Keepers of Astraela

I'd like to preface the rambling below by saying that I didn't finish the game. Not sure how far along in the story I got before realising that I don't enjoy it even a little bit and should probably just leave it be, but I was about 4 hours in. Additionally, I picked it up immediately after finishing Sigh of the Abyss, and, well, it was not a comparison that did Keepers of Astraela any favours. Keepers of Astraela is not, like, *bad* bad game, none of the negatives were things I wouldn't be willing to look past, but - at least for me personally - there were little to no positives to make me want to stick around. So. With that out of the way onto the rambling we go! [b]Art.[/b] There were some conversations about AI-generated art being used, but in all of those cases authors said that all sprites and CGs were commissioned from a real human artist, made of meat and bones and all, and to their knowledge said artist didn't use AI. I don't want to throw any baseless accusations, so I choose to believe that it's true - and at the very least no AI art was used knowingly. That being said, human-made or not, art in Keepers of Astraela [i]looks[/i] AI-generated. Everything is very pretty and nicely rendered, but in my opinion lacks any charm or personality. I wouldn't be able to tell a character from Keepers of Astraela from a police lineup of generic fantasy-esque mobile game characters. I mean, to be honest, I'm not even sure I would be able to tell apart a character from Keepers of Astraela from [i]another[/i] character from Keepers of Astraela if they didn't have different hair and skin tone. It's not a huge problem per se, but I'd gladly take way less polished but more unique art style over this uncanny apotheosis of Snapchat filters any day of the week. [b]Writing.[/b] It's… uh, okay? A bit clunky and rough around the edges (and, well, riddled with typos), but overall inoffensive. After learning that this game is based on a series of novels I was sort of hoping to see a more mature developed writing style, but it ended up being rather boring, shallow, and uninspired. [b]Story.[/b] I can't comment on a plot as a whole since I didn't finish it, but what I did read wasn't especially captivating. Despite seemingly high-octane premise, pasing seems off, with mundane bits dragging for too long without adding any value, and dramatic high stakes ones narrated in a monotone unengaging way that failed to make me care about whatever is happening to all those people. Honestly, it doesn't feel like they themselves care too much. Characters do things and go places, but don't reflect on what is happening, don't talk to each other, don't provide much exposition, don't think, or make conclusions, or even react all that much to the unfolding events. Overall this results in a story that doesn't feel organic, and moves along solely because the author has the power to shove characters around and make them say their lines. [b]Characters.[/b] Well. There's not a lot to them. Characters don't even look tropey, because there's [i]less[/i] depth to them than a single character trope. They have some qualities and skills assigned to them, and they occasionally act on those, but besides that they have a personality of a dusty throw cushion. I was following MC's story for several hours and I can't say anything about her apart from the fact that she drinks coffee and reads books. No idea what her opinions are, what she cares about, or what she wants. [b]Sudden animal cruelty mention.[/b] Not sure where to put it, but the way animals are handled in this game really rubbed me the wrong way. I'll add a spoiler tag in case you'd rather skip this part. [spoiler]There are a few scenes involving animals, and literally in every one of them said animal is either killed or already dead, and at no point any of the characters find it even a little bit upsetting. In some of the cases it's sort of justified by an animal attacking one of the characters, but there's also, for example, a clearly comedic bit with a demonically possessed squirrel that gets hit with a frying pan and burned to death. And a few scenes later the joke continues with a character being startled by another - regular - squirrel and burning it alive as well. There is also a depiction of a (supposedly good) character crushing a rat with their bare hands and playing with it's corpse.[/spoiler] Given the overall non-grimey setting of the game this felt pretty disturbing. [b]And finally an additional random ethical quandary.[/b] I had a strong impression that the narrative treats everyone outside of the main cast as some sort of expandable non-human NPC. Which, well, they are, obviously. But I would expect main characters to treat the ones around as people - and if that's how they treat people, running for the hills would be my preferred course of action. MC has people being killed right in front of her, witnesses a pretty major cataclysm with - I assume - significant casualties, and learns that some innocent passerby was mauled to death in the coffee shop she frequents, and stays completely unfazed by it. She's not portrayed as some sort of a psychopath incapable of empathy and compassion - she reacts somewhat appropriately to the characters who have sprites being hurt or in distress. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care about those nameless faceless characters. But, like. They are not supposed to be characters for the MC and her companions, they are supposed to be fellow human beings. I realise that it's a bit of a weird thing to complain about, but in addition to the previous point it left a rather unpleasant taste in my mouth. Welp. There's that. P.S. if you are planning to give Keepers of Astraela a go and would like to avoid spoilers, I'd recommend steering clear from Steam achievement page - some of them look pretty spoilery.

