@@rasul01 There are some aspects of that game that look pretty good, but for every one thing that looks good, there are five other things that look rough. Luckily it's a good game. I just hope their next Switch outing is an upgrade in the visual department.
@@nintendonerdjoseph the way you answered me makes it seem like you're answering to someone who thinks the game looks good when I already said that it looks awful
His affiliate (Nintendolife I think) has slapped a 9/10 on this already. And deservedly so. And they're not the only ones. I told ppl wailing at me about my hating on 2.5D indies and Fire Chess Emblem; it's 2019. This sort of beautiful mix of accessible 3D RTA hack n slash with an upgrade-system to boot in an actual passable storyline is huge for the Switch, if not gaming overall, it was choking under all these inides and re-makes,, ugh. Relief!!
@@frickthefuckoff - i keep seeing people say this - but its not a big deal it beat Nier and not surprising. its the exact definition of "standing on the shoulders of Giants". Nier came out and no one knew what it was - it didn't get youtubers streaming the demo, it didn't get people watching and reporting foreign review scores. I know people were still questioning what it was when others talked about it months later at "game of the year" conversations. Most people just knew that the original Nier was weird. This new Nier had very little hype behind it, (and i played and beat the original so i know I was excited). I guarantee the advertising budgets between the 2 games in night and day. Now Nier has come and gone, was super great and everyone knows its good - a Switch exclusive comes out on a hyped system from that hyped developer, (and Switch still doesn't have a ton to choose from right now), unless the initial reviews said it was absolute garbage - it was going to sell well. How many Asteral Chain videos did you see before last Friday? i saw the game mentioned at least 20 times the past few months whether it was talk of demo of release date or foreign review scores or Nintendo Directs. i saw Nier mentioned maybe 2 times before it came out and I was looking for it.
I wouldn’t dare because that’s bad, but when I was wearing the Lappy costume I tried just to see if I could use the toilet for the Sake of the Toilet fairy.
Xario Withoutalastname Yes, and traffic etiquette, and general etiquette, and perfectionist mood (and especially litter etiquette in this game because £ and also it made me loose faith in humanity when I was throwing cands away for legit at least 30 seconds straight). One side quest I had to get a drone, and I ended up breaking the drone, and I felt so bad I wanted to restart the file (chapter) but I was so far in it would’ve been a bad idea, earlier in the same mission there’s a side quest to get a girl Ice cream, and I kept restarting to try and get her the biggest one for a good 30 minutes until I gave up and got her a large with one fallen scoop.
The thing I've been loving about this game is how well it introduces you to the combat. I hate it when games start with a tutorial dump. In Astral Chain they start with action, you don't need to know what you're doing, it's just BAM, in on the action, and one by one they start giving you the mechanics, bit by bit. And then when I got my first Legion I thought they told me all that it could do, but then they give you a different one and THEN they give abilities to them, and the learning curve is helped a billion times by giving you a training room within the game. Not a tutorial menu, not a tutorial dump, but a training room within the story, that helps a lot with the immersion. AND THEEEEEN, they even change the person teaching you in the training room so it doesn't feel like tutorial, it feels like game and you're doing nothing but learning the attacks, and it feels fun and enjoyable!
I spent a lot of time in the training room specifically because I was testing stuff instead of being taught by force. Not only do you get to learn the controls, but you get used to the pacing of fights.
@@muntu1221 I thought I was the only one. I've spent most of time in training practicing evasion, combos, and how to control both characters optimally. I''m pretty sure most of my gameplay has been there.
Exactly! The way they introduce all those battle mechanics/gimmicks is so subtle. However, I did end up using sword guy, the punch guy and the dog legion way too often. I barely used arror and hammer legion.
00:05 the floor reminds me of those moon rocks in Mario Odyssey which you can break once you beat the game. Anyone else feel the same or is it just me?
It's so refreshing watching a Nintendo RUclipsr that doesn't get political. I love kicking back and watching Arlo and Vinny (Vinesauce) because they just do Nintendo. So many RUclipsrs from Somecallmejohnny to Alpharad have been slowly injecting politics into their videos over the years, and I've gotten to the point where I can't watch their videos anymore because of it. I watch videos about video games for the video games, and maybe a bit of personal stories from the RUclipsr. That's all.
Good for you, it's probably one of the best I'd recommend you Bayonetta 1 and 2 on the switch, but if you have a PS4 or a good PC I'd recommend MGR and Nier: Automata
@@AlexysRM That's not really a fallacy. I mean, if you say it's automatic, then sure. But it's not fallacious to say that a certain developer is good at certain things and you trust them with new IPs.
When I was at about 10 hours in, I read that the first playthrough has ~15 hours, so I was disappointed about being almost done and decided to play less hours a day, since it's still some time until Zelda comes out. Also while I was already exploring a bit (about 80% per chapter done), I decided to be even more thorough for the remaining chapters, so I can stretch the time even more. I'm now at ~28 hours playtime at the start of chapter 11. I guess I will end the game with around 30 hours of playtime. I'm unsure, if I will make a second playthrough or will complete each chapter with 100% and do all tasks (or however they are called in english in this game). I usually like completing stuff, but as I understand it, chapters will be reset completely when redoing them, so I'll have to find everything again I already found, which means I can't forget a single thing on each try. I'm not sold to this idea. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is three things: - I like that game very much (despite not having it mentioned in the first paragraph) - For anyone fearing it's way too short: There is easily 30+ hours of content, if you don't rush it, but keep exploring. - I really wonder why people rush all the games. As another example: Fire Emblem Three Houses most reviews mentioned ~70 hours playtime, I cleared it at ~110 hours. Yes, I did some grinding, because I changed classes with most characters, but it wasn't 40 hours of grinding. Just because there are many interesting games releasing, doesn't mean we should rush them. There will be times when less interesting games release and then we will have games left to fill the gap.
