are very base-assumptions. The gun has uses (safety being one) but it also allows for weapon canceling. The final attack of each weapon string has high damage, but also a ton of recovery, so you can switch weapons before that into gun for instance to reset the string. Also with dodge-offset you can really keep enemies at range. I think just like with Dante's Inferno's Cross, where most played with the scythe at first, will soon find out just how broken the gun is as with Dante's Cross in that game.

The lack of jumping is correct, also no blocking which is weird at times but makes for a pretty fun game. I think the game will die out really fast but be financially succesful. Honestly I'm really enjoying my time with it because it is a finished action-game. Not too much heavy handed stats, lots to do, fun customization.

Regarding the throw in God of War, great idea, bad execution imo in terms of enemies. Early game foes really play into its mechanics while the end-game is basically immune to it to prevent 'spammers'. Shame since it really was a fun idea.

And there you have it.

All it takes it one action vet to spend a few hours, and in one short post instantly DESTROY the lies and scrubbery of every damn 'professional' review, troll comment, and whining casuals who can't even dodge. Just like that. It's kinda insane that the majority can't grasp these basics.

How are the legions?

Cannot beging to describe just how complicated this game and its mechanics are. Fact that there are people calling it a button-masher, I cannot comprehend. Even basic movement is complicated with a plethora of options. You can send your legion to afar and dash to his location, you can also curve this jump by going around foes for a jump, you can slide, you can use secondary grenades, you can use blade-mode, you can chain enemies together as a stun, it is NUTS.

Not a fan of the down-time though. Of the 4 hours gameplay I've had about 1 hour of combat, rest is dialogue or exploration.

Royta/Raeng wrote:
Not a fan of the down-time though. Of the 4 hours gameplay I've had about 1 hour of combat, rest is dialogue or exploration.

This is what I was kinda afraid of when I heard it'll have exploration. Can you skip the dialogue and cutscenes, I heard it's a pretty shoneny in terms of story. Also how is the exploration? Is it like most modern day games where everything looks generic and filled with pointless side quests?

I imagine the further you get, combat will take center stage. I heard there was something akin to dungeons as well. Or maybe like Nier, you can just go out and fight between story segments, or hit the arena.

First off: What are everyone's impressions of it so far? I don't have a Switch, so if I get one (Probably a Switch Lite, because I'm a poor high schooler), I'd like to know if it's worth getting.

Second: What are the controls for this game? No one's posted them online.

Honestly, the more I play it the more I like it and the more I'm intimidated by it. The game can really be described as "they threw every action-gaming mechanic in there +1" and made it work somehow. It starts very slow though and takes until chapter IV to really get going. They even go so far as to give you a special moveset in Chapter 1 and 2 that are worse, including your dodge being different.

It might be the most complicated action game I know, but you can get through by just using regular attacks if you wish. That said, you'll miss out on a lot. Game even has ring-outs...it's nuts.

Controls:

ZL: summon legion / command legion to attack or retreat to you.
Hold ZL: controle legion
Hold Z+A/Y: use special legion skill
L: unique Legion skill (like Blade Mode)
ZR: attack
R: no clue yet.
X: use item
Hold X: radial menu for items
A:
Y:
B:
+: Iris mode (detective mode)
-: Menu
L3: lock-on
R3: center camera

That's it from the top of my head, I might have mixed the thumbsticks up. Don't quite recall what A, Y, R and B are for. I think for later abilities etc and basic "pick up" commands. Some controls are different outside of combat. You can crouch for instance.

Regarding the controls btw, if you're getting a Switch Mini, check if you can use a pro-controller with it. It is the way to go.

Royta/Raeng wrote:Honestly, the more I play it the more I like it and the more I'm intimidated by it. The game can really be described as "they threw every action-gaming mechanic in there +1" and made it work somehow. It starts very slow though and takes until chapter IV to really get going. They even go so far as to give you a special moveset in Chapter 1 and 2 that are worse, including your dodge being different.

It might be the most complicated action game I know, but you can get through by just using regular attacks if you wish. That said, you'll miss out on a lot. Game even has ring-outs...it's nuts.

So, does this has a chance to be Platinum's best? As the reviews are claiming?

Royta/Raeng wrote:Regarding the controls btw, if you're getting a Switch Mini, check if you can use a pro-controller with it. It is the way to go.

I'm pretty sure that the Switch Lite supports that. Thanks for the suggestion, the idea of playing it on a handheld was weirding me out.

If there's a way to hook it up to a TV (Even unofficially), that would be great as well.

