Astral Lords Review Summary

Distinctive hand-drawn art and satisfying combat make this an addictive experience, but poor soldier AI, an unfinished progression system, and numerous bugs hold it back.

Distinctive hand-drawn art style: Players consistently praise the unique hand-drawn art style, calling it distinctive, appealing, and recognizable. This visual identity stands out and is a major positive across multiple reviews.

Fun and addictive gameplay: Overall, the game is considered fun, addictive, and easy to pick up, with a decent roguelike experience. The combination of engaging mechanics and accessibility makes it enjoyable for a wide audience.

Satisfying combat experience: Combat is described as satisfying, fast-paced, and enjoyable, with kiting and skill-based clearing being particularly praised. The fast pace and satisfying feel contribute to the overall fun.

Innovative gameplay blend: The combination of bullet-hell roguelike mechanics with base building and RTS elements is frequently highlighted as genius and engaging. This unique fusion is a core strength that players find interesting and well-executed.

High replayability from roguelike elements: The roguelike random mechanics and meta-progression provide fresh experiences each run, making the game addictive and replayable. Players value the variety and long-term engagement these systems offer.

Soldier AI is poor: Multiple clusters highlight that soldier AI is unpredictable, stupid, and poorly targeted, leading to frustrating combat outcomes. This is a significant gameplay issue.

Progression system feels unfinished: The meta-progression system is described as incomplete, grindy, and barely noticeable, which reduces motivation to continue playing. This is a notable concern.

Many bugs present: Players report numerous bugs, including unit spawning issues and button misalignments, which detract from the overall experience. This is a broad but common complaint.

Building placement is problematic: Players report that building placement feels stuck, laggy, and rough, with mouse misalignment issues. This affects the core building experience and is a common complaint.

Gameplay depth is shallow: Players feel the game lacks depth and doesn't require strategic thinking, making it monotonous. This is a common criticism affecting long-term engagement.

Hybrid bullet-hell and base building: The game uniquely combines bullet-hell roguelike shooting with base building and tower defense mechanics. Players engage in fast-paced shooting while also constructing and managing a base to survive hordes.

Base building and management: Players can build various facilities, including resource buildings, defense towers, and unit production structures. Base building is integral to gameplay, allowing for strategic defense and resource management.

Vampire Survivors-like gameplay: The core gameplay is often compared to Vampire Survivors, with horde-survival mechanics and automatic or manual shooting. This style is blended with RTS and base building elements for a unique experience.

Tower placement and defense: Players can place turrets and defense towers in the main base area to automatically defend against enemies. This tower defense aspect is combined with horde-clearing and base building.

Roguelike mechanics with random runs: The game features roguelike elements with random mechanics that make each run different. This includes in-run upgrades and horde-clearing gameplay, enhancing replayability.

Shop refresh causes lag: Players report that refreshing the shop triggers noticeable lag and long loading times, disrupting the experience. This issue appears in multiple clusters, indicating it is a common frustration.

General optimization issues: Several reviews mention overall optimization problems, including lag, stutters, and crashes, without specifying a particular trigger. This suggests the game needs broader performance improvements.

Lag with many units: In the third chapter, players experience lag when many units are on screen, indicating performance issues under heavy load. This is a specific scenario that could be optimized.

Loading screen freeze: One player reported a frozen loading screen, which can prevent progress and is a critical bug. Though rare, it is a severe issue when it occurs.

Steam Deck controls inconvenient: On Steam Deck, direction and building controls are awkward, making the game less playable on that platform. This is a niche but important accessibility concern.

Mixed recommendations based on preferences: Many players recommend the game specifically for fans of its art style, roguelike mechanics, or bullet-hell gameplay, while others advise waiting or not recommending it at its current stage. This indicates a niche appeal with significant caveats.

Game needs more polish: Several reviews state the game is not recommended yet and needs more work, with suggestions to wait for improvements or a discount. This suggests the game is in an early access or unfinished state.

Positive reviews to encourage developers: Some players give positive reviews as encouragement for the developers' responsiveness and to motivate bug fixing, indicating a supportive community but also acknowledging current issues.

Use AOE and high-speed weapons: Recommendations include choosing active skills with AOE damage for final waves, using artillery or high-speed bullet weapons, and obtaining melee weapons like axes as secondary. This indicates effective strategies for combat.

Consider specific unit and passive choices: Players suggest choosing the Dragon Knight unit, taking passives that increase collection range for base building, and avoiding laser weapons unless charge time is reduced. This shows strategic depth in unit and upgrade selection.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00.

The game is immediately fun with addictive core combat and base building, but the honeymoon phase ends after a few hours due to shallow meta-progression and grind.

Friction: Tutorial mouse cursor bug; Grindy meta-progression requiring idle accumulation; Shallow tech tree and weapon upgrades; Lack of replay motivation.

Unlock drivers: Offline income from farming reduces grind; Content updates and multiplayer (requested).

Roguelite Combat Enthusiast: Focuses on combat, picks AOE skills, ignores base building. Motivation: To experience satisfying mowing-down combat and roguelike upgrades. Stance: buy.

Base Builder Strategist: Prioritizes base construction, uses idle farming, plans layout. Motivation: To build and manage a colony, optimize resource generation, and defend against waves. Stance: buy.

Confused Newcomer: Tries to figure out mechanics, may get stuck, relies on external help. Motivation: To understand the game and have a smooth entry experience. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The game is playable on Steam Deck but requires tinkering due to lack of controller adaptation, UI readability issues, and occasional stability problems. The user requests official support for controller and Steam Deck optimization.

Game feels unfinished: Multiple reviewers describe the game as a half-finished product with early access level of completeness, despite being sold as a full release. This suggests a significant gap between player expectations and the game's current state.

Multiplayer anticipated: Reviewers anticipate future multiplayer features, with an official plan for multiplayer mode in September to early October. This suggests a strong desire for co-op or competitive play, and the game is currently single-player or lacks multiplayer.

Comparisons to Vampire Survivors: The game is frequently compared to Vampire Survivors and similar titles, with some reviewers expressing general dislike for that genre. This indicates the game is perceived as part of a well-known genre, which may influence player expectations.

Controller support requested: Players are asking for controller support, with one reviewer threatening a refund if it is not added. This is a common request for games that may be played on various devices or by players who prefer controllers.

Content expansion needed: Reviewers suggest the game has significant room for improvement and could expand with more gameplay content, including more towers, units, and possibly DLC for other galaxies. This indicates a desire for more variety and longevity.