I jumped straight into the game on platinum standard. I feel like this game shines on it's higher difficulties. The whole Lettered rank system for levels and quests is satisfying af. I'm about to run through the game all over again Platinum ultimate!!
The combat seems pretty basic and button-mashy at first, but it gets absolutely bonkers when you get further and get good at swapping between legions and start getting S+ rankings, especially once you unlock the moves that let you unchain your legions. Like, the average fight for me at the beginning of the game was basically: Press ZR. Press ZR some more. Press ZR even more. Occasionally press ZL. Press ZR again. But now the average fight for me is more like: Send the wolf into the middle of the enemy group and howl to stun them. Swap to arrow legion, call it back to me, unchain it to lay down support fire, swap to sword. ZL to send the sword out, ZL+ZR to pull myself into the group. Do the area chain attack to bind the whole group and sync attack follow-ups, then continue attacking until the arrow is done. Unchain the sword and swap to arm. Merge with the arm and MUDA MUDA MUDA everyone until sword is done. Unchain the arm and swap to whoever seems like the best at this moment. And repeat. Swap to legion, use ability, do some damage, unchain, swap to next legion, etc. And I'm sure there are a lot of options I'm not even using. Like I haven't figured out how to effectively use the axe legion yet.
@@Gankstomper - Yeah, it's pretty much the whole point of the unchained attacks. But you can only have one unchained at a time. If you unchain another one, it'll disappear.
3 houses got me back in fire emblem fates was sooo bad, and echoes wasn’t enough to ease my worries, then xenoblade 2 went full on waifu weeb pandering ( I know they’re separate developers but still) then we got the high school trailer, I almost skipped but began hearing very positive reviews from people who share my likings of games and am glad I gave it a chance, may even topple RD as my new favorite, but I think silver snow was pointless and they should have devoted the effort to give crimson flower a more fulfilling route
Best moment of play for me so far: While fighting the arm nemesis there are all these goopy glue puddles around that you're "ment" to avoid, but the boss has one attack that creats a gravity effect that pulls you in and deals damage if you're pulled all the way to the center. So what do you do, well you can just run away or use you legion to pull you away OR jump into the gloopy glue and get stuck and feel like a genius. That fight takes about 5 mins, the fact that someone took the time to create that great moment for me just thank you Platinum.
@@lunamaster123 that's cause fighting a peep or item with info will always pop that up, however you can see those things and avoid placing your cursor on them.
I just recently discovered you so I'm here late. Astral chain is one of my favorite games that has been released on the switch. I was fully engaged in the combat system the instant we had access to the legion. I spent endless hours on the post game missions refining my strategies because the combat felt so rewarding. The game sold over a million copies by the end of 2019, and I think platinum games has expressed interest in a sequel dependant upon the overall reception so I think a sequel is likely.
Feels like a game before HD era where it's not just cool combat but actual exploration without being open world, balances progression, paced out story moments. So amazing
Im playing on the hardest difficulty right now and honestly, its painfully fun. Its so fucking good. Its just the right amount of difficulty so retry a boss once or twice
Starting a game in casual at first just to get the feel of the controls and gameplay is nothing to be ashamed of Arlo. I sometimes do this just to practice and then, later on, I go on full force hard mode!
Hala Juventus Y nada mas Arlo says all of this in the actual video. It doesn’t matter if you play docked or handheld. It’s the same thing except the resolution is a bit better on TV. The game has three difficulties. Stupid easy baby mode, casual, and platinum difficulty. Which is the hard mode.
My favorite thing about this game (and multiple action games for that matter) is that you can have beaten the game and then watch someone trying things out in the lab and you’ll see an attack or technique you’ve never seen before and think “wait a minute, you can do that?!” A good example is in this very video I had no idea you can pull off a sync attack after landing a successful slash through an opponent’s attack and now I’m trying to find practical uses for it during boss fights to up my score. This game just seems to have endless depth and I love it!
@@TheBlackShinigami As a person who played it, the game is 100% complete-able with just the gamepad. They would have to tweek a couple of obstacles, but most of it can be played with one screen.
Gamestop has this game (digital version) like 60% off for Black Friday 2021! I've had my eye on it for a while but thought I'd check what the internet had to say before buying. This Arlo stamp of approval was all I needed to push be over the edge and get it.
For me, it's going to be hard to pick GOTY between Fire Emblem and Astral Chain for Nintendo. While I'm certainly excited for the games releasing later in the year, I just don't see them being as good as these two. I know other people probably don't like Astral Chain as much as I do - but dammit if this game wasn't made for me.
@@justin02905 That's...one of the weirdest ways I've seen this games be reduced. Astral Chain is a combination of ALL Platinum games (it has the Zandatsu and core-stealing mechanic from Revengence, the chain mechanic operates very similarly to Wonderful 101's line drawing, and the 'glimmer' mechanic comes from Transformers of all things). -but on top of that, it's also a simple but fun police-simulator in what is essentially a rip-off of Neon Genesis + JoJo. These are my favorite things, so I dig it. It's definitely not trying to be a masterpiece like Nier: Automata, but it's exactly the kind of game I like. -and Bayonetta is already perfect. If I want to replay those games, I'll just replay them for the 30th time.
Skinner McLane the investigation segments felt like boring filler meant to pad out the game's playtime. Personally I liked Platinum more when they were Clover Studios and just focused on the action
@@justin02905 I can totally understand why a lot of people wouldn't like the other stuff. I'll openly admit that a lot of parts are genuinely bad (kicking the soccer ball across the district in Chapter 3 is hilariously tedious, and the writing in some scenes make me want to gag after coming from the high mark that was Fire Emblem). -but hey, I still enjoy it. It lets me make my own character and be a badass and letting me look like Armitage the III while using EVA Unit-02 to beat up samurai-monsters with flaming naginata is something that overrides flaws like some scenes being garbage. I could believe that nobody in the world would like the game as much as I do, but it seems others like the side-content, too. -and if it helps a more casual audience get into Platinum games and support Bayonetta 3 when it comes out, all the better.