Holy shit, this game is getting review bombed for being 30 fps and a 'button masher' on Metacritic.
https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/astral-chain/user-reviews?page=2
It's at 6.6 now, this is sad.
There's a guy that claims that the game is as bad as TMNT.
Another guy that says
"Hilarious that all of the fools without a Switch are review-bombing this incredible game. Sour graaaaapes!" And gives the game 5/10. Wtf?
I mean why do this? It has over 400 negative review.
And most negative reviews seem to claim the bad thing about it is that it's 30fps with shitty graphics.

This is NOTHING new.

There is a group that want to make sure a game fails. These people are pathetic beyond price.

And if they read what Roy was saying, or even when confronted with visual evidence, they react as if demon possessed. I think they all have shit lives and some are probably mentally ill, or stupid beyond belief.

This is why over the years I've withdrawn more and more from discussion, recently I considered just deleting any gaming related account. One of the best parts of gaming for me is community. Being able to share finds and tactics. But it's just becoming impossible.

No matter how much quality content we put out it will just get shouted down.

30fps does suck, yes, but probably not worth bombing the game over, unless there are some big drops, like the first Infamous. And a button masher? That's not what I've been hearing from you guys.

A lot of those people are just angry it's not Bayonetta, or Devil May Cry. Lots of people hate things over it not being the same as other games. Bayonetta has an extremely rabid fanbase, as does DMC. People don't seem to understand that games can be different.

Really though, I agree with Birdman to some degree. The gaming community unfortunately is filled with complete twits. Idiots complaining that not every game is like Dark Souls (Even though I very much enjoy that series), people that worship the ground various corporations (Sony, in particular) walk on, platform warriors, armchair developers, whiners complaining about "politics!1!1"...

Oh, and the FGC deserves special mention for being so monumentally stupid and petty, that they make me want to throw myself out the nearest window whenever I see their latest drama.

On a more positive note Birdman, I'm about to start Chaos Legion via emulation. Any tips for beginners?

Saw your post in the CL topic. Will get back to you.

Most of the reviewers are really getting exposed, most did either:

a) only play the first two chapters and used the combat-trailer before launch to compile their review. The game gives a lot of new features starting Chapter 3, and those aren't mentioned in any article like the scoring system.
b) they played on Casual Auto, where a lot of mechanics are absent like the scoring system.

People review bombing it is a sad state of affairs, cannot imagine what triggers this type of behavior.

> 30fps
I admit, this is bad. An action title specifically made for a console should not suffer like this, and it tends to run worse (20fps) when things get hectic (every fight).

> Dark Souls
That community has made me hate one of my favourite franchises.

> best game
It has the potential to be their absolute finest, no doubt about that for me.

> switch mini
No way to hook it up, sorry. It really is fully mobile.

> Not finishing the game before reviewing it

Pretty well-known in the industry. Mother's Basement talked about how he used to do that when working as a reviewer in his Uncharted video, and as Dunkey said, there's a pretty stupid rat race to try and be the first on Metacritic. Most reviews are just first impressions + safe score.

> Review bombing

Happens with plenty of games. Like I said, I'm suspecting it's due to it being different to stuff like Bayonetta, or Devil May Cry.

> Dark Souls community

I still love the games, and 3 is one of my favourite games, period (I know, I know, people don't like hearing that around here). But the way it's warped the gaming community's views on how gameplay should be handled is... not great. Instead of people just liking it for what it is, they just want more games to be like it. Like this guy. I mean, it's good that no one on that thread was taking his shit seriously, but you get my point.

>Switch Lite is fully mobile

Officially so... But I wouldn't be at all surprised if modders/hackers figured out a way to hook it up to a TV, like they did with the PSP, Vita, and 3DS.

Back to the game itself: How heavy are the RPG aspects of it? I dropped Darksiders 2 because of them. Although I might give that game another run.

There's very basic RPG elements in that some parts of a skill-tree of the Legions give 5% damage bonuses, and there are some equipable perks (3 per legion iirc) that give some passive bonuses like +5% damage or something like that. It isn't that there's huge stats or something. Very minor.

Royta/Raeng wrote:Honestly, the more I play it the more I like it and the more I'm intimidated by it. The game can really be described as "they threw every action-gaming mechanic in there +1" and made it work somehow. It starts very slow though and takes until chapter IV to really get going. They even go so far as to give you a special moveset in Chapter 1 and 2 that are worse, including your dodge being different.

It might be the most complicated action game I know, but you can get through by just using regular attacks if you wish. That said, you'll miss out on a lot. Game even has ring-outs...it's nuts.

Controls:

ZL: summon legion / command legion to attack or retreat to you.
Hold ZL: controle legion
Hold Z+A/Y: use special legion skill
L: unique Legion skill (like Blade Mode)
ZR: attack
R: no clue yet.
X: use item
Hold X: radial menu for items
A:
Y:
B:
+: Iris mode (detective mode)
-: Menu
L3: lock-on
R3: center camera

That's it from the top of my head, I might have mixed the thumbsticks up. Don't quite recall what A, Y, R and B are for. I think for later abilities etc and basic "pick up" commands. Some controls are different outside of combat. You can crouch for instance.

