During today’s ID@Xbox presentation, a new JRPG-style game was announced, boasting hand drawn art and a team of Final Fantasy veterans. The game’s called Asteia Ascending, developed by Artisan Studios (Super Neptunia RPG). Among the names involved are Kazushige Nojima, Akihiko Yoshida and Hitoshi Sakamoto. The game itself is a side-scrolling JRPG narrative with a turn-based combat system.
Astria Ascending, to quote an announcement release, is about “how people cope in extraordinary times.” Topical! This story is seen through the eyes of eight different characters, all of whom have their own storylines. The release doesn’t mention if you’re choosing main characters ala SaGa, or if it’s more Octopath-y. Either way, the developers state Astria Ascending will have five cities, 25 dungeons and roughly 30 to 50 hours of gameplay.
Let’s go over the creative leads here. In charge of the narrative is Kazushige Nojima. You’ll recognize him from any Final Fantasy VII-oriented project, from the original game to the novels to Remake. The art is by CyDesignation. This team is led by Akihiko Yoshida and Hideo Minaba. You’ll recognize Yoshida’s work from the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics, War of the Visions and more. Hideo Minaba has a history in Square Enix as well, but is perhaps most notable today for his work on Granblue Fantasy. Composer Hitoshi Sakamoto, along with his Basiscape label, has a resume a mile long. You’ll see anything from Ogre Battle to Final Fantasy XII to 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.
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It’s quite a team, and if you take a peep at the new trailer, you’ll immediately see their fingerprints all over it. If you’re interested in Astria Ascending, it’s headed to all consoles (including Switch) and PC later this year. It’ll also launch on Xbox Game Pass.
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