If you're looking for an immersive fantasy visual novel- this is the one for you! I think the game is really solid. A fantasy writer gets transported into her own story, and gets to interact with characters that she could only dream about before. There is high stakes, but plenty of fun and good laughs throughout the series. Beyond the amazing story, there is immersive dialogue, good music, high-quality art, and unique and interesting characters. I would say that there isn't tons of choices throughout the game, but the choices you do make do feel significant. Overall, I thought the best thing about the game was the pacing/story. Right when I would feel like things were slowing down, BAM! something totally crazy happens and i'm hooked all over again.

I'm having fun, the male love interest has black hair, and I notice myself leaving the music on in the background even when I'm not playing because I enjoy it so much. It's a very good game. Am I going to spoil the story? No, I won't. I don't like those people who tell you things like "You should read Harry Potter! It's about this boy who's a wizard and..." like, you've already spoiled a big part of the story. I don't like that, so I won't do it here. But I can say if you're on the fence about playing Keepers, I highly recommend it. One of the main characters looks just like me, and I am quite beautiful. Thank you for your time.

It's a great story. The sprites are... Not bad. Though you can tell the style changed midway, it would have been better to redo everything before that change so it all looked the same, but it didn't affect my feelings about the game. The only thing I don't like is there are no guides anywhere for those not so great at multiple-choice visual novels. Who needs something to fall back on when they tire of bad ends? I am surprised no one here on Steam hasn't already done it, really. But I am indeed someone who apparently cannot get the right answers for the good end of this. But thanks to all the bad ends I've seen I've pretty much figured out who the real baddies are. Which pretty much spoiled the story for me. So.. If you are good at these types of games without a guide go for it. It is def a great story and well worth it. If you struggle, however, to get those good ends on your own. You might want to wait until someone takes mercy on us and gives us a guide to the various ends. Also, I just want to thank the Creator for the walkthrough that they made. At first, I was a little intimidated by it, but as long as I paid very close attention to the ending I was aiming for, it got me right there for the first try so it is indeed a blessing. So thank you very much And also I think everyone needs to remember this is a dark fantasy. There's not a lot of happy fluff in it because it's a dark fantasy. There are going to be things in there that will make you uncomfortable because that is the goal of a Dark Fantasy. So don't be too harsh on the Creator because everybody was told in advance that it was based on a book on Amazon, and if you go look the book up on Amazon, it tells you it's a dark fantasy, it's also considered horror, so yeah, there's going to be very dark very triggering things. You just have to read the details very closely. It's not fair to the creators when a quick Google search will tell you what the book it's based on is about.

While I have only played this game for a little over two hours, I am able to appreciate the amount of work that has been put into every aspect of this game. The story starts out to be a very simple and calm setting, introducing a couple of characters that you will spend lots of time with throughout the story. However, after a good amount of scenes the story starts to unfold into a more potentially romantic direction. I have never played a written story game like this one, but from what I have seen online this one clearly stands out amongst the rest (to me at least). I believe that everything put into this game works together so well, from the writing to the artwork, even the music. When I started this game I felt like I was immersed into this world as the main character’s friend. One feature that stood out to me was the option to load and save your progress. I think that this is a great feature for people who want to replay the game and see how the story would unfold if they were to go in different directions. I think that this feature alone adds a lot of replay value to this game which is important and not seen a lot in these types of games. If you love this style of video games I would give this game a play-through without a doubt. I really feel like the developers were able to bring the story to life with this game.

Keeper's of Astraela is an absolute delight! The enchanting atmosphere features stunning visuals that immerse you in a vibrant world, while the music and ambient noise perfectly set the mood for every scene. The characters are well-developed, and your choices have a meaningful impact on the story. If you’re seeking a visual novel that’s accessible for beginners yet packed with twists and turns to keep you engaged, this one is for you!

Yeah, I'd recommend this game. Both the storyline and artwork are incredibly good. I like having different options and preferences, of course. Anyhow, you are Eva Hale and you're a writer and D&D enthusiast. But what happens if you had the thought about what if it could all be real and you could go to your fantasy realm, pitched consequences aside? And that, hits on something I've personally dwelt about. Well, the game creators put that here. It was very ambitious, and that's the main reason I like it so much.

I started playing this game and so far I am really enjoying it! It is a story about a writer that has had intense dreams about the lands that she writes about, but soon finds herself living in a new reality; one that has now somehow become a mixture of her normal world and the places she has only imagined before. What would you do if a hero that you thought you had created was now in front of you? The artwork and character design is great and I like the changes in their expressions as you play, it helps the story feel more real. The story gets more and more interesting as you play and there are some really fun plot twists! I like how the choices that you are allowed to make can really influence the story and change what happens, like a choose your adventure book. I am looking forward to finishing and then restarting it again with different romantic/friendship preferences and seeing how it plays out the second time. This is a good one, if you are on the fence, I'd buy it!

As someone who went and bought the original novel + played the demo versions of this game before, I love it. It's a common concept that's been modified to feel really original, and I love how the game expands on things differently from the book as well!! Super cute, super recommend

Definitely a fun game and a expansive second release from the developer. The writing is punchy and makes for entertaining character interactions. Would advise to fans of VNs or those looking to get into this style of game.