Astoria: The Holders of Power Saga

Most RPGs allow you to undertake a seemingly impossible quest at the beginning of the story, because it’s a lot more exciting that way. Granted, your characters usually find a way to achieve the impossible over the course of the adventure, given the fact that every villain has some sort of weakness that can be exploited. Your heroes also get much stronger along the way.

Astoria: The Holders of Power Saga is a top-down RPG designed in RPG Maker, in which you get to explore a colorful world and help your characters defeat a great demon. The game is not particularly original in terms of gameplay mechanics, given the fact that all you have to do is move around and engage in turn-based battles, but the experience as a whole is pretty enjoyable if you like a good adventure.

As the name implies, the action takes place in the world of Astoria, which is under threat from a demon that has been summoned by some nasty people. Naturally, a group of heroes decides to save the world from total destruction, and you play as a young prince by the name of Nolan, who gets together with a few other brave souls and goes on a quest to stop assassinations, wars and other dangerous tasks.

Since this is still RPG Maker you are dealing with, the battles should be very similar in terms of mechanics, given the fact that all you have to do is attack or cast abilities whenever your turn comes. Enemies do the same, so there’s very little strategy involved most of the time, unless the fight is more challenging and you have to use your skills in a more calculated fashion.

There are also puzzles and mysteries to solve, but don’t expect anything too riveting, given the limited range of gameplay mechanics at your disposal. However, the story is what matters the most in an RPG, and you can find comfort in the nice character arcs and plot twists that arise along the way. The graphics may be outdated, but the designers have put quite a bit of work into the environments.

Astoria: The Holders of Power Saga won’t impress the hardcore fans of the genre, especially in the gameplay department, but it can still be a relaxing experience nonetheless. Hence, if you are after a cozy RPG and a nice story, this can still keep you busy for a long time.