Games Happy

After reviewing the unique Astlibra, I eagerly anticipated new content material from the developer, KEIZO. Given how lengthy the unique sport was in growth, I didn’t anticipate something to reach quickly. Nonetheless, lower than a yr later, my want was granted with the spin-off DLC Astlibra Gaiden: Cave of the Phantom Mist, which was launched earlier this yr for PC with a Swap launch set for October 17. Whereas it may appear sudden, this title had been within the works for a while and was shared in early entry state on Japanese freeware websites.

This spin-off takes place through the mid-game of the unique Astlibra, so it’s strongly beneficial to play the principle sport first to keep away from spoilers. Though Cave of the Phantom Mist isn’t closely story-focused, it does embrace warnings about potential spoilers, significantly relating to which characters survive—this might undermine key twists from the unique sport.

In Cave of the Phantom Mist, you play because the anonymous Baker’s Daughter, a personality referenced within the authentic story however by no means seen. She is portrayed as extremely sturdy, able to holding off demons whereas the unique protagonist is away. This spin-off explores her background and her reference to Polin, a speaking wolf who later joins the principle sport’s celebration. The plot revolves across the heroes from the unique Astlibra disappearing throughout a mission to discover the Phantom Cave, and Polin enlists your assist to seek out the lacking crew, setting the stage for this new journey.

Whereas the narrative takes a backseat in comparison with the unique, Cave of the Phantom Mist actually shines in its gameplay. The sport attracts inspiration from the endgame loop of Astlibra, emphasizing roguelite parts by means of randomized dungeon crawling. A key gameplay change is that the protagonist’s degree resets each time she returns to the Cave. Nonetheless, in contrast to the unique sport, Pressure Gems—earned by defeating enemies—are carried over whenever you make it again residence safely. These Pressure Gems are important for accessing the Develop system, the place you’ll be able to completely improve the protagonist’s stats.

For these unfamiliar with the Develop system from the unique, it capabilities like an unlimited, dungeon-like chart the place every unlocked node grants an improve or stat enhance. In Cave of the Phantom Mist, the risk-reward dynamic is heightened by the necessity to return residence to speculate your Pressure Gems. Gamers should fastidiously steadiness how far they push into the cave in opposition to the potential lack of their hard-earned assets. For these searching for a extra relaxed expertise, the sport provides simpler issue choices that eradicate these penalties, permitting gamers to discover with out concern of shedding progress.

Whereas the unique Astlibra was identified for its difficult issue, the bosses in Cave of the Phantom Mist are noticeably much less punishing, possible resulting from its roguelite construction and the absence of frequent save factors. Sometimes, you’ll be able to solely save on the finish of a bit inside the cave, additional emphasizing on the roguelite parts.

One notable spotlight is the abundance of hidden objects scattered outdoors the cave. These things are sometimes well-concealed, however gamers conversant in the unique sport might already know the options to those puzzles instantly. The sport cleverly reuses and repositions secrets and techniques in ways in which reward veterans of Astlibra whereas nonetheless providing surprises for newcomers. As an example, the realm hidden beneath the Properly will solely turn out to be obvious whenever you attain the later phases of the unique sport.

Though Cave of the Phantom Mist shares many mechanics with the unique sport, it performs fairly in a different way. The Baker’s Daughter can doubtlessly be far more highly effective than the unique protagonist, as she has entry to a singular tremendous transfer primarily based on her assigned class function. Every class provides completely different properties that present distinct benefits in fight. For instance, switching to a Swordsman class can scale back the load of swords by half, permitting for sooner assaults with no heavy reliance on velocity stats.

The Astlibra scale additionally makes its return; nonetheless, UI enhancements make the system simpler to know, although it stays considerably complicated. Gamers should place an merchandise on the size, the place every merchandise has sure values and bonus results. In case you drop the identical merchandise on the other facet of the size, it should cancel one another out, leading to nothing. The extra balanced the values, the stronger the consequences might be; if two objects have completely different bonuses, they’ll stack. It’s an advanced system at first look, however the UI enhancements within the DLC assist make clear it for gamers conversant in the unique.

Furthermore, the Baker’s Daughter has her personal distinctive set of magic spells, that are considerably stronger than the protagonist’s transformation magic from the unique sport. This new magic may be unleashed immediately, and gamers can extra simply see the invincibility frames throughout fight.

There may be a lot to say in regards to the gameplay loop, however I discover it extremely addictive and satisfying to play. Astlibra: Cave of the Phantom Mist efficiently builds upon the unique’s basis whereas introducing new parts that improve the general expertise, making it a must-play for returning followers.

Moreover, I respect the sport’s self-awareness, significantly within the PC model, which options achievements that spotlight some amusing parts. As an example, one achievement raises the query: why does a bedridden character have a gun for commerce? Whereas this is not a fault of the sport, it displays a limitation of the Swap model, which lacks achievements regardless of performing simply in addition to the PC model. The sport appears nice on a TV monitor and retains the identical graphics as the unique title. Nonetheless, there’s much less character customization in comparison with the unique protagonist, who obtained a brand new sprite for each piece of kit. The Baker’s Daughter is restricted to her outfitted weapon, however there’s an choice to customise her look if you happen to purchase the outfit. Sadly, the choice is considerably restricted, which is my solely disappointment with this sport.

As for the soundtrack, it mirrors the unique, utilizing licensed-free music and that includes all-new tracks for the cave whereas recycling acquainted songs for occasions that happen in the identical places. The music choice continues to be nice, and the alternatives KEIZO has made are improbable.

Ultimately, I had a improbable time with the Astlibra: Cave of the Phantom Mist. The worth tag of $9.99 is an entire steal for the quantity of content material it provides. Nonetheless, I’d solely suggest this title to gamers who actually loved the unique; newcomers who haven’t performed the unique won’t discover it as compelling.

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