Astria Ascending, a beautiful Japanese fantasy RPG from Artisan Studios, was announced on Friday during the ID @ Xbox showcase. The beautifully designed turn-based game is scheduled to launch in 2021, Artisan said in a press release.
While Astria Ascending is being developed by Artisan, which is based in Quebec, Canada, and Montpellier, France, presents a series of contributions by renowned names in the genre JRPG – most notably, a score by Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy 12, Vagrant Story) and writing by Kazushige Nojima (Final Fantasy 10, Final Fantasy 7 Remake) Along with the game’s reveal trailer, publisher Dear Villagers posted a video interview with Nojima and Sakimoto on their YouTube channel on Friday:
Astria Ascending sports an expansive fantasy environment in a hand-drawn 2D art style. The ad trailer is full of stories and talks about the basics of the world. Players will explore a land called Orcanon, where various mythical races and cultures live in harmony. The world will offer a “fully animated 2D landscape with five cities and a dynamic climate system”, according to Artisan.
Players will take control of the demigods, whose mission is to fight the Moses – spherical floating creatures that threaten the balance of the world. In the game, you’ll “choose from eight customizable characters, spanning a variety of races and fantastic abilities” while assembling a team of heroes.
“At the Astria Ascending we wanted to explore how people deal with extraordinary times, ”said Julien Bourgeois, game director at Artisan Studios, in the press release. “Each hero has his own perspective, but it is the relationships they form with each other that really bring the story to life.”
Astria Ascending is in development for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.