In Combat:

A: Unused (so far)
B: Evade
Y: Change Legion
R: Unused (so far)

I'm enjoying the game, as of the end of File 03. It really does feel like a "Platinum All-Stars" game, borrowing all kinds of aesthetics and mechanics from their other titles. Maybe i'm not used to 30fps, but i'm struggling to time my dodges correctly, I need to be trying them slightly earlier.

Am I imaginging things or have they swapped the sticks around for the Blade Mode controls?! I understand why but my muscle memory is screaming for a way to change the left stick back to camera movement as it was in MGR...

The Blade Mode controls are the same, the biggest change is that you can move now by default and that it is a toggle instead of a hold input. I have to say I'm not a fan at all about the feature here, it is far too zoomed in, camera is too slow as well and only has very specific uses.

Overall in terms of enjoyment I had really wished they'd opted for a static camera, allowing for Legion movement with the right stick at all times. Not being able to attack while controlling your legion is a missed oppertunity I feel.

Have to give them credit for the boss-fights so far, each one has been interesting beyond 'just a new moveset to learn how to fight against'.

Maybe I'm misremembering. I always thought the MGR Blade Mode used the left stick for camera and right stick to angle the blade, whereas AC uses the right stick for camera and left stick to angle the blade. Is that not right?

I really need to play some more tonight. I was a little concerned for the first couple of hours that the combat was going to be really simple, but that's definitely not the case. I'm having the same trouble as I did with Wonderful 101 where there was so much happening on the screen that I sometimes struggle to pick out the enemy "tells" when they launch attacks.

> Overall in terms of enjoyment I had really wished they'd opted for a static camera, allowing for Legion movement with the right stick at all times. Not being able to attack while controlling your legion is a missed opportunity I feel.

Oh Jesus Christ, that would be insane. But at the same time, that would probably not be as simple a change as we would hope.

There doesn't seem to be anyway to do it in any game with minions outside of setting them off and moving while they're busy like CL force attacks, or just having them on auto pilot doing what they want. In the case of force attacks, that's all they can do which is why it's better to burst summon and attack then dismiss as needed.

Overlord had a command called 'swarm' which was where you controlled an entire group with the right stick but you couldn't move the Overlord while doing this. It was super useful for pulling the group back or moving them wherever. Since the Overlord was stuck while doing this, the camera would zoom out to show him and the swarm. The camera would track the swarm instead of rotating in 3D.

V is similar to CL.

I think it would be possible to implement swarm to any of these but the camera is usually on the right stick unless they want to do what Overlord does and make the camera function change but it's not running on the same combat mechanics and enemy behaviour.

Astral Chain allows you to move the Legion while holding the ZL button, you can still move and dodge yourself while doing so but cannot attack, it's pretty neat. YOu can also 'unchain' a Legion if you wish, makes them go berserk.

In terms of other games, Resident Evil Zero allowed you to control your partner AI's position with the C-stick.

Sounds a little like Overlord then.

>unchain
Sounds similar to letting a legion attack in CL. What exactly do they do in AC when unchained? Do they just attack and get hit until one dies?

This game honestly sounds like CL 2. Saving for a Switch now.

Unchained sees them do a very powerful attack combo at random. They are unsummoned if your meter runs out at that time, or when the attack runs out they are chained again iirc.

Anyone finished a playthrough yet? I think I finished File 08 last night. I have a feeling I'm not too far from the end now. I found the combat was more difficult in the first half of the game before you unlock more legions/skills.

My opinion of the game so far is mostly positive, but there are some flaws. SIde quests range tend to be either "meh" or frustrating. The platforming in the Astral plane (is it even called that?) can be quite tedious too. I think the game would have benefitted from being more of a straight up action title, but then it probably would have sold poorly, so you have to pick your battles I guess.

I think this is going to be one my fav games of all time

The mass bitching from the likes of Gamefaqs is identical to what CL got. I love it. Wait until I get a Switch and I'll show them how it's done.

So, I've just finished the game, and it'll be interesting to see what everyone else makes of the final boss. Won't say much more than that for now.

I keep seeing everybody say on other forums about how the game is too easy. I'm going to assume most of them are playing on Casual because this is the hardest Platinum title I think I've played. Not sure if I'll be attempting Ultimate difficulty!

Almost finished the game myself, really getting into it. I might be jumping the gun, but this might be their best title yet I feel. That's the way it feels right now though, just so much stuff to digest. Just beat the 'rival' boss in Chapter 11. I think I'm almost done.