Astra Bestiary

LOVING the game! As a huge fan of the original Digimon World game, Astra Bestiary ticks a lot of boxes for me, despite being so different. Gameplay elements like branched evolutions, lifespans, and training (like yes we actually raise our beasts) is something I've missed a lot in the monster-taming space and within the first hour I realised I'll love this game. It has a lot of depth, simple-yet-strategic combat system, and also, the music in the Desert is top tier! Developer did give me a free key (without requesting any review/content). I went back with some feedback and in 12 hours, I opened the game again and noticed that the feedback was already implemented. And this was one day before release, so that's given me a lot of Faith into the developer caring about what the players and community think. Great game foundation + faith in dev, I completely recommend this game.

Great creature collector that actually makes the raising part of things meaningful. It reminds me a lot of the Digimon Story games with how you go on expeditions while training your monsters, but with a more classic (and better thought out) RPG battle system. The game layers a Monster Hunter Stories style clash system (where you can try to counter an enemy attack with one of the correct opposing category) on top of an elemental typing system, and I think it does it very well. Your creature will always have a move that can engage with or avoid the clash (once you train it a little), so there are actually interesting decisions to be made around how you best want to handle incoming damage, rather than just choosing the attack the nullifies the hit or hits back the hardest. Not verified for Steam Deck yet as I write this, but I haven't had any issues playing on mine so far.

I've been playing this on a different account via Family Sharing, which is why my playtime appears so low. I'm around 6 hours in at the time of writing. I'm really, really enjoying it so far. I was a Kickstarter backer and I'm so happy with the final product. The monster designs are all super cool and feel very unique to this game. They're not trying to be Pokemon or DragonQuest or whatever. The different evolution requirements and the way they branch out pretty substantially is also very cool, it does make some evolutions feel a bit jarring if you're someone used to Pokemon, but I don't think thats a bad thing. The raising of stats and really just the fact that there aren't traditional level-ups is a fun twist! If you've played Umamusume, it's kind of similar in that you're leveling up a different stat each turn, while also balancing your energy. And then, as those stats are leveled

This is one of the best monster-tamers I have picked up in years! The music is great, and It focuses on the actual bond and caretaking process, with good battles. My first companion was able to cross water within 5 minutes of the game starting, rather than being locked into the mid or late game. Levels aren't present, and the stats you train in your companion are what lead to their growth. My companion showed a possible of 9 other forms it could evolve into. Balancing daily training routines with expeditions makes every creature feel like a genuine investment rather than just a stat block. The combat is where all that preparation really pays off. On the surface, it plays like a classic turn-based RPG with elemental affinities, but the attack-countering mechanic gives every turn real weight. When an enemy telegraphs a strike, you have to read the incoming attack category and decide whe

I have an unhealthy obsession with creature collectors, but this was my first time playing this style of game, with the 2D (J)RPG. (No I never played any of the pokemon games because $60 (AUD) and a dedicated console was and is a bit pricey for me since I am a student). So, I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't be my 'thing', but after some adjusting, I love it! I do wish that the beastiary was a bit more detailed. How you raise your creature affects how they evolve. However, and maybe I just haven't found it yet, I can't seem to find where or how you can see this information. I'm not saying it should tell us what stats evolves into what immediately, but it would be really cool if we could see the pathways once we unlocked them so when we raise a second version of that creature we know what to focus on differently. Most of my very minor complaints are all QoL related, the fundamentals are