The world of video games is a vast one. Games literally come out on the daily, hell, even hourly! Trust me, check before and after reading this, and a new game or more will probably be released. I know for a fact that between writing and publishing this, at least a high amount in the double or even triple digits will release. On my personal calendar, between now (September) and March of next year, there are a dozen games I want. More than I can recall the name of, and I know more than my wallet can handle. That’s freaking crazy! Now, I won’t spend more time complaining about “Oh woe is me, whatever will I do with all of these video games?”. I open this way because, in the grand scheme of video games, AAA studios take up a lot of the wavelength, with them getting coverage on all platforms. So what happens to the others? AKA, AA or even, Indie publishers. Yeah, some “hit it big,” but so much of that is straight-up luck and one or two people talking about it. Hopefully, me talking about Asterigos: Curse of the Stars puts it on your “damn, I need this” radar, because it did for me.
Today I’m conducting a quick interview with someone who played the demo! It’s me, Jason!
Jason Interviewer (JI): First things first, what’s Asterigos: Curse of the Stars about?
Jason Interviewee (JJR): I knew you’d ask that, so let me get comfy. *Jason pulls out a camper chair and starts to sit as gracefully as someone can whose knees don’t bend can.* You play as Hilda, a young warrior trying to find her father in a cursed city. The classic lost father and child adventurer story.
JI: I see, I see. And this demo you played, did it portray this story and was it interesting.
JJR: Well, the story wasn’t disinteresting. There wasn’t much of it, but what we get reminds me heavily of the PS2 era action/hack and slash games. Go to area, the character sees something and comments, and cutscene here or there. Luckily Its voice acted!
JI: By golly, I love me some voice acting, then I can sit back and act like I’m paying attention when I’m not.
JJR: No wonder you don’t understand shit half the time.
*Awkward silence*
JI: Anywho, it sounds like there wasn’t enough to form a storywise-based opinion?
JJR: You’re absolutely correct and beautiful.
JI: Thanks, and thanks. Now, Acme Gamestudio has directly stated Asterigos: Curse of the Stars as having “gameplay elements inspired by soulslike games alongside a lighter, dynamic combat system, create a fresh take on the modern action RPG genre, providing you with a harmonious difficulty and exploration balance.” What do you say about that?
JJR: Jason, you just stirred the proverbial coffee pot. I don’t really believe in genres; they are used to sell games. I get that, so for now, I’ll play along. No, I wouldn’t call it a “soulslike.” But, what is a soulslike? Is it because of the dark, depressing atmosphere? The “we make YouTubers tell our story” storytelling? Or maybe the “Metroidvania” looping areas together and coming back to them? Or finally, is it the action with a stamina bar? Because if it’s any of those then that’s a no, chief, because stamina only works for dodging and running. The actual fighting is more akin to action-oriented adventure games, like Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Odyssey. Honestly, it’s a lot like those games, as those have skills, and so does Asterigos: Curse of the Stars. If I were to put a genre on it, I’d say Action-Adventure RPG, as it has an RPG leveling-up system and skills.
Ji: Well, that sure was a month full. And completely unnecessary. Be that as it may, some may think you didn’t enjoy it.
JJR: That’s a stupid opinion, and if you think that you deserve to lose sleep over feeling so silly. If I didn’t like it, do you think I’d take part in this damned interview? NO!
JI: I already lose sleep over embarrassing moments; I don’t need more. But, if that’s how you feel, tell us why we should be interested in Asterigos: Curse of the Stars. AKA, do some free marketing, dammit!
JJR: Honestly, It’s a blast from the past! When playing Asterigos: Curse of the Stars, I felt like I did when I would hide away from my parents yelling at me in my room playing PS2. Just something about the visual style and the action combined with the classical Greek setting and even menu setting scream PS2 game in the best way possible. It transports me to a time in video games I could just kick back and enjoy myself. It’s just such a blast to play, and I don’t feel bogged down with extra stuff I need to buy. Instead, I can just turn my system on and get transported to a better time where I could just game all night.
JI: *Wipes a tear from their eye* Wow, that really brought a tear to my eye….. Acme Gamesatudio’s marketing team will fucking love this.
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars launches on PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Series S, and on Steam on October 11th! If you want to try the demo, quickly, go and grab it on Steam! NOW!