Other reviewers: “You play as a special forced operative who is tethered to.a Chinera, a nightmarish monster from a parallel world...” Arlo: “It’s you, and you got a monster chained to you.” Thanks for being concise!
I love this game. Been dying to get it ever since I happened to watch the E3 reveal and fell in love. and I finally did! Haven’t finished it yet but it’s one of my favorites for the switch for sure. It’s so much fun
This game seems to be based off an old ps2 game called Chaos Legion. You controlled spirits/familiars in a God of War-esq style while also using them to traverse the world.
I absolutely loved chaos legion! This is definitely a spiritual successor type of thing for astral chain. Got AS a few days ago, and have been enjoying every second. Special mention to the music as well.
I discovered your channel a few months ago from your breath of the wild review, and I am so glad that I did. You provide the most in depth and honest (*cough cough ign*) reviews that I have found, and entertaining at that! I don't have any plans to buy astral chain, but I still watched the review because of how much fun these are to watch. Thank you for making great and passionate reviews :)
The game foreshadows the plottwist that joseph is the bad guy so strong that you always wait for it, but it takes so long that you think it‘s not coming anymore but then the story presses that whole plottwist into two files
I still can't get over these gorgeous graphics. This game proves that you can't take the switch lightly. I'm hoping for more quality titles like this one in the future.
Arlo it's very nice to come to your reviews to see a simplified version of big corporate reviews. I love how IGN will take a minute explaining a basic gist of combat and you just say "you're a dude and you got a guy chained to you".
I fell in love with this game and enjoyed it WAY more than I anticipated. I jumped straight into the game on platinum standard. I feel like it shines on it's higher difficulties. The whole Lettered rank system for levels and quests is satisfying af. I'm about to run through the game all over again Platinum ultimate!!
Never heard of this but I guess it’s cool? Looks awesome from the gameplay. Considering picking up a copy for myself.. Edit: Bought a copy! Enjoying it
Thanks for the review, you just convinced me to pick this up. I really like skill-based games that reward you for getting good at combat (Kingdom Hearts, BotW, even Metroid: Samus Returns does it well enough!) so this looks like a good one!
Another exclusive to add to my wishlist for when I pick up a Switch. I was following _Astral Chain_ briefly when it was announced but had no clue it was already out. Nice to see that impressions are good, though I kind of expect that when Platinum is doing original content.
So, I played Astral Chain right after Death Stranding and it dawned on me as soon as the intro was over that holy shit, these 2 games share their basic premises, you have a government job in a post apocalypse brought about by creatures from another plane of existence, and there's a huge on emphasis on the chains and strands that link us together.
The way this main character run speed and animation (and slows quickly to a stop from a run) looks just like 2B from Nier: Automata. Another amazing game by these guys. And thats A-OK
Astral chain needs as much attention as possible, it's so good. Also, am I the only person to play on the hard mode and not really consider it that hard?
Was waiting to see Arlo’s thoughts on this game. I’ve been on the fence about using one of my vouchers on it. Gonna wait till after the direct tomorrow to decide
In the last year Platinum Games has become one of my favorite devolpers. Started with Nier: Automata, (Still need to complete that one!) and really enjoyed it, then I decided to give Bayonetta a try, and that game is easily my favorite action game of all time. (I plan to start Bayonetta 2 when I finish up with Astral Chain!) I gave Metal Gear Revengeance a try, it wasn't really my cup of tea. But regardless, they have one of the best track records I've seen from a Game developer. Astral Chain has been one of my favorites so far, even if it is a bit easy at times (Even on the hardest difficulty) but I don't know if I'll end up liking it more than Bayonetta yet. Regardless, this is an amazing game. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys action games! The more games I play from Platinum, the sadder I become that Scalebound was canceled though. If that game ended up as good as it looked, I'd have bought an Xbox just for it. (And Rare Replay). When the developers said Astral Chain's combat would be a mix between Nier and Bayonetta, I didn't know how accurate that would be. But after playing it for some time now, I'd say that's pretty accurate. It's faster paced than Nier, but not nearly as chaotic as Bayonetta. It's certainly unique, and fighting alongside your Legion really feels second nature, like its an extension of your character. Anyway, TLDR: Platinum Games good, Astral Chain good. Those who like these sorts of games will certainly not be disappointed with this one.
I want to play this game, but I'm still playing fire emblem and the rest of september has a lot of fun stuff too and I already have a backlog. I'll definitely buy it, but not right now
As soon as you started talking about graphics, I thought "He's going to mention Fire Emblem."
Yep.
Is he right tho
@@folly_ah_duh yes he is, fire emblem three houses looks awful in many aspects
rasol alvarez models look good, but everything else looks like ass
@@rasul01 There are some aspects of that game that look pretty good, but for every one thing that looks good, there are five other things that look rough. Luckily it's a good game. I just hope their next Switch outing is an upgrade in the visual department.
@@nintendonerdjoseph the way you answered me makes it seem like you're answering to someone who thinks the game looks good when I already said that it looks awful
Didn’t think Arlo would talk about this game but I’m glad he did
His affiliate (Nintendolife I think) has slapped a 9/10 on this already. And deservedly so. And they're not the only ones. I told ppl wailing at me about my hating on 2.5D indies and Fire Chess Emblem; it's 2019. This sort of beautiful mix of accessible 3D RTA hack n slash with an upgrade-system to boot in an actual passable storyline is huge for the Switch, if not gaming overall, it was choking under all these inides and re-makes,, ugh. Relief!!
Metoo
“It’s sad that this game isn’t selling well.”
