Astoria: The Holders of Power Saga

Fun, well balanced, enjoyable RPG maker game, totally worth the money. It is not a super long game, but I did a decently thorough in about 35 hrs. I would do another play-through and try to find more secrets, and I am sure I would still enjoy it. Good game!

ok i think i got it

Great game, lots of party options, good story. The only downsides are lack of a quest log - it's hard to remember what you're supposed to do next if you step away from the game for a bit. Plus there is a really "tacked on" stealth level that is more frustrating than fun. Other than those two, I would definitely recommend picking it up.

I don't usually write many reviews however this one is a great game. I thought it was going to be some short not interesting game for this price and it is not. Great job! Hope to see more games!

Quite an amusing game and is one of the better RPG maker games I've played. It's also on the cheaper side of things and well forth the full price of $2.

Great story line!

I've played this game in full 2 times because I was bored. So here's my pitch: [i] Technical aspects: [/i] - The general package itself doesn't have much variety. It's mostly default RPGMaker assets, sometimes maps, mixed in with some deco. Sometimes the dev actually makes his own maps which are decent. You may find more variety through the gameplay aspects. - Besides the occasional crashes from enemies I've encountered no further bugs. I would recommend to [i] save often [/i] to prevent them from losing your progress, like before or after every important event. [i] Gameplay aspects: [/i] - It is a linear game with about 20-30 hours of content, depending on how you choose to play it. - The game is not too difficult provided you actually go out of your way to kill enemies and examine locations, which aren't typically hidden. I advise to interact with everyone and everything including bookshelves for potential stat boosts (and lore) - If you don't go out of your way to examine everything, consider grinding for a bit. - The game sometimes has character-specific missions, sidequests, and even a full dungeon. You will have to adapt to your circumstances, so come prepared. - Typically the only time you may need a guide is for the Magic Shovel spots. [i] They're usually in cave-like areas. [/i] So go around examining every square of those if you want to. - Dungeons will sometimes lock you out of leaving until they are completed. [i] Usually the game warns you when this happens, so take the advice. [/i] - You will also be given warnings before bosses, side bosses, etc. via party character warnings, NPC dialogue, and books. - The game often opts to add or remove characters from your party, sometimes for one of a few battles, sometimes for entire game segments. Each of them comes with their own gimmick(s). You do have a more or less main, permanent party for most of the game, though. - The game's spells are nothing too extraordinary but you are encouraged to [i] look into the bestiary for the enemies' weaknesses and adapt accordingly. [/i] There is a decent variety to be found in combat and no way to play is truly right here. - However, the game favors specific spells and even playstyles on occasions in dungeons (there is one like that). Again, adapt to weaknesses. - Spells are usually your friend with magic casters. Besides equipment and items, you'd want to have a bunch of those. - Equipment can accommodates multiple playstyles. Choose what you need the most. [i] Story aspects: [/i] - The story has one ending and you will reach it eventually. - However, the way you reach it isn't traditional - the story detours at several points meant to explain the worldbuilding and advance character arcs. - It's a simple story and premise that expands to be complex regarding the worldbuilding, politics and sometimes geopolitics of the world, characters, etc. - However, the story does not shy from having dark moments and visualizing the wickedness of the villains you're going against. - The villains themselves are not explored much beyond their negative traits, with the exception of one, and their main motives are not complex. - [i] To get the most out of the story, go out of your way to talk to people and read the books, scrolls and bookshelves. [/i] - Most characters have their own arcs of different complexion, and the main characters do get their arcs done within the story. - However, the game chooses to add final details to them within the ending, which feels a bit rushed. You'll see what I'm talking about if you reach the ending, but come to your own conclusion there. - Some lines are a bit awkward but this is also subjective and for the most part the dialogue feels unique and not repetitive. - The game sometimes goes out of its way to add details to the world, story and characters. Sometimes it is also alluded to. - Some details of the story, like [spoiler] Nolan's kingdom being destroyed and overrun, and they... just leave the demons there? I think? after beating the main BBEG [/spoiler] I wish could be explored further, but I get why they were not and I may be nitpicking. [i] Conclusion: [/i] Astoria: The Holders of Power Saga isn't anything new and won't offer you new graphics or technical aspects, but it has decent gameplay variety, is not particularly difficult, and goes at great length to expand it's story and worldbuilding. It is the dev's first game, which kind of shows, but I think the job was done well enough. At 2 bucks (see your own pricing) and sometimes going on sale, I would say if you're new to RPGs and wanna tinker with some strategy and enjoy well written lore while not struggling super hard (as long as you heed warnings for dungeons and bosses), this is a good game to start with. I can recommend this game, as long as you don't come with big expectations. It's cheap and it's fine. Sometimes that's the best thing to look for.