AWAKEN - Astral Blade

The story is ok... I think. The translation was never proofread by a native speaker. Exploration is fun like all metroid wannabes, held back by a not very helpful map. Unlike Afterimage, the combat isn't fun. You get all moves at the beginning and keep doing the same moves for the next 30 hours. Sound is barebones

Very decent metroidvania, but nothing more. Visual style is, probably, the strongest side of the game. It's beautiful. Story is kinda okay, but nothing special. It's simple and predictable, but good enough. Music just exists. Just simple ambient tracks. Yes, they kinda fit each location but they're not catchy and I don't have an urge to add any of them to my playlist like I added almost each track from HK. Also voice acting in eng is dull, not even all of the dialogues are fully voiced. Map is not that large, and in this case it's probably good because exploring doesn't feel rewarding. Lack of interesting loot. Gameplay and battle system are fun. Bosses are decent. The most annoying thing to me was very poor variability of enemies. You meet the same enemies in almost every location, that is the weakest thing, in my opinion. Overall, if you are not a metroidvania fan, this game is probably not for you and you will eventually get bored and drop it. If you are completely new to the genre, it's considerable option as it's pretty simple and beginner-friendly.

Overall, a fun game with a bit of challenge (on hardcore mode). I like the parry and dodge mechanics, some good jump puzzles and the gist of the story was good, though there were some localization issues. Would recommend if you like metroidvania-style games.

I went in with few expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. Quality game; good controls; plenty of unlocks and exploration.

not a bad game but be warned there are a few flying enemies and bosses and theres really no good way to deal with them, theres not really a up attack

This game's more frustrating than anything. Everything from hitboxes to movement feels either clunky, wishy-washy and/or unresponsive. Not worth your time.