*#1 Best Seller in the UK*
@Tom The Fish It is for Platinum Games, given their best selling game Nier Automata didn't get that in its launch week.
Yessir, We Brits know our proper games!! None of this 2.5D J-rpg / indie choking smog
@SquidBag Eastern? or too "Anime" looking? I can understand that though, the art style is definitely not for everyone.
That's impressive considering Europe is nowhere near as big when it comes to Nintendo.
The fact that it managed to beat Automata is a big deal.
@@frickthefuckoff - i keep seeing people say this - but its not a big deal it beat Nier and not surprising. its the exact definition of "standing on the shoulders of Giants".
Nier came out and no one knew what it was - it didn't get youtubers streaming the demo, it didn't get people watching and reporting foreign review scores. I know people were still questioning what it was when others talked about it months later at "game of the year" conversations.
Most people just knew that the original Nier was weird. This new Nier had very little hype behind it, (and i played and beat the original so i know I was excited). I guarantee the advertising budgets between the 2 games in night and day.
Now Nier has come and gone, was super great and everyone knows its good - a Switch exclusive comes out on a hyped system from that hyped developer, (and Switch still doesn't have a ton to choose from right now), unless the initial reviews said it was absolute garbage - it was going to sell well.
How many Asteral Chain videos did you see before last Friday? i saw the game mentioned at least 20 times the past few months whether it was talk of demo of release date or foreign review scores or Nintendo Directs. i saw Nier mentioned maybe 2 times before it came out and I was looking for it.
Arlo.
We all saw you try to go into the women's restroom with the male character.
For shame.
I wouldn’t dare because that’s bad, but when I was wearing the Lappy costume I tried just to see if I could use the toilet for the Sake of the Toilet fairy.
@@samuelturner6076 Really? You comply with toilet etiquette in a single player video game?
Xario Withoutalastname Yes, and traffic etiquette, and general etiquette, and perfectionist mood (and especially litter etiquette in this game because £ and also it made me loose faith in humanity when I was throwing cands away for legit at least 30 seconds straight). One side quest I had to get a drone, and I ended up breaking the drone, and I felt so bad I wanted to restart the file (chapter) but I was so far in it would’ve been a bad idea, earlier in the same mission there’s a side quest to get a girl Ice cream, and I kept restarting to try and get her the biggest one for a good 30 minutes until I gave up and got her a large with one fallen scoop.
😂😂
@@xario2007 😂😂
I love how Arlo refers to the Legion as ''your guy'' and enemies as ''a dude''. So you wrap your guy around a dude and then zip over and such.
From now on, I will type out your reports, Cadet Arlo. FOREVERMORE
Can we all just appreciate how Arlo always starts his videos saying something positive to the people watching? Like it just makes my day better
“Egg pooping friends”
@@ej9244 like they said, positive
The thing I've been loving about this game is how well it introduces you to the combat. I hate it when games start with a tutorial dump.
In Astral Chain they start with action, you don't need to know what you're doing, it's just BAM, in on the action, and one by one they start giving you the mechanics, bit by bit.
And then when I got my first Legion I thought they told me all that it could do, but then they give you a different one and THEN they give abilities to them, and the learning curve is helped a billion times by giving you a training room within the game. Not a tutorial menu, not a tutorial dump, but a training room within the story, that helps a lot with the immersion.
AND THEEEEEN, they even change the person teaching you in the training room so it doesn't feel like tutorial, it feels like game and you're doing nothing but learning the attacks, and it feels fun and enjoyable!
I spent a lot of time in the training room specifically because I was testing stuff instead of being taught by force. Not only do you get to learn the controls, but you get used to the pacing of fights.
@@muntu1221 I thought I was the only one. I've spent most of time in training practicing evasion, combos, and how to control both characters optimally. I''m pretty sure most of my gameplay has been there.
I like how it starts clunky, and suddenly boom you're zooming all over the place, and doing awesome moves.
Exactly! The way they introduce all those battle mechanics/gimmicks is so subtle. However, I did end up using sword guy, the punch guy and the dog legion way too often. I barely used arror and hammer legion.
No Arlo, I will not sleep on this game; I've never slept on any game, they do not make good pillows.
King Toast I recommend sleeping on Kirby star allies, it’s very comfortable
I mean, you're not wrong.
Been there, done that.
This is the best comment ever in the stupidest way.
@@GreatAnonymity-cn7qo XD thanks (for the compliment, and also for reminding me that I made this goofy comment. I had totally forgotten about it lol)
00:05 the floor reminds me of those moon rocks in Mario Odyssey which you can break once you beat the game. Anyone else feel the same or is it just me?
We might have a theory here dude...
afonso f Moon Rocks are Legions confirmed. The rocks are what caused the world to get taken by them. The pre apocalyptic world was really odyssey.
All the gameplay I see of this game remind me of the final mementos dungeon in Persona 5
Also reminds me of some parts in Control (another new game)
It's just the fortnite cube lol
My chains of love are attached to Arlo. One of the best Nintendo youtubers out there!
Which one is better then?
One of? He is THE BEST
It's so refreshing watching a Nintendo RUclipsr that doesn't get political. I love kicking back and watching Arlo and Vinny (Vinesauce) because they just do Nintendo. So many RUclipsrs from Somecallmejohnny to Alpharad have been slowly injecting politics into their videos over the years, and I've gotten to the point where I can't watch their videos anymore because of it. I watch videos about video games for the video games, and maybe a bit of personal stories from the RUclipsr. That's all.
Nintentubers
epiccarrot88 examples of including politics?
Astral Chain: Stardust Crusaders.
...Someone had to do it.
Ender, Ace of Spades nobody had to do it
@@cashbag thank you
There's a chained creature with a multiple punch power ." Ora ora ora".
The creatures are just stands lol
+Tempest Universe They’re more like Personas.
