Platinum Games has been close to Nintendo for a long time, and as a result, the company is planning a new property for the Nintendo Switch. This game is hoping to break new ground for the devlopment team as it is different than their traditional action titles. Astra Chain is their attempt to feature more RPG elements into their game and attract a new audience while doing so.
The game takes place in a massive multicultural city called The Ark. It is a cyberpunk paradise until dimensional gates start to appear, and alien creatures attack the Ark and corrupt the land around it. As humanity’s, last chance is a rookie Neuron officer that is part of the police task force meant to stop the alien threat. Save the world, and save humankind as you battle against the aliens throughout the city.
The game gives you full control over two characters at once giving you a synergetic action feel to the game itself. Players can switch between several types of Legion, a weapon designed to fight the alien menace, to change your skills and save the world in your way.
The characters are designed by Masakazu Katsura who is known for ZETMAN and Video Girl Ai’s models. Legion is a machine of his design along with your character as you battle against the never-ending alien threat.
Legion is a living weapon that is tethered to a human controller. Both the human and Legion fight in a joint way, and you must work together to defeat the alien monsters. While you are busy containing the threat though you must still crack police cases to help the citizens through their daily lives.
The developers are hoping to create a game that plays in several different styles while simultaneously allowing players to do menial tasks. Options, like picking up a can or using your Legion to pull over things, are just as easy as the combat itself. The developers have said in an interview with Gamespot that there are multiple types of Legion for multiple situations. There is an Arm Legion that moves objects around as well as a Beast Legion that can be mounted for faster travel.
The game will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive launching on August 30th. Both graphically and action packed it feels like a Platinum Games creation, but hopefully, it has enough RPG elements to keep it from being just like their other titles.
