DDespite being a free-to-play game in Korea, Astellia is going to be a fully-fledged “buy to play” kind of game. One of the most interesting things for most people is that the guys behind the game want to make this more of a throwback to the way MMO’s used to be and that is pretty cool.
How to Download Astellia
You will be able to download the game from their website. To proceed, click on the button below the review. And if you like Korean MMORPGs, read also our review of MapleStory 2.
The Game Review
The story of the game is kind of all over the place, to be honest with you. I have tried a few times to get my head around it and this is my take. Basically, you are a young warrior who decides to step up and protect all of the people in the land instead of just fighting for nothing. The story will, of course, have plenty of twists, turns and from what I have seen many JRPG style tropes.
Some modern MMO games are super complex with their classes. Astellia though is stripping things back and I think for the better. You have five classes to choose from. Warrior, mage, scholar, rouge, and archer are the classes to pick from. Each one as you would expect has their own moves, abilities, stats, and progression. I like having fewer classes as it keeps things focused.
One of the most interesting things for me about this game and one that I thought might turn me off is the cards. You see, this is a game that has a card game style mechanic in it. The game has these awesome looking creatures that are called Astels and you can use these via the card system. You can bring these into battle with you to help and using the right ones together can make you very powerful.
I was impressed with the variety when it came to the Astels. I still have not seen them all! You have four base types of Astels, guardian, savior, aide, and servant. From there you then have many different classes of creatures such as warrior and fairy. The more you use them the more powerful they become thanks to the way they level up. The card system is actually very easy to get to grips with so do not let it put you off the game.
As far as the gameplay goes, Astellia is probably exactly what you are expecting. The majority of your time will be spent doing quests, fighting, looking and improving your character and your creatures. It sounds rather barebones, but for many, that is going to be what makes this a game they want to get into.
It does have a lot of things for you to do in terms of the end game content. PvP and PvE raids and battles are available. You can go about the game all by yourself, or you can team up with other players to try and start some kind of guild that adventure together. It is the kind of game that gives you many different ways to play and find out which one is ideal for you is the way to go.
The beta has been solid and you can pre-order the full game in three different packages. Some may question if there is enough here to warrant this being a game you have to pay for in the West. I though do think that this is a game that is showing a great deal of promise and one that is well worth taking a closer look at. This is especially true if you feel some MMO games are too complex for their own good.
