PlatinumGames has been enjoying a fruitful relationship with Nintendo for a good while now. The Japanese game development studio has created several unique titles for Nintendo’s consoles, such as MadWorld, Infinite Space, The Wonderful 101, and Bayonetta 2. Nintendo even tapped PlatinumGames to help them work on the Wii U’s Star Fox Zero.
In 2019, PlatinumGames is prepping another one of its signature high-octane action games. And this time, it’s coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. With the director of Nier: Automata (Takahisa Taura) and the creator behind the Bayonetta series (Hideki Kamiya) working on the game, plus character designs from manga artist Masakazu Katsura, Astral Chain is looking to be one of the year’s best.
Before you join the game’s future police force, check out everything there is to know about Astral Chain.
Astral Chain Release Date & Playable Platform
PlatinumGames, Nintendo
Astral Chain will launch exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2019.
Astral Chain Reveal Trailer
Story
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Astral Chain takes place within a futuristic setting known as “The Ark.” This artificial locale acts as a massive metropolis and is home to the remaining remanents of humanity. The Ark’s lengthy time of peace is suddenly disrupted once numerous dimensional gates begin appearing and bringing in all sorts of dangerous alien beings. These demonic beings are referred to as “Chimera.”
PlatinumGames, Nintendo
In order to beat back the incoming threat, humanity creates its own task force known as “Neuron.” Neuron heads into battle with a brand new living weapon labeled “Legion” that works in conjunction with the Neuron officer it’s attached to. The Legion creatures are essentially repurposed Chimera creatures that have been captured by Neuron and put under their control. As a rookie officer, you’re tasked with working alongside the rest of Neuron and their Legion allies in order to save humanity and investigate the source of the alien threat (their home dimension is known as the “Astral Plane”).
Gameplay
PlatinumGames, Nintendo
Astral Chain sticks to the hyperactive action gameplay PlatinumGames is known for. The game’s “Synergetic Action” system lets you simultaneously utilize your custom Neuron officer and its chosen Legion creature during battles. There are several Legion types to choose from that come with their own combat style and special abilities. The Neuron officer and Legion being can focus their attacks on a single foe or target separate enemies. Two human players can even fight alongside each other and their Legion allies during co-op battles. Players can rely on both melee and ranged combat options. Besides taking down the alien threat endangering The Ark, players can also perform typical police work duties (such as investigative work and case solving).
PlatinumGames, Nintendo
During an interview with Polygon, Takahisa Taura provided more info on Astral Chain’s overall mission structure:
There are several separate levels that are linked together by the base, which is the police station. Essentially, crimes or incidents will occur, and the player will leave from the police station to go to the crime scene, where they will battle enemies, investigate crimes, and look around and find things. You can go back to the levels that you’ve already cleared and try to replay them. You know how Bayonetta proceeded in a linear fashion and Nier [Automata] had kind of those large, open areas where you could explore and find additional things? [Astral Chain] is in the middle of those two.
Trailers
Pre-Order
PlatinumGames, Nintendo
Astral Chain (sold here) is only available via a Standard Edition in the US. The Collector’s Edition is only available in Japan and Europe.
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Astral Chain: Release Date, Story, Trailers, and More