Arlo: “you got your little sword...”
X-Baton: “Am I a joke to you?”
"No spoilers" immediately spoils the marie/lappy twist.
Smh cmon man thats a huge plot point
Barely even a twist, obvious the first time you see her.
@@EchidnaKida r/woosh
@@EchidnaKida Da fuck. That was the one of biggest plot twist in gaming history. You would have to be fucking Batman to see that shit coming.
It's not even true!
Play FIle 07, Marie is on the roof, Lappy is in the elevator room.
Ace nah, when you first meet her, she drops her dog helmet and is searching around for it, then gets it and introduces herself as lappy
Confession time: this game is my first time playing a Platinum Games title.
Same.
Good for you, it's probably one of the best
I'd recommend you Bayonetta 1 and 2 on the switch, but if you have a PS4 or a good PC I'd recommend MGR and Nier: Automata
mine as well, and i keep forgetting to use the chain blinding skill.
I like Astral Chain more than Bayonetta 1/2 tbh
Other than bayonetta same
I'm intrigued by this game, because I want to unleash my *「STANDO POWAH」*
Cae Pez Let’s hope they don’t have a D4Z.
Behold my Legion, [Arm Platinum: Za Warudo]!
There is a creature with multiple punches in this game. I can't help but think about star platinum.
Legit the Arm legion guys, there’s literally a skill to just make him ORA/DORA/MUDA and the “L combo” also has a section of them and it’s glorious.
This chain of replies has interested me even more... I might try the game.
I’m not surprised at all. This game was made by the same people who made Bayonetta
Yeah but they also made Star Fox Zero and that TMNT game sooooo...
@@AlexysRM pretty sure their involvement in star fox was small, and tmnt has more to do with activision being a garbage publisher.
@@amurter19 - Just pointing out the fallacy in claims like "This game was made by X developer so it must be good!"
@@AlexysRM That's not really a fallacy. I mean, if you say it's automatic, then sure. But it's not fallacious to say that a certain developer is good at certain things and you trust them with new IPs.
And Nier Automata
Arlo! How DARE you spoil Lappy's true identity!
We would never have guessed that
When I was at about 10 hours in, I read that the first playthrough has ~15 hours, so I was disappointed about being almost done and decided to play less hours a day, since it's still some time until Zelda comes out. Also while I was already exploring a bit (about 80% per chapter done), I decided to be even more thorough for the remaining chapters, so I can stretch the time even more. I'm now at ~28 hours playtime at the start of chapter 11. I guess I will end the game with around 30 hours of playtime. I'm unsure, if I will make a second playthrough or will complete each chapter with 100% and do all tasks (or however they are called in english in this game). I usually like completing stuff, but as I understand it, chapters will be reset completely when redoing them, so I'll have to find everything again I already found, which means I can't forget a single thing on each try. I'm not sold to this idea.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is three things:
- I like that game very much (despite not having it mentioned in the first paragraph)
- For anyone fearing it's way too short: There is easily 30+ hours of content, if you don't rush it, but keep exploring.
- I really wonder why people rush all the games. As another example: Fire Emblem Three Houses most reviews mentioned ~70 hours playtime, I cleared it at ~110 hours. Yes, I did some grinding, because I changed classes with most characters, but it wasn't 40 hours of grinding. Just because there are many interesting games releasing, doesn't mean we should rush them. There will be times when less interesting games release and then we will have games left to fill the gap.
Best things about this game:
-Pet the Beast Legion
-Throw Soda cans into the Garbage
Pt standard is giving me a run for my money. Definitely can't just mash to win.
I've found that triggering and leaning hard into sync attacks is key :)
Marcus Joyner master the timings and sync attack for days baby.
I jumped straight into the game on platinum standard. I feel like this game shines on it's higher difficulties. The whole Lettered rank system for levels and quests is satisfying af. I'm about to run through the game all over again Platinum ultimate!!
i started on this as well, mostly because more reward? Sign me up!
The combat seems pretty basic and button-mashy at first, but it gets absolutely bonkers when you get further and get good at swapping between legions and start getting S+ rankings, especially once you unlock the moves that let you unchain your legions.
Like, the average fight for me at the beginning of the game was basically:
Press ZR.
Press ZR some more.
Press ZR even more.
Occasionally press ZL.
Press ZR again.
But now the average fight for me is more like:
Send the wolf into the middle of the enemy group and howl to stun them.
Swap to arrow legion, call it back to me, unchain it to lay down support fire, swap to sword.
ZL to send the sword out, ZL+ZR to pull myself into the group.
Do the area chain attack to bind the whole group and sync attack follow-ups, then continue attacking until the arrow is done.
Unchain the sword and swap to arm.
Merge with the arm and MUDA MUDA MUDA everyone until sword is done.
Unchain the arm and swap to whoever seems like the best at this moment.
And repeat. Swap to legion, use ability, do some damage, unchain, swap to next legion, etc.
And I'm sure there are a lot of options I'm not even using. Like I haven't figured out how to effectively use the axe legion yet.
Hold up, you can switch while they are doing those unchain attacks? I never knew that
@@Gankstomper - Yeah, it's pretty much the whole point of the unchained attacks. But you can only have one unchained at a time. If you unchain another one, it'll disappear.
Nintendo: This game isn't selling well.
Sakurai: Well, have to see about that.
i don't get it :[
@@icyurchins It's a joke for how any unrepresented franchise in Smash get a playable character, and their games get a boost in sales.
Lol oh
Next up the pilot from the galaga games
I would love them too add the main to smash in the next season makes a lot of sense and I can see her/him being a fun character
@@zamon8erz10 We simply need more puppet fighters.
I am absolutely floored by how dope this game is. It’s my GOTY thus far in 2019, and that’s a tough nut to crack.
Lol. Nut.
