Review: Astral Takers (Nintendo Switch)

KEMCO has returned with a new adventure for retro JRPG fans: Astral Takers. This release was developed by VANGUARD, the company who earlier this year gave us Dragon Takers. We weren’t fond of that one, but are happy to say Astral Takers fares better.

This time around, we follow Revyse, a young chap who meets Aurora while on a training mission. Aurora has lost her memories; all we really know about her is that she’s wanted by the empire Revyse serves. He quickly develops an attachment to her, and—with the assistance of his friend, Fio—helps her escape so she can regain her memories and find out why she’s a wanted woman.

It’s a fine setup, albeit somewhat predictable. You’ll meet plenty of allies and enemies along the way, and it’s never really difficult to determine where everyone fits in. The story offers few surprises.

You may, however, be surprised by the game’s visuals in both good and bad ways. On the good side we have the character artwork, which is nicely detailed and animated. When the main characters are speaking, they have a swaying motion to them that adds life to the somewhat stilted dialogue. The only drawback to this is that if a character is talking to an unimportant NPC, the NPC isn’t depicted at all; the main character darkens and fades back a bit, but no one is depicted on the other side of the screen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.

Also good is the way the turn-based battles are depicted. Rather than the side view typical of the genre, we see the enemies through a first-person point of view. It’s a unique approach enhanced by cool effects that helps the game stand out from its peers.

On the other hand, the graphics on display when visiting towns and exploring dungeons are more rudimentary than I’m used to seeing in retro JRPGs, even those from KEMCO. They’re simultaneously barren and repetitive. They also don’t have much to offer with regards to hidden items or compelling sidequests. Astral Takers is not a terribly exciting game to explore.

Of course, what really matters here is the combat. Players can take four characters into combat, including beings you’re able to summon at certain points in the game. Summoning is a nice hook, as it allows you to swap around combatants with specific abilities, and they automatically hop in for any downed teammates. It’s fun to experiment with a new summon, and you’ll likely settle on your favorites quite quickly.

Also unique is the way that enemy moves are outlined, giving you the opportunity to prepare accordingly with the typical physical attacks, skill attacks or buffs/defuffs, item use, or defensive stances. On the other hand, your attacks are oddly imprecise. You can choose which enemy to attack, but if there’s more than one of that type, you can’t determine which one you’ll attack. Or, if you can, I couldn’t figure out how.

That problem carries over to the UI in general, which is quite cumbersome. Buying and equipping armor is a clumsy process that requires accessing more screens than should be needed. Even determining which button you have selected can be hard to figure out, as the highlight is oddly difficult to see.

These issues hurt the overall experience, but they don’t kill it. Retro JRPG fans will enjoy the unique combat presentation and the party variety that the summons feature offers. And those looking for a light, breezy adventure will find it here. The game is not difficult at all, as evidenced by the fact that KEMCO doesn’t offer the experience/weapon boost DLC typical of their releases. Astral Takers is not the most satisfying game you’ll play this year, but it’s unique enough to serve as a good time-filler.