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Astlibra Revision a surprising indie action-RPG developed by a single person for over 15 years. It is also simultaneously the most and least fun I’ve had playing a game this year. I jumped into it not sure what to expect. After a powerful first half introducing a fun combat system and engaging plot that kept upping the tempo, the writing started to lose gas at a pretty alarming pace. While the game makes efforts to make up for it, it never fully recovered from the blow.
Astlibra Revision follows an unnamed protagonist fleeing from a horde of demons attacking his hometown. After running away, he finds himself trapped in one of the vast uninhabited Frontier lands of the world, with the raven Karon as his only companion. The protagonist then embarks in an eight year journey with Karon to find his hometown and his childhood friend Anulis. As part of their journey, the duo finds the Libra scales, an artifact said to be able to change the past, and finally reach civilization. This is simply the introduction to the world of Astlibra though, as the main duo is shortly after joined by a cast of interesting characters and the story expands into an odyssey that defies time and fate.
Briefly explaining the plot of the game is difficult and does a disservice to how beautifully it is presented. The story of Astlibra Revision is very interested in exploring themes of personal growth, sacrifice, love and longing, as well as how the people around us can help us make the “right” choices. A lot of the characters throughout the game come to regret past decisions made a long time ago in a hostile world that gave them very little room to work with. These moments are powerfully written, and are very surprising considering Astlibra was written by a single dev. Unfortunately, I feel like this is also what allowed for several extended episodes made entirely of fanservice, sexual innuendos, and “jokes.” While the game starts strong and keeps up the pace, a large portion of the plot gets obscured by avoidable tropes that damage the pace, and ruins the characterization of plenty of female characters. And, while the game recovers some strength in its later parts, this characterization has already done a lot of damage, and distracted enough with the plot. To make matters worse, plenty of unnecessary dialogue after a certain point in the game comes off as the author’s thinly veiled fetish.
Moving on to something a bit more positive, the gameplay is far more consistent than the game’s writing. Astlibra Revision is divided into several chapters, each one having its own level to explore that can be revisited while in the main hub. Combat in Astlibra Revision will feel familiar to those that have played some Vanillaware 2D action games, and it is especially similar to Muramasa: The Demon Blade. The protagonist starts with a basic attack combo. Unlocking skills and finding technique scrolls adds more variations to combat. Some of these include launching the weapon in an arc like a boomerang, performing a shield bash that deals high stun damage if one is equipped, and performing a quick flurry of aerial strikes that deals massive damage.
Alongside these, players have at their disposal a variety of weapons, items, and skills that aid them in battle. Weapons range from swords, knives, clubs, hammers, and axes to various magical staves that scale with your magic attack stat, adding some build variety. Weapons are categorized by their attack power, range, handling, and weight, and each player will favor different combinations of weapons and equipment. Stats can be manually allocated when leveling up, and they can be changed for free at certain stores and locations. I found that a balanced build worked very well for my playstyle, as I mostly used melee weapons, but also found using skills vital to survive the hordes of enemies the game can launch at you.
Leveling up each piece of equipment will either unlock a new Karon Ability or increase the number of points you can use to activate these abilities. Karon Abilities are a variety of passives that allow for even further customization. The system reminds me of the abilities in the mainline Kingdom Hearts titles. Combat is always satisfying, and the game is constantly throwing new toys to play with, but it’s important to note that there are large chunks in the story where you won’t be able to access your skills or Karon abilities. Bows, arrows, and crossbows are secondary weapon that players can equip to the item slots, and these can be a lifesaver during these sections.
When available, the magic system is a very effective tool in combat. Performing strings of combos fills the mana gauge, and skills are activated by holding down the skill button, which stops time, and using directional command inputs. The elemental attributes are fire, water, earth, wind, holy, and dark, and you can have one skill of each type available to cast. As you unlock different skills, you can customize your deck of skills as you see fit. I found that Moonlight, Assassin, and eventually Dark Flare in the late game take care of most enemies and bosses pretty effectively. The Growth menu allows to unlock more magic skills, along with a permanent stat increases, weapons, and items. Finally, the Libra scales system allows to balance several items to add extra effects and buffs. Between the many character progression mechanics available, I feel like some of these are redundant, as the game doesn’t offer that much challenge in the standard difficulty.
Alongside the gameplay loop, the overall presentation of Astlibra Revision carries the game into being something great. The soundtrack in particular is a perfect fit for this type of side-scrolling action game. Developer KEIZO mentioned in an AMA that the soundtrack is made out of royalty free tracks from various Japanese artists. However, KEIZO has also gone into great lengths to make sure that every single track fits every moment of the game, with plenty of amazing rock and electronic songs for bosses being the standout of this patchworks soundtrack. In a similar fashion, the art style is made of other royalty free elements for the various maps and backgrounds, and illustrator Shigatake of Vanillaware fame designed the character models and some of the monsters for this particular Revision release (yet another element that makes the game feel so Vanillaware.) While Shigatake’s collaboration is sure to please many, this also means that plenty of female characters and bosses are barely clothed, making for a mixed experience. For some of the maps and backgrounds, it can be clear at times that this is a one-person project. This is in no way a bad thing, as it is impressive that a game of this quality was made by mostly a single developer.
When Astlibra Revision is at its best, it is an impressive action game with fun characters and a story filled with thrilling plot-twists. At its worst, the game falls for the trap of unnecessary fanservice, being too raunchy, and not taking its female characters seriously enough. I wish I could look past these moments, but in such a story heavy game the text makes a concerted effort to remind the player every so often that some characters are only there to be a sexual “joke.” If you’re able to stomach this type of tropey writing, the story has very surprising turns, and the gameplay is fun, albeit its systems can be a bit bloated at times.
Astlibra Revision is available for the Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
