It's kind of rare to see a modern RPG opt for a cartoon aesthetic rather than the earthy palettes and stern realism we've become accustomed to. But the first gameplay trailer for Asterigos: Curse of the Stars shows us that a little touch of Pixar maybe isn't such a bad thing. The action-RPG from new outfit Acme Gamestudio has just been listed on Steam with a release window for 'Fall 2022.'
The game casts you as Hilda, a warrior who goes in search of her father at the city of Aphes. The city and in-game mythos are "inspired by" Greek and Roman myth, but looking at some of those monster designs and the scientist-type dude in the lab coat, it's clear that the devs aren't restricting themselves stylistically.
I reached out to developer Acme Gamestudio to find out more about the game world, and they confirmed that "Asterigos is not an open-world game. It's more like a hub-based and semi-linear game." The world looks set to be dense rather than sprawling, set in the city of Aphes and the surrounding wilderness.
The developer also confirmed that "there are many choices to impact the story for both main story and side quests," but refused to reveal more for fear of spoilers.
The combat looks pretty fast-paced, and gives me flashbacks to Kingdoms of Amalur, which is no bad thing. You'll be able to wield two different weapons at once, and I'm especially liking the elegant Shaolin-style parrying you can do with the spear.
The trailer shows off a nice variety of boss-type enemies, including a giant blue croc in a swamp, a chunky furnace-headed chap in a dungeon, a big warthog-looking beast. According to the Steam page there will be over 22 bosses throughout the main story and side-quests—a far healthier and more sensible number than the 200 or so terrorising players of that other big RPG of 2022.
Asterigos looks set to hit Steam this Fall.