I'm at 28 hours and on the 10th chapter. There are 12 chapters I think. This is just for main story.
You should get it. It's $49.94 at Walmart
@@joycmo6425 Great, tell me how you like it after playing for a few hours!
SquidBag it’s a reasonable choice. My goty is sekiro but astral chain looks right up my alley
@@sonymicronin There are 12, however Ch. 12 is one of those epilogue chapters. Can't say anymore it would be a spoiler.
Love this game. Stopped playing fire emblem to play this game and I love fire emblem.
Same, I feel bad because I love Fire Emblem but I don't have time to play both
@@KellyJoule you mean you haven't finished that 80 hour game 4 times already like everyone else on the internet /s
@@KellyJoule Me either. Had to take a break to do one at a time.
@@halkon4412 Well, Astral Chain actually has real-time combat, unlike Chess-mate Emblem
3 houses got me back in fire emblem fates was sooo bad, and echoes wasn’t enough to ease my worries, then xenoblade 2 went full on waifu weeb pandering ( I know they’re separate developers but still) then we got the high school trailer, I almost skipped but began hearing very positive reviews from people who share my likings of games and am glad I gave it a chance, may even topple RD as my new favorite, but I think silver snow was pointless and they should have devoted the effort to give crimson flower a more fulfilling route
Best moment of play for me so far: While fighting the arm nemesis there are all these goopy glue puddles around that you're "ment" to avoid, but the boss has one attack that creats a gravity effect that pulls you in and deals damage if you're pulled all the way to the center. So what do you do, well you can just run away or use you legion to pull you away OR jump into the gloopy glue and get stuck and feel like a genius. That fight takes about 5 mins, the fact that someone took the time to create that great moment for me just thank you Platinum.
"in the first several hours, it does not stop giving you tutorials."
As a Tales fan, I feel like I'd be totally at home with that.
Ah tales of symphonia, still getting tutorials while at level 50, good times
@@jordankelly4684 A man of culture I see.
Fully relate
XD
As a xenoblade fan...
IRIS STARTED.
INFORMATION DISPLAYED
IRIS SHUTDOWN
IRIS STARTED.
INFORMATION DISPLAYED
IRIS SHUTDOWN
it's not annoying, don't force it to meme status, buddy !
It kinda is. I wish it wasn't as frequent.
You can avoid this by just leaving it on lol. I never turn it off unless in a fight
@@minasegazi4000 The information part doesn't stop even if left on... at least it didn't for me.
@@lunamaster123 that's cause fighting a peep or item with info will always pop that up, however you can see those things and avoid placing your cursor on them.
@Arlo what is your top 10 most hours played games on switch?
I believe he gave his friend code one time, you could probably find his account
Well I ain't Arlo but here's mine:
1) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - 285 hours
2) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 265 hours
3) Octopath Traveler - 125 hours
4) Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! - 80 hours
5) Super Mario Odyssey - 55 hours
6) LEGO Harry Potter Collection - 25 hours
7) Pokkén Tournament DX - 25 hours
8) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 20 hours
9) Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy - 10 hours
10) Spyro Reignited Trilogy - 5 hours
@@Foxes01 my top one is probably Minecraft or DOOM
@@Foxes01 Those are rookie numbers.
I have 500 hours in Zelda. Currently on a no map, no fast travel, no heart container run. It's great to explore Hyrule like this.
I just recently discovered you so I'm here late. Astral chain is one of my favorite games that has been released on the switch. I was fully engaged in the combat system the instant we had access to the legion. I spent endless hours on the post game missions refining my strategies because the combat felt so rewarding.
The game sold over a million copies by the end of 2019, and I think platinum games has expressed interest in a sequel dependant upon the overall reception so I think a sequel is likely.
Feels like a game before HD era where it's not just cool combat but actual exploration without being open world, balances progression, paced out story moments. So amazing
Im playing on the hardest difficulty right now and honestly, its painfully fun. Its so fucking good. Its just the right amount of difficulty so retry a boss once or twice
I'm absolutely in love with this game. They hit it out of the park.
Starting a game in casual at first just to get the feel of the controls and gameplay is nothing to be ashamed of Arlo. I sometimes do this just to practice and then, later on, I go on full force hard mode!
I think Astral Chain is my game of the year. I love it so much.
Same. It might be my favorite Platinum game, even over Nier Automata and Bayonetta.
should i play docked or handheld? difficulty level?
SquidBag sorry to hear that. Personally I really enjoy it but it just might not be for everyone, even some fans of other Platinum titles.
Hala Juventus Y nada mas Arlo says all of this in the actual video. It doesn’t matter if you play docked or handheld. It’s the same thing except the resolution is a bit better on TV. The game has three difficulties. Stupid easy baby mode, casual, and platinum difficulty. Which is the hard mode.
@@theblitz1070 It actually has four. You unlock the fourth one after completing the Platinum Standard for that mode.
It's called Platinum Ultimate.
My favorite thing about this game (and multiple action games for that matter) is that you can have beaten the game and then watch someone trying things out in the lab and you’ll see an attack or technique you’ve never seen before and think “wait a minute, you can do that?!” A good example is in this very video I had no idea you can pull off a sync attack after landing a successful slash through an opponent’s attack and now I’m trying to find practical uses for it during boss fights to up my score. This game just seems to have endless depth and I love it!
I hear that hub music in the background
It's so freaking good though, I was shocked by it. I leave the game on the station just for ambience
I wasn't expecting a Jim Sterling crossover on this channel.
WHOA
I Hope Wonderful 101 gets finaly ported to the Switch that game is fantastic and deserves better
I would be curious to see how they would handle the move form changes. I never played it but I would definitely buy it on the switch with new DLC
It will. Soon.
The one I'm worried about and NEEDS to be released from the WiiU's grave is Xenoblade X.
