ASTLIBRA Revision Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 ⚔️ @_KElZO #IndieGame #GameDev

ASTILIBRA Revision is a 2D action JRPG, with fantastic hack-and-slash combat and various
other elements to keep you engaged. You play as a young blonde boy who lost a dear friend
during an attack on his village, the last he saw of her was when she was near the demon that attacked, just before we cut to a block screen. He wakes up with no memory of his past or who he is, but he is greeted by a crow who eventually names itself Karon, this is the beginning of a long journey in search of answers.

The game we are talking about here is the creation of a single individual who deserves all the credit for the artwork featured in it. It's designed with a diverse range of creatures and monsters that you battle throughout your quest, across forests, caves, and even volcanos. Each creature has unique elemental types - attacks and weaknesses that you need to strategise in order to emerge victorious. Although it's not an AAA game, it still has a solid amount of detailed characters that are sure to keep you engaged.

I would advise anyone to try the demo (practice mode) first, it's mainly there to help you learn the fighting mechanics before playing the main campaign. It shows you how to use all of the fighting skills available to you, such as basic attacks, magical attacks, blocking and dodging.

Blocking was the first thing that caught my eye, you have to press ‘down’ on the D-pad which is an odd button to use, although as I progressed I discovered that it wasn’t too much hassle as most of the time I was either be standing still whilst blocking, or you can clearly see the build-up of enemy attacks through their animations, I just wish it could have been an ‘L’ or ‘R’ button on top of the switch to make it a little easier and slightly more intuitive.

The second thing I focussed on was the use of magic, after over 20 hours of playing I still occasionally mess up in relation to the use of magic. You have 6 different spells and to use them you hold ‘X’ and then press the D-pad in two directions, for example, to cast a spell called ‘Fire Dragon’ you hold ‘X’ and then press ‘up’ twice, whereas others could be left then right etc. it does get a bit confusing but with time you will somewhat master it, although once again it could have just been 4 spells so that they could have been assigned to the four directions available. This is a review of the Nintendo Switch version of ASTLIBRA Revisions, and it's important to note that the buttons on the device are a bit smaller than on other controllers. For this reason, I find it a bit difficult to overuse the D-pad, especially since I have slightly larger hands. This could be more of a personal preference for myself, but worth noting.

As many of us know, JRPGs are lengthy games that can last up to 60 hours. To be enjoyable, they must have an engaging story and offer fun activities to do along the way. I believe that
ASTLIBRA Revision accomplishes both of these things. To begin, you level up by defeating enemies and gaining experience, which increases your health, strength, and defence. However, there is another way to boost your attributes called ‘grow’ This is achieved by using gems obtained from fighting, which can be put into skill paths to increase your attributes even more. Additionally, there are paths to new magical skills that you can use in combat, making it even more exciting.

The last feature is called ‘Karon’, which is not about an amazing crow doing incredible things but instead refers to a way to acquire useful skills for fighting. Once unlocked, you can only activate these skills by using magical crystals, which are quite scarce at the start of the game. To earn more skills or crystals, you must first master a weapon - or any other equipment that you may need to purchase. This feature adds to the game's entertainment value, as it requires you to grind for different weapons and change your fighting style whilst playing.

Unfortunately, there is another thing called ‘Libra’ that can be confusing. Quite frankly, I still need more guidance to use it to its fullest potential while playing. This is the only aspect of ASTLIBTA Revision that might see players referring to an online guide or clarity.

The settings have limited options to tweak, but there is a difficulty level that can be adjusted to
cater to those who prefer more of a challenge or those who want to enjoy the story and
gameplay at a more relaxed pace.

SUMMARY
Final thoughts - If you are interested in playing this game, I highly recommend it! The story is
really involving and I am still playing it myself because I want to see how the narrative resolves. 

The game takes a little time to get going, but I think you will enjoy it once you get into it. While there are a few areas where you might wish for some changes, they are not too noticeable and don't detract from what is an amazing game overall, especially when considering that it was created by a single person.