astronite this is the first game Dume Games Studio, a small, one-member Spanish developer. The game was released with JanduSoft, which has more games behind it as a publisher. among them others indies The Spaniards. This episode will put us in the shoes of an astronaut, who must liberate his home planet in what has been defined as a “1-bit metroidvanie”. Many secrets and corners to discover, skills to polish and a very characteristic graphic style are the cover letter of astronite. Will it live up to expectations? The game is available at Steam, Nintendo Switch and the ecosystems of PlayStation there Xbox.
Astronite, a 2022 game with DNA from 30 years ago
astronite is a video game with two very clear inspirations:Gato Roboto there metroidand this is very clearly reflected in its gameplay and graphic style. However, it’s a game with its own identity and some fun, endearing characters..In the adventure, we will put ourselves in the shoes of an astronaut, the last hope of our planet, Neplea. This is mission 2055. Long ago, the inhabitants of Neplea discovered that a strange Entity lived in the heart of the planet.
After some time, the Entity created a large army that ended up taking their home from the people of Neplea. Now it’s the turn of Astronite, an intrepid space adventurer who will have to do everything to drive the invaders from his planet once and for all. Of course, as in any good metroidvania, we will lose all our equipment when we arrive on the planet and we will recover it little by little.
Exploration, combat and puzzles, the big keys
Like any good metroidvania, one of the pillars of the gameplay of astronite is prospecting. The map is quite large and on many occasions we will find places that we can see, but not reach. At least until we get some gear or upgrades. There will also be several hidden paths, in many cases leading to valuable rewards. another big point astronite These are the little puzzles that there are to advance in certain areas. These puzzles combine intelligence and skill in a more balanced way than is often the case, so that’s a big plus.
Armed with our cannon (but not at all times), the enemies will not be our only obstacle. The game has a wide variety of bossesall very interesting and funny. At the level of mechanics and plot, in general, everything tends to advance until we reach one of them and prove our worth. However, partly related to them is that we found one of the biggest flaws in astroniteits economic system. Every time we defeat an enemy we receive “spriti”, the in-game currency. Obviously the bosses will drop many more coins than normal enemies. However, if we die, the shpriti will stay where we died. That wouldn’t be a problem, except that the game is generally difficult and shpriti are pretty rare, considering the price of items and upgrades. Progression becomes quite frustrating because of this small detail, especially if the save point is far away. Too bad, because exploration is, in general, very entertaining.
A beautiful graphic and very special sound section
The graphic aspect of astronite is defined as 1 bit. Although the game has some depth with the grays, the truth is that the graphic style is quite recognizable. It can also get you lost in some cases, if you’re not used to it, but all the rooms have details that make them recognizable, and we have the map too. By the way, the game contains cinematic scenes, also in this style. In addition, The game has three filters that emulate tube TVs that can be turned on and off at any time. While it’s almost always normal to play with the default mode, it’s a resultant addition.
As for the soundtrack, it fulfills its tuning function. It doesn’t stand out excessively, but that’s not a negative point of the game either. The sound effects are all very retro, and the whole thing has an 8-bit generation filter that suits the game very well. Nothing spectacular or particularly memorable, but good enough to be remarkable.
In the end, Astronite…
Ultimately, astronite It’s a game made with great care for past generations and the Metroidvania genre, but it may have lacked more external scrutiny. So, in general, it’s a game that does everything it sets out to do well, without being revolutionary, but it does have some typical little mistakes that go unnoticed when you’re developing a game or when you’ve played it so many time you have internalized it.
It’s not a particularly long game, especially considering the genre. In about 6 hours you can finish it, most likely. On the road, keep in mind that this is a challenging game, but overall very entertaining and fun to play. Finally and as always, if you want to know more about games and news, we are waiting for you here, at Xbox area.
astronite
Gameplay and design
7.0/10
Pro.
Very characteristic graphic section
Filters for the very resultones graphic section
Mobility is very satisfying when you have the jetpack and the dash
High difficulty, for those who want a challenge…
Contra.
…but who can put off those who are not so familiar with the genre
The money loss and recovery system is superfluous, especially considering how limited money is and the amount of upgrades and items that need to be purchased
