Among the titles shown at the ID@Xbox showcase, the trailer for Astria Ascending might be the most exciting reveal for fans of classic 2D RPGs. The game may provide the closest thing to a current-gen 2D animated Final Fantasy game, with veterans from the storied JRPG series contributing to the new title. Astria Ascending promises “gorgeous hand drawn” animation, and its trailer showcases side-scrolling travel in the tradition of Valkyrie Profile, along with traditional JRPG turn-based battles.
Developer Artisan Studios' previous effort, Super Neptunia RPG, was a horizontal movement game animated in 2D, much like the new project. For Astria Ascending the company is collaborating with writer Kazushige Nojima, story and scenario writer for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and scenario writer for Kingdom Hearts 3. Music will be scored by Hitoshi Sakimoto, composer for Final Fantasy 12 and Final Fantasy Tactics. Astria Ascending is a “revival” of the 2015 Japanese iOS release Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey, also written by Nojima and scored by Sakimoto.
The trailer for Astria Ascending confirms a return to the world of Orcanon, where the player controls the “Fated Eight” demigods tasked to defeat mysterious monsters called The Noises. The world is inhabited by a variety of fantasy races, their peace maintained by a mystical fruit called Harmelon. The developers state the game will include "expansive" character customization, "rewarding" turn-based combat, and a "mature, emotional" story.
Astria Ascending Combines Side-Scrolling Travel With Turn-Based Fights
A press release notes the hand-drawn 2D visuals will be presented in 4K on platforms that it, and Astria Ascending's revisited in the 2019 game Indivisible, and fans of that game may want to follow updates for the 2021 planned release of Astria Ascending.
Mainstream JRPG series have largely abandoned 2D graphics, with the exception of the occasional mobile spinoff title. Final Fantasy switched to 3D polygonal characters following Final Fantasy 6 for the Super Nintendo, and Dragon Quest’s most recent 2D mainline title was Dragon Quest 7 for the PlayStation, the final game released in the US as a Dragon Warrior title before adopting the Dragon Quest series name internationally.
Smaller profile releases like Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley have shown that there is still an audience for 2D games, however. A game of this sort could have immense appeal to RPG fans, combining traditional turn-based JRPG gameplay with the 2D graphics the genre was once synonymous with, using the power of modern hardware to provide cinema quality in-game animation rather than opting for a retro throwback art style as seen in Octopath Traveler and others.
Astria Ascending Might Be What Console JRPGs Would Look Like Without 3D Graphics
With fluid, high resolution 2D hand animation, and talent from the Final Fantasy franchise, Astria Ascending might offer a look at what JRPGs would be like if they stayed the course with 2D instead of making the switch to 3D models. Gamers will need to wait for this year's release, when it launches on all current-gen consoles and PC, as well as on the Game service, to see if it can outshine its mobile predecessor, as Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey received a lukewarm response. With a full multi-language international release planned across numerous formats, genre fans can hold out hope that Artisan Studios is working to polish the game to make sure the new adventure in the world of Orcanon has more to offer than pretty animation.
