While in the realm of the dead, players can purchase upgrades with the use of the soul orbs they gather from slain foes. In gameplay terms, this translates to the resurrection of the party whenever the health meter reaches zero. Or is it? A demonic-looking creature, the Titan Epimetheus, is waiting at the "other side," and it seems than the magic-guy of the group has made a pact with this being: his soul, for the chance to finish his quest. You'll die, and there's nothing you can do about it. Who are these monstrous gorgons hidden underneath the veil of statues made from stone? Why did their tower come into being? And who is this Black Knight who kills you minutes after entering the tower? Oh, yeah. While not the main course, the story supplements the action, with the tale at hand being one that's worth giving a darn or two about. Instead, everything will be slowly given to you, via some well-written, short but sweat cut-scenes, where the protagonist trio will engage in some quick palaver, with some neat flashbacks thrown in as well. That being said, it's nice that this actually has a story, but without it ever taking the spotlight, and having you deal with boring dialogue sequence after dialogue sequence. The core aspects here are platforming and exploration. No, this isn't a plot-heavy kind of deal. It's mysterious, it's immersive, it's great, and the same can be said for the rest of the experience. The excellent, 8-bit audio-visuals of this introductory cut-scene manage to provide a feeling of ominousness, as if something truly bad is going on here. ![]() ![]() Luckily, while Astalon: Tears of the Earth begins like so, the way the whole thing has been handled is actually pretty good, making eager to know this post-apocalyptic setting, were a team of survivors of a torn-apart Earth, have decided to enter the ancient tower that has appeared from the bowels of the planet, poisoning their village's water supply. If you want to be rude and/or honest, such an intro is as lazy as it was back in the '80s. If you want to be polite, these mostly end up being lifeless attempts at paying homage to the past. ![]() Many retro-inspired indies begin with a " It's the Year 21XX, and humanity blah, blah, blah" kind of premise.
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