Astalon Tears pf the Earth

 Astalon: Tears of the Earth

Reviewer: Carless Yen

Developer: LABS Works

Publisher: Dangen Entertainment

Release: 06-03-2021

Price: 19.99 Buy Here

Description:

Three heroic explorers wander the post-apocalyptic desert on a mission to save their village’s resources from despair. They soon find a dark, twisted tower that has risen from the depths of the planet and seemingly holds the key to their survival. In order to ensure their victory, one of them has made a secret pact with the lord Epithemeus, allowing them to reincarnate until they have accomplished their mission. But what fate lies in store for the heroes and their village?

Astalon: Tears Of The Earth is an action-platformer set in a dying world where life is cruel, but death can be a stepping stone to victory. Use the unique skills and weapons of Arias the warrior, Kyuli the archer, and Algus the wizard, to surmount the mysterious tower and find the answers to their survival. Slay terrible monsters, discover powerful artifacts, and solve fiendish puzzles, reaching new heights in the tower with the aid of a dark titan. Strengthen your party and change their fate by embracing death. Discover the countless secrets of the Tower of Serpents!

Features:

Relive the glory days of 8-bit action-adventure through beautifully detailed, authentic pixel art set in a dark, fantastic world! Astalon features the progressive exploration of worlds

Original character design by Ryusuke Mita, creator of world-famous manga Dragon Half!

Play at your own pace -- explore thoroughly and build your characters strengths, or use risky methods to slice your way up the tower furiously!

Switch between your heroes and utilize the unique abilities of a warrior, archer and wizard to progress through the game.

Battle against a large assortment of different enemies, giant monsters, and epic bosses! Choose the right hero to find the weaknesses of the creatures that stand in your way!

Upgrade your characters’ abilities and change the course of destiny by making deals with Epimetheus -- the Titan of Death.

Collect a variety of incredible artifacts such as the “Sword of Mirrors” that will bestow your characters with new abilities and open new possibilities.

Use campfires to save your progress, change characters, and discover details about the heroes’ pasts.

Hundreds of rooms to discover -- hours of challenging exploration with a plethora of unlockables and secrets to reward the most inquisitive players!

Experience an exciting soundtrack of chiptune music composed by Matt Kap, spanning over 30 pieces of music!

Screenshots

Overall Impression:

Astalon Tears of the Earth is everything you look for in a modern retro. In my opinion one of the best Metroidvania genres as they call them. It is just loaded with so much content and variety. It plays like a classic NES  action game, but also feels like a modern roguelike as well.  It even gives you a little bit of a Dark Souls vibe. So if you are into any of these type games Astalon is for you no question. It's probably my favorite modern retro title so far in 2021. It really took me back to playing my first console the NES. I feel like it would have been a major hit if it was released during the NES run. I'd love to see a LIMITED RUN NES release for this one. One can only dream. I'm highly recommending this one to NES/SNES fans. Don't miss out on this one if you grew up and loved the 80's videogame machines. You won't be disappointed with this one. 

Beautiful 8 bit Graphics.

The music is amazing.

Loaded with secrets, variety, upgrades, and content.

Wonderful Characters, Story, and Writing.

A great Challenge.

Just does amazing at emulating the classic feel.

I can honestly say there wasn't much I didn't enjoy about this one. It can be tough and a grind but I enjoyed the challenge. 

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