@@Daremodesu I want that game rereleased too
@@TheBlackShinigami You could do it with the right stick, which is actually MUCH easier to do on the run on the WiiU version.
@@TheBlackShinigami As a person who played it, the game is 100% complete-able with just the gamepad. They would have to tweek a couple of obstacles, but most of it can be played with one screen.
Gamestop has this game (digital version) like 60% off for Black Friday 2021! I've had my eye on it for a while but thought I'd check what the internet had to say before buying. This Arlo stamp of approval was all I needed to push be over the edge and get it.
Same 😅
For me, it's going to be hard to pick GOTY between Fire Emblem and Astral Chain for Nintendo. While I'm certainly excited for the games releasing later in the year, I just don't see them being as good as these two. I know other people probably don't like Astral Chain as much as I do - but dammit if this game wasn't made for me.
I would agree though I give room for Pokenob to be amazing
Skinner McLane it's just a shorter, easier, less deep version of bayonetta
@@justin02905 That's...one of the weirdest ways I've seen this games be reduced. Astral Chain is a combination of ALL Platinum games (it has the Zandatsu and core-stealing mechanic from Revengence, the chain mechanic operates very similarly to Wonderful 101's line drawing, and the 'glimmer' mechanic comes from Transformers of all things). -but on top of that, it's also a simple but fun police-simulator in what is essentially a rip-off of Neon Genesis + JoJo. These are my favorite things, so I dig it. It's definitely not trying to be a masterpiece like Nier: Automata, but it's exactly the kind of game I like.
-and Bayonetta is already perfect. If I want to replay those games, I'll just replay them for the 30th time.
Skinner McLane the investigation segments felt like boring filler meant to pad out the game's playtime. Personally I liked Platinum more when they were Clover Studios and just focused on the action
@@justin02905 I can totally understand why a lot of people wouldn't like the other stuff. I'll openly admit that a lot of parts are genuinely bad (kicking the soccer ball across the district in Chapter 3 is hilariously tedious, and the writing in some scenes make me want to gag after coming from the high mark that was Fire Emblem). -but hey, I still enjoy it. It lets me make my own character and be a badass and letting me look like Armitage the III while using EVA Unit-02 to beat up samurai-monsters with flaming naginata is something that overrides flaws like some scenes being garbage.
I could believe that nobody in the world would like the game as much as I do, but it seems others like the side-content, too. -and if it helps a more casual audience get into Platinum games and support Bayonetta 3 when it comes out, all the better.
NGL Astral Chain's my favorite Switch Exclusive.
Astral Chain: Neon Genesis Stardust Crusaders
+ Ghost in the Shell..
Ghost in the Genesis Stardust Crusaders.
@@hizumizaigo4219 + Attack on Titan.
The Ark = The Walls.
Attack on Neon Ghost: Stardust Crusaders.
*Who is hyped* for the September Nintendo Direct
I bet they are gonna start the direct with a game no one saw coming
@@rambowha4703 nah bro. hold the mario games, we deserve a new wario land
@@cerealbeforemilk3566 Persona 5 confirmed! ;)
Tomorrow!!!
Is it confirmed yet?
I beat it already and I already have 28 hours of gameplay done I'm trying to complete everything
It's a small game to pay full price
@@joaoaraujo9629 maybe but it sure is fun
Other reviewers: “You play as a special forced operative who is tethered to.a Chinera, a nightmarish monster from a parallel world...”
Arlo: “It’s you, and you got a monster chained to you.”
Thanks for being concise!
This was the first 'Platinum Games' game I played, anndd it's super duper great! In my opinion at least. Though i'm kinda bad at it -.-
Akira the waifu police for smash bros as 1st fighter from the 2nd dlc pack. 🤯🤯🤯
Platinum Games needs to make a new Digimon game. This Astral Chain system could definitely work with the concept of Digimon.
I love this game. Been dying to get it ever since I happened to watch the E3 reveal and fell in love. and I finally did! Haven’t finished it yet but it’s one of my favorites for the switch for sure. It’s so much fun
OMG ARLO SPOILERS I DIDNT KNOW MARIE AND LAPPY WERE THE SAME people!!!
This game seems to be based off an old ps2 game called Chaos Legion. You controlled spirits/familiars in a God of War-esq style while also using them to traverse the world.
I absolutely loved chaos legion! This is definitely a spiritual successor type of thing for astral chain. Got AS a few days ago, and have been enjoying every second. Special mention to the music as well.
Good news, Arlo! It's shaping up to be Platinum's best-selling game if early sales data by Amazon, the UK and the eShop is anything to go by.
by chance, would that chain be of an astral persuasion?
I just started File 6 and I have to say I adore this game, it might be my GotY
Thank you for talking about this game. It's so good and I haven't seen many RUclipsrs talk about it
Ah platinum games seems to be back on top of their game
Good work boys
You forgetting they made Automata very recently?
They got back on their game 2-3 years ago.
@@_-Lx-_
Automata followed up the teenage mutant ninja turtles game
I reserved my right to be skeptical in case it was a fluke
@@alexlee4154
They were just in a rough patch for a while, i never saw it as a permanent thing personally.
@@_-Lx-_ Fun fact: Astral chain was planned on before nier automata
@@lum1notryc828
I remember seeing that a few days ago
A little easter egg I found is one of the preset colors for you legion is the Eva unit 1 color scheme, pretty neat
This game is so damn awesome. The year of the Switch once again
I discovered your channel a few months ago from your breath of the wild review, and I am so glad that I did. You provide the most in depth and honest (*cough cough ign*) reviews that I have found, and entertaining at that! I don't have any plans to buy astral chain, but I still watched the review because of how much fun these are to watch. Thank you for making great and passionate reviews :)
Can we talk about how much Anime this game is? Ffs it's has an opening and it's so good
The game foreshadows the plottwist that joseph is the bad guy so strong that you always wait for it, but it takes so long that you think it‘s not coming anymore but then the story presses that whole plottwist into two files
I could listen to that HQ background song all day long.
