ASTLIBRA Revision | Switch Review

November 24, 2023 Eric Sandler

ASTLIBRA Revision is the second draft of the original ASTLIBRA, crafted over the course of 15 years by KEIZO, a one-man developer. It brings to mind a number of 2D action RPGs that came before it, most notably the Ys series, but also others like Dust: An Elysian Tale, and even older games like Zelda 2: Adventures of Link and Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest. It’s fast, frenetic, and contains a weird story chock full of Japanese tropes and funny moments. It also contains Japanese weirdness, like when you’re given a quest to get pure white panties.

It makes sense in context. Sort of.

Humble (and Trope-y) Beginnings

ASTLIBRA starts out simply enough: you, the main character, attempt to escape a monster attack with your childhood friend. Monsters catch you, you wake up in bed in an unknown location sans friend, your only companion a talking crow. Eight years later, you grow up and set out on a quest to find other humans and hopefully your hometown (which you’ve conveniently forgotten the name of due to amnesia). What follows is a slowly-unfolding storyline that takes some interesting twists and turns, and definitely keeps you guessing how it’s going to turn out.

The gameplay itself is reminiscent of Dust: An Elysian Tale: you’ve got yourself a side-scrolling 2D environment packed with enemies, and a lot of tools at your disposal to take them out. You can slash, back-dash, and jump, and chain together attacks like an upward slash to juggle enemies, and a down slash to slam them back to the ground. Attacking builds up your ST meter, which lets you unleash magic attacks for big damage. It’s easy to get hurt with all the flashing lights and effects, but similar to games like Dark Souls, healing items can be eaten on the fly. You still have to avoid being hit until you’re done chomping on whatever berry or herb you’re forcing down your gullet, though. It’s fast and fluid, and thankfully the game provides a demo that not only allows you to practice combat, but also gives you the backstory for the game (which you can also just skip if you want, which is also awesome for the impatient gamer).

More Big Numbers, Please

The combat is quite a lot of fun in its own right, but it’s the way the game taps into that staple RPG “make big numbers” dopamine reward center of your brain that keeps you hooked. Aside from gaining experience points from defeated monsters that give you levels (and stat points you can fully refund and reallocate at practically any time for free) enemies will also drop crystals that can then be spent on a growth board that gives you small, but snowballing, stat points. Sure, +1 to attack or defense may seem like small potatoes, but when you can gain enough crystals to chain together nine or ten stat-ups in a single trip to the next save crystal, it adds up.

In addition to that, enemies will also drop items you must use to craft new equipment (you can’t just buy them, you have to hand over cash plus the necessary materials) and new equipment also gains XP, rewarding you with either brand new swappable skills, or magic crystals that let you enable those skills. This encourages you, in turn, to craft and try out every weapon and armor piece you come across, because everything gives you something.

That isn’t to say the game is perfect. It’s definitely been fine-tuned over the years, but there’s still some persisting QOL issues. The very beginning of the game can be rough, since you have no good equipment and until you can get the necessary drops, you’re very squishy, even against slimes. Likewise, the game has a sizable length, but a good portion of that is spent in dialogue, and especially in unnecessary pauses where the characters will just pop out the ubiquitous ellipses thought bubble. It feels a little padded compared to when the game is running along at full blast when you’re spelunking through a dark dungeon or taking down a terrifying guardian beast boss.

Final Thoughts

All that said, the game is absolutely a hidden gem, especially considering the sheer amount of content, even just for the main story (let alone getting 100%, which can take 60-70 hours). Available on Steam and Nintendo Switch at only $25 USD, ASTLIBRA Revision is a steal. It’s an easy recommendation for anyone who likes action RPGs. In fact, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t try out the demo, which includes the prologue and first chapter of the game. It’s the perfect addition to any Steam or Switch library for all of us who love to “make big numbers.”

To hear me talk more about ASTLIBRA Revision, be sure to listen to the November 15, 2023 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:07:41 time stamp.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of ASTLIBRA Revision provided by Vicarious PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PC via Steam.