Astalon: Tears of the Earth

 Switch
Astalon: Tears of the Earth Image
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

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  • Summary: Uphold your pact with the Titan of Death, Epimetheus! Fight, climb and solve your way through a twisted tower as three unique adventurers, on a mission to save their village from impending doom!

    Three heroic explorers wander the post-apocalyptic desert on a mission to save their village    Uphold your pact with the Titan of Death, Epimetheus! Fight, climb and solve your way through a twisted tower as three unique adventurers, on a mission to save their village from impending doom!

    Three heroic explorers wander the post-apocalyptic desert on a mission to save their village from despair. They soon find a dark, twisted tower that has risen from the depths of the planet and seemingly holds the key to their survival. In order to ensure their victory, one of them has made a secret pact with the Titan of Death, Epimetheus, allowing them to reincarnate until they have accomplished their mission. But what fate lies in store for the heroes and their village?

    Astalon: Tears Of The Earth is an action-platformer set in a dying world where life is cruel, but death can be a stepping stone to victory! Use the unique skills and weapons of Arias the fighter, Kyuli the rogue, and Algus the wizard, to surmount the mysterious tower and find the answers to their survival. Slay terrible monsters, discover powerful artifacts, and solve fiendish puzzles, reaching new heights in the tower with the aid of a Titan. Follow a story about friendship and sacrifice, building up the courage to take down giants to protect the weak and powerless. Strengthen your party and change their fate by embracing death. Discover the countless secrets of the Tower of Serpents!    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Cubed3
    Sep 13, 2021
    90
    Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a very, very simple mix of metroidvania-like exploration, and rogue-lite challenge, but a simple mix that works wonders. You'll die a lot, but you'll keep on returning just to get a little further on the journey towards the top of this treacherous spire, and learn of its secrets, with your skill and perseverance being your main tools. Don't miss out on this modern-yet-retro indie gem.
  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Jun 3, 2021
    90
    Underneath the solid gameplay lies an interesting story and premise, with neither trying to steal the spotlight from the action and exploration. A not-imposing set of achievements and unlockables, in addition to map and items found percentages push the longevity score even higher, and ultimately I just had an incredibly tough time putting this one down. Anyone who loved whipping through games like Bloodstained, Axiom Verge, and similar indies should do themselves a favor and delve into the amazing adventure that is Astalon.
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Mar 7, 2022
    85
    Astalon's quality is undeniable. Its character animation, puzzles and power-up progression are all top- notch, and the copious extras (like a mode where you play as one of the campaign's reoccurring bosses), all show that this was a labor of love. [Issue #57 – January/February 2022, p. 18]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Hey Poor Player
    Jun 4, 2021
    80
    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.
  5. TouchArcade
    Jun 16, 2021
    80
    It’s a relatively lengthy game for its genre and the back half will test your patience at times, but as a whole Astalon is a terrific game that may surprise you in some interesting ways. Some issues with backtracking keep it from being a total slamdunk, but if you’re feeling nostalgic for that old style of exploratory action game that can be a little opaque in a good way, you’re likely going to have a very good time with Astalon: Tears of the Earth.
  6. Nintendo Life
    Jun 5, 2021
    80
    With 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.
  7. RPGamer
    Jun 28, 2021
    70
    Astalon: Tears of the Earth has just about everything a fan of Metroidvania-RPGs could want in the sub-genre. The plot is simple but flexible, the characters are well presented, and the tower is a meatgrinder. There is challenge enough to be found for the average gamer, though of course mileage may vary. Personally, this game presented an interesting and difficult twenty hours to complete, but what a feeling of satisfaction as the final credits rolled. I am looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    9
    I tend to have a love/hate relationship with retro throwback games of various kinds. Sure, I have fond memories of the 8-bit and 16-bit erasI tend to have a love/hate relationship with retro throwback games of various kinds. Sure, I have fond memories of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras but I’d be a fool to claim that many of those titles couldn’t be improved upon when viewed through a modern lens and with current hardware. That said, when a developer manages to nail the “feel” of those games of the past without falling into all of the pitfalls true games from that era tend to have, it can be something pretty special. Managing your party of three heroes, each possessing their own style of attack, stats, and special abilities, you’ll explore some pretty large areas consisting of a variety of rooms connected in various ways. What’s also great is that every time you perish (which will happen, possibly a lot) you’ll be able to spend gems you collect in each run that you can then use to upgrade your characters or enable special abilities with. When you mix this all together the result is a retro title with both an authentic and modern feel in parallel, and a pretty great experience for people who appreciate a well-made throwback experience.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/06/mini-reviews-june-3rd-edition-nintendo.html    … Expand
  2. Ginger_Avenger
    May 15, 2022
    6
    I play a lot of this type of game in recent years, and this one was pretty fun overall. To be sure, I tend to be easy to please: I just wantI play a lot of this type of game in recent years, and this one was pretty fun overall. To be sure, I tend to be easy to please: I just want to have fun exploring a world with some variety, fight things, and find interesting stuff. So this game was good for me overall. Still, there were often glitches that are like something you would encounter if it had actually been an 8-bit game, such as flicker and slowdown, or sticking in place while your platform moves on, and at times I wondered if this was a design choice (I sincerely hope not). I know the Switch isn't a powerhouse, but I play it much more for Indie throwback titles like this than current gen games. So, to get a "simpler" game with these issues was a slight bummer. Otherwise, I thought the game had good exploration and challenge, although some of the backtracking and redos got a bit uninteresting in the second half- some of the paths I constantly had to retread harshed my mellow just a bit. I liked the vibe overall. I would suggest it to anyone who likes the genre. Good but not mind-blowing.… Expand
  4. Ughhh
    Jun 7, 2021
    6
    Pretty nice, but also a lot of aimless searching with a lot of repetition. At its best moments this makes it challenging. But halfway throughPretty nice, but also a lot of aimless searching with a lot of repetition. At its best moments this makes it challenging. But halfway through it can become just tedious. Might be the first meroidvania I wont bother to finish.… Expand
  5. blanketyblank
    Oct 16, 2021
    0
    The Switch version has inexcusable performance issues and is very choppy, which bugs my eyes. All the trailers showed silky smooth 60 fps, soThe Switch version has inexcusable performance issues and is very choppy, which bugs my eyes. All the trailers showed silky smooth 60 fps, so I feel swindled. The inputs don't feel as responsive as other action platformers I've played because of the inconsistent frame-rate. The game also has a weird auto-run glitch where the character continues to move even though I'm not pushing anything. I'll be shelving this game until the game is optimized. Doubt it'll happen though.… Expand

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39
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