Astalon: Tears of the Earth provides a solid experience that’s unique enough amongst platformers to keep fans entertained throughout its somewhat lengthy story. It’s not going to keep you busy all the way up to Metroid Dread, but it’ll likely be one of the better games you play to pass the time until then.
Astalon: Tears of the Earth
LABS Works · Jun 3, 2021
About
Three explorers wander through a post-apocalyptic desert to find a way to save the people in their village. A dark, twisted tower has been pushed up from the depths of the Earth... but does it hold the answers they seek?
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Critic reviews
- 8.8Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a great reminder of what small developers can achieve with simple graphics and simpler controls. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who craves some old-fashioned platforming action and isn’t afraid to die a lot. Just remember to turn off the flashing lights and screen shake if you’re sensitive to that.
- 8.0With a great variety of environments, simple gameplay, and a strong line-up of enemies, Astalon: Tears of the Earth turns out to be one of the more successful action platformers we’ve seen in recent months. It will likely only last a handful of hours, but there’s a lot here to love, and it's a relative no-brainer if you’re a fan of high fantasy Metroidvanias.
- 9.2Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a retro-fueled adventure that combines satisfying combat with extensive exploration to create an exquisitely crafted, nearly flawless experience. Matt Kap and his team at Labworks have studied the classics well while interweaving new ideas and mechanics into the formula. I look forward to what they do next – I have my fingers crossed for an Xbox release of Castle in the Darkness 2.
- A blistering, brutal battle from start to finish, Astalon: Tears of the Earth is not for the fainthearted. It rewards talent and curiosity as frequently as it punishes inability and complacency. It will test your patience, abilities, and resolve, but the journey through the Tower of Serpents is so worth it.
- 9.0An amazing game only dragged down a bit by luck or prior knowledge being required to make it through side areas earlier, plus the most unnecessary bit of artificial difficulty I've seen in recent years. It's called the Ruins of Trash and I just wanted to say that one more time. I'd write that on a brick and throw it through a window if I could.
Gamer reviews
One of very few Metroidvania games that I have attempted to 100%
Astalon: Tears of the Earth is developed by LABS Works and published by DANGEN Entertainment. You control three (??) characters and try to figure out how to save the world. Each character has a unique ability so you switch between them to solve puzzles and explore the castle where the root cause of the world destruction starts. As you can see, it’s a 16-bit retro game that focuses on exploration. It’s a Metroidvania! In the early game, it seems like a puzzle platformer. But as the game progresses, each special ability actually helps you to reach the previously unexplorable area. It’s NOT a roguelike game. But it feels like one. Every run feels fresh and challenging. If you die, you won’t start again at any save point but from the entrance to the castle. I must say it’s a bit punishing at first but the game is really well-balanced, and you will get strong at about the right pace and will be able to create shortcuts to the entrance to the castle soon enough. So it won’t take you long to go back to the place where you die previously. Plus, exploration incentivizes you very well. If you are curious about any area, you go visit it, and more often than not, you won’t come back empty-handed. The map is also simple and well-designed: easy to use and navigate. You can get items to make the map show more details. It will encourage you to explore even more or 100% it! The game gave me a real sense of progression and achievement. And you don’t have to worry about difficult platforming, puzzles, enemy and boss fights. The game gave me a real sense of progression and achievement. And you don’t have to worry about difficult platforming, puzzles, enemy and boss fights. It’s just that well-balanced! I even enjoyed grinding for items as there were really good places to grind quickly with an awesome result! The background pictures/statues and overall music are brilliant and suit the atmosphere nicely. The story can be generic but told in a unique way, but the characters look just okay. However, these factors didn’t hinder my experience too much. **Conclusion** Astalon: Tears of the Earth is amazing! It is now one of very few Metroidvania games that I have attempted to 100%. Unlike some other games that are fun first and tedious later or vice versa (the game I tried), this one is fun from start to finish. I gave it 9.5/10.
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