AWAKEN – Astral Blade from ESDigital Games and Dark Pigeon Games is a 2.5D Metroidvania in which you must take on a rescue mission. Learn more in our AWAKEN – Astral Blade review!
AWAKEN – Astral Blade from ESDigital Games and Dark Pigeon Games is a 2.5D Metroidvania in which you must take on a rescue mission. The game will place you in the role of bionic girl Tania. You’ve been assigned by your creator, Dr. Heveus, to search for and rescue an investigation team that has gone MIA in the rainforest of Horace Islands. It’s a dangerous area since Karpas energy is turning local animals and plants into deadly mutant monsters. You’ll have to dive into the ancient ruins that hold many secrets that will help you unravel the mysteries that have placed you in this scenario in the first place.
You can play through this game by choosing one of three difficulty settings: Story, Normal, and Hardcore. If you choose the Story difficulty setting, then you’ll be able to focus on the game’s story and exploration without having to worry too much about the combat. If you choose the Normal difficulty setting, then you’ll be taking on the standard experience, balanced as to present you with a challenge, but without ever feeling too overwhelming. Once you complete AWAKEN – Astral Blade in the Normal difficulty setting, you’ll get to unlock Hardcore. This one will require you to always be on high alert as you’re pushed to your limits.
Once you begin this adventure, you’ll control Tania with the left analog stick, jumping with the X button and trying to dodge attacks with the R1 button. You’ll soon find a double jump ability. You can attack with the Square button and will be able to change weapons by using the L2 and R2 buttons as needed. Interact with other characters or items by pressing the Circle button. After the second or third hit in a combo, you can press the Triangle button to use a Power Surge skill. Activate your map by pressing in on the right analog stick. This is important since the game is, after all, a Metroidvania. If you need to heal your wounds, use a potion by pressing in on the left analog stick or by pressing up on the D-Pad, depending on the configuration you choose.
As you explore each area, you’ll have to search high and low to locate as many items as possible. Get yourself a tasty Moon Rainbow Fruit, which increases your max HP by 5 points when consumed. Sure, it might have a numbing effect on one’s lips and teeth, but the boost is definitely worth it! Find yourself a Karpas Alloy, which can be used in certain bionic parts to enhance their combat ability. You could also find pages from Professor Loir’s notebook, which will help you get an idea of what the investigation team found upon arriving at Horace Island. Oh, and you should also search for some Leaves of Goldthorn! These will increase your attack power by 5%.
Defeat enemies and destroy objects so that you can collect Aether. This can be used to unlock nodes in the Combat and Passive Skill Trees. You could purchase Quick Rise, an ability that will allow you to quickly get up when you’re knocked down by pressing the R1 button right before touching the ground. Unlock Battle Awareness so that you can add a perfect dodge bonus to your repertoire. Using a perfect dodge will trigger Battle Awareness, which will slow down an enemy for a short period of time. A useful one is Energy Acquisition. By pressing the Triangle button at the exact moment an enemy dies, you’ll get to absorb their Karpas energy, which will increase Aether drops by 50%. You can also boost your max HP by 5%, increase movement speed by 25%, boost Aether acquisition rate by 5%, and more.
The game has a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy for you to work on. The list is split into 7 Bronze trophies, 18 Silver trophies, and 4 Gold trophies. The objectives that you’ll have to complete include collecting all fragment information, unlocking your first skill, maxing out a weapon’s level, acquiring a new ability, completing a sidequest, collecting all ornaments, obtaining all items from the Karpas organism, collecting the maximum number of Flask Flower Essence containers, acquiring all abilities, unlocking 25 skills, and discovering all lemongrass flowers, to name some examples.
AWAKEN – Astral Blade is a 2.5D Metroidvania in which you must take on a rescue mission. The game will place you in the role of bionic girl Tania. You’ve been assigned by your creator, Dr. Heveus, to search for and rescue an investigation team that has gone MIA in the rainforest of Horace Islands. It’s a dangerous area since Karpas energy is turning local animals and plants into deadly mutant monsters. You’ll have to dive into the ancient ruins that hold many secrets that will help you unravel the mysteries that have placed you in this scenario in the first place. AWAKEN – Astral Blade is out on PlayStation 5 with a $24.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This AWAKEN – Astral Blade review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by ESDigital Games.
