Astalon: Tears of the Earth review

Exceptional

by Pelikant

If you like some classic Metroidvania, don't get frustrated because you have to run the same ways over and over again like in Dark Souls and love to get those sweet 100% map discovery by finding all the secrets, I couldn't recommend this game more. Yeah, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth may has some cooler gameplay mechanics and looks fancy and has better boss fights and all, but the exploration and "going on an adventure" (like some hobbit would say) in Astalon is so much better and amazing. I have watched a lets play of a friend and his playthrough was totally different than mine, which says a lot about how open this game can be. With more polish (few bugs here and there, be careful with those ceilings!) and money, this could have been the next Yacht Club (Shovel Knight) game - thats how good it and the soundtrack is, especially for the low price. A hidden gem, which shortens this long, hard, dreadful wait for Silksong!