Astor: Blade of the Monolith, an action adventure developed by C2 Game Studio and published by Versus Evil and tinyBuild, takes players to the planet of Gliese. This multiplatform title that we tested on a PlayStation 5 offers a blend of action, exploration, and ancient mysteries, as players guide Astor, a young Diokek warrior, through a world rich in both lore and danger.
The narrative of Astor: Blade of the Monolith is engaging, taking place on a planet that was once home to an ancient race. Now, the Diokek, their sentient creations, face threats from the malevolent Hiltsik. As Astor, players embark on a quest to uncover the secrets behind the disappearance of the ancients that created them, hoping to find a key to salvation in their struggle against the Hiltsik. The story unfolds through Astor’s journey across diverse landscapes, including old ruins and ancient temples, creating an immersive experience filled with traces of a lost civilization.
Gameplay in Astor: Blade of the Monolith is characterized by its intense combat and puzzle-solving elements. Astor is equipped with four different weapons, each allowing for dynamic skills and combos. The combat system is fluid, enabling players to switch between melee strikes, ranged attacks, and air combos seamlessly. This versatility is further enhanced by the Runic Swarm, an ancient touch of magical energy that Astor can use to perform powerful finishing moves and summon companions, shields, and decoys. However, while the combat mechanics are ambitious, they can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially during more chaotic battles.
The visual and audio design for the game has been well done. The planet Gliese is brought to life with vibrant, colorful environments that make exploration fun to do, as you explore areas from forests to ruins, all with plenty of details and some nice views in the background. The soundtrack, while not particularly memorable, complements the game’s atmosphere well, adding to the overall immersion.
But despite its many strengths, Astor: Blade of the Monolith isn’t perfect. The controls, while generally responsive, can sometimes feel imprecise during combat, leading to frustrating moments, particularly in more challenging encounters where they can feel like they work against you. Additionally, the story campaign’s pacing is a bit uneven, as both combat sequences and slower puzzle-solving can drag on a little too long as times.
Astor: Blade of the Monolith also offers a decent amount of replayability, in addition to having a story campaign that’ll take you about 16 hours to complete if you skip the bulk of the side quests. There’s a New Game+ mode that provides an additional layer of challenge for those looking to test their skills further after completing the story, though the side content lacks a bit of variety, so we recommend taking as much of it on as possible on your initial playthrough.
In conclusion, Astor: Blade of the Monolith is a visually stunning and narratively rich adventure that offers a satisfying blend of combat and exploration. While its ambitious gameplay mechanics sometimes falter in combat and its pacing issues can be a drawback, the game’s engaging story and vibrant world make it a worthwhile experience for fans of action-adventure games. If you can overlook its imperfections, Astor: Blade of the Monolith provides a compelling journey, and with a bit of polish this could’ve scored at least half a point higher.
Score: 6.8/10
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