Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is an action RPG developed by Acme Gamestudio and published by tinyBuild. The game takes inspiration from the best of FromSoftware’s offerings and has a great combat & upgrade system, but it falls flat in a few key departments, which hold back the whole experience. Asterigos is set in a fantasy world that is heavily inspired by Greek mythology, with some Roman and Norse elements thrown into its design.
In Asterigos, the player takes on the role of Hilda, a warrior in the Northwind Legion. Hilda travels to the city of Aphes, in search of her missing father and the members of the Northwind Legion. The residents of Aphes have been affected by a powerful curse, turning many of them into monsters, who now roam the streets and slay anyone who crosses their path. Asterigos‘s Aphes has powerful boss monsters controlling the city. The survivors gather in a hub known as the Shelter, where Hilda’s few remaining allies can be found. She is sent on dangerous missions out in the city, in order to uncover the mystery behind the curse and try to find her father.
Asterigos is an action RPG with a focus on weapon-switching and special moves. Hilda can equip two weapons at a time, along with four specials that are tied to an MP meter that increases when she strikes enemies. Hilda is mostly a dodging hero in terms of defense, though equipping weapons like the sword and shield gives her blocking/countering options. There are tons of upgrades and special moves to unlock, all of which are linked to a skill point board, giving the player many ways to customize their version of Hilda.
The expansive Soulslike combat system in Asterigos is easily the highlight of the game, with frantic and fast-paced action, often against groups of enemies with varied skill sets. The weapon-switching mechanic and the specials give combat a fluid feel, as Hilda chains different blows together into powerful combos. The boss fights include a great mix of massive powerhouses and human-sized elite units that meet Hilda on her own level, leading to some amazing final moments in each stage. Asterigos is also easy on the stamina meter, so the player is free to pull off lots of flashy moves without the fear of becoming exhausted.
The biggest issue with Asterigos is its level design, with massive levels that feel empty and samey in appearance, leading to lots of running around aimlessly in search of the next section. Asterigos‘ fast travel doesn’t unlock for hours into the game, which is a cardinal sin of game design, as a lot of the early missions require the player to run back and forth through the same areas. Asterigos would have benefited from a Steelrising-type compass item that points in the direction of the next objective, as it’s easy to get lost. Even the hub level suffers in this regard, with the Shelter being way too big for its intended purpose.
The world and characters in Asterigos have a great design and the cartoonish visuals match the tone of the story. The problem is that the story in Asterigos is overly-told, with reams of dialogue that need to be clicked through to get to the point. Asterigos offers multiple choices which affect how the story plays out, but they’re buried under tedious boxes of text that endlessly drone on. Asterigos has a flashback mechanic, where the player can see ghostly memories of what was happening to the residents of Aphes in the past, but even these tend to go on for too long.
It’s clear that Asterigos takes inspiration from the Souls series, with its own version of the bonfires that heal Hilda and revive all slain enemies. The game never fully commits to the Souls mechanics, as there is no equivalent to losing Souls and needing to reclaim them, with the only penalty for death being sent back to the checkpoint. Asterigos does have a harder difficulty mode, for those seeking a combat challenge that is equivalent to a FromSoftware title, without the frustration of losing progress over time.
Asterigos has a great world design and a combat system that is similar to the Souls series, while being faster and more action-oriented. It’s just the exploration elements that let the game down, as the city of Aphes can sometimes feel a little too empty for its own good, and its residents a little too verbose. Those who don’t mind backtracking and skipping dialogue should be able to see through the muddy parts and enjoy Asterigos‘ finer points.
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a digital code for the PC version of the game for the purposes of this review.