I still can't get over these gorgeous graphics. This game proves that you can't take the switch lightly. I'm hoping for more quality titles like this one in the future.
Sorry guys, but my chains of love are attached to Untitled Goose Game now, who cares about other games anymore
you are weak for I have *70 CHAINS OF LOVE* I can love all the games I want to hahahaha, wait why is my wallet empty...
You really are going nuts for the goose, aren't you Chris?
I also crave the goose 🎮
Arlo it's very nice to come to your reviews to see a simplified version of big corporate reviews. I love how IGN will take a minute explaining a basic gist of combat and you just say "you're a dude and you got a guy chained to you".
Weaponizing the enemy's power(or the enemy itself) is always a cool concept. Though the Wonderful 101 took it a step further.
Arlo, you're my favourite blue monster and my favourite Nintendo-RUclipsr. I'm always happy to see a new upload by you. Good stuff, as always! 💚
Butternut Squash? Yes please!
Thank you for this video! Thanks for your time and your work :)
I fell in love with this game and enjoyed it WAY more than I anticipated. I jumped straight into the game on platinum standard. I feel like it shines on it's higher difficulties. The whole Lettered rank system for levels and quests is satisfying af. I'm about to run through the game all over again Platinum ultimate!!
Never heard of this but I guess it’s cool? Looks awesome from the gameplay. Considering picking up a copy for myself..
Edit: Bought a copy! Enjoying it
Congrats on 400k subscribers!
Thanks for the review, you just convinced me to pick this up. I really like skill-based games that reward you for getting good at combat (Kingdom Hearts, BotW, even Metroid: Samus Returns does it well enough!) so this looks like a good one!
Then it sounds like sekiro would be the game for you.
you can change the UI color too in settings
Arlo videos just make me happy. Thank you arlo.
At first I wasn't interested when I saw this at E3, but now that you've shown more I think i might try it!!
Just started playing a couple of weeks ago, so far way better than Bayo 3, nice surprise.
Another exclusive to add to my wishlist for when I pick up a Switch. I was following _Astral Chain_ briefly when it was announced but had no clue it was already out. Nice to see that impressions are good, though I kind of expect that when Platinum is doing original content.
Seriously using the chain in combat in multiple ways makes me feel so smart at times xD. Its such a cool well realized mechanical tool.
After playing Nier Automata and Bayonetta, this game definitely stacks up to the hype.
I was so sceptic about the whole game. But you did convince me to try it, when I have the possibility, thank you Arlo!
Exceedingly pleasant is the best way to address an audience. Arlo, you know your fans well
Buying this game cause Arlo likes it
11:42
Arlo trying to get into the women’s bathroom lol
It would be a little bit cool if where the chain was represented the relashonships like if it was on the legions hand they where close and bonded
Got Astral Chain recently and I’ve been loving it so far.
So glad you reviewed this, ive been super curious about it, you seem to have similar tastes in games as I do, so keep it up buddy
So, I played Astral Chain right after Death Stranding and it dawned on me as soon as the intro was over that holy shit, these 2 games share their basic premises, you have a government job in a post apocalypse brought about by creatures from another plane of existence, and there's a huge on emphasis on the chains and strands that link us together.
The way this main character run speed and animation (and slows quickly to a stop from a run) looks just like 2B from Nier: Automata. Another amazing game by these guys. And thats A-OK
Astral Chain is blowing me away. I am glad you are giving it a chance.
Astral chain needs as much attention as possible, it's so good. Also, am I the only person to play on the hard mode and not really consider it that hard?
It's not hard mode...just normal...try ultimate difficulty
You’re an inspiration for my channel Arlo. 😘
Was waiting to see Arlo’s thoughts on this game. I’ve been on the fence about using one of my vouchers on it. Gonna wait till after the direct tomorrow to decide
In the last year Platinum Games has become one of my favorite devolpers. Started with Nier: Automata, (Still need to complete that one!) and really enjoyed it, then I decided to give Bayonetta a try, and that game is easily my favorite action game of all time. (I plan to start Bayonetta 2 when I finish up with Astral Chain!)
I gave Metal Gear Revengeance a try, it wasn't really my cup of tea. But regardless, they have one of the best track records I've seen from a Game developer. Astral Chain has been one of my favorites so far, even if it is a bit easy at times (Even on the hardest difficulty) but I don't know if I'll end up liking it more than Bayonetta yet. Regardless, this is an amazing game. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys action games!
The more games I play from Platinum, the sadder I become that Scalebound was canceled though. If that game ended up as good as it looked, I'd have bought an Xbox just for it. (And Rare Replay).
When the developers said Astral Chain's combat would be a mix between Nier and Bayonetta, I didn't know how accurate that would be. But after playing it for some time now, I'd say that's pretty accurate. It's faster paced than Nier, but not nearly as chaotic as Bayonetta. It's certainly unique, and fighting alongside your Legion really feels second nature, like its an extension of your character.
Anyway, TLDR: Platinum Games good, Astral Chain good. Those who like these sorts of games will certainly not be disappointed with this one.
It's hit the top of the UK game charts, so fingers crossed Platinum have a proper hit on their hands :)
Thanks Arlo. This video finally made me able to decide that i want this game
I’m so excited about Astral chain. Now I just have to find a way to get my real life ball and chain to let me have a few hours alone to play it.
I’m the ball and chain and I’m the one who plays all the games!!!
“I hope the game does well.”
*game is already the first game developed by Platinum to hit #1 in the UK*
I would love to see Sword Nemesis as DLC Fighter 5
I want to play this game, but I'm still playing fire emblem and the rest of september has a lot of fun stuff too and I already have a backlog.
I'll definitely buy it, but not right now