PC: Astral Masters

Ratings

Graphics:7.00 [Bar of Width 70]
Sound:7.00 [Bar of Width 70]
Gameplay:8.50 [Bar of Width 85]
Replays:7.00 [Bar of Width 70]

Our Take

Astral Masters is a new turn based strategy card game from Apus Software. Essentially it is a spiritual successor to one of their older games, Astral Tournament. Although the game may be hard to get into, card game fans will find a lot to like here and definitely enjoy it.

Graphically the game does look pretty good. The interface is clean allowing players to easily find what they need and read statistics on what is currently going on. Astral Masters has somewhat of a unique fantasy look going on here, everything is aesthetically pleasing and does fit the theme the game tries to present. Unfortunately, everything remains static aside from the cards moving to show an action. A little bit of animation would’ve been cool to see.

Sound wise the game is fairly generic, but the background music does the job done. It fits the fantasy feel but is calm and won’t interrupt your thoughts as you try to decide the best strategy for taking on your opponent. One thing the game could do is have sound effects based on the action you’re taking and what particular element you are using, perhaps they could add this in a future version of the game.

The closest thing you could compare Astral Masters to is Magic: The Gathering, but this is very much its own games. Basically, you start off choosing a deck. Either you choose from a pre-made deck or customize one to your liking. Then, the duel begins. Each card requires mana points to be used. Mana is determined by how much Astral Power your character has, which is determined through the actions you make (you start off the match with 0). Different cards require different mana points, based on how powerful they are. Each turn a player can sacrifice one card (if they choose to), which can bring about more mana points.

Players can position a card wherever they want on their side of the playing field. Each card has a set amount of health, so keep an eye on it. At the end of your turn your cards will “attack” enemy cards, and this strength is determined by that particular card as well as your Astral power. If a card attacks an empty space, it does direct damage to the mage, and this is how you or your opponent ultimately win duels. Certain cards have abilities, such as a Master Healer that can heal other cards. There are also spell cards which can be used to attack your opponent or force them to send a card back to their hand.

Confused yet? This is a lot to take in, but thankfully the game’s help function does a more than ample job of explaining it. This help feature can be accessed during a duel, which is definitely helpful.

There are three modes of play within the game, Single-player, Tournament, and Multi-player. Single-player is just one match against a computer opponent, and you can choose between varying levels of difficulty. This is a good way to hone your skills before you dive into Tournament. Tournaments are like the single-player matches only you fight set opponents in a specific order, and at the end you are ranked. As for Multi-player, LAN play has made it into the latest version (1.1), but unfortunately, online play is not yet functional. The game loses a bit of steam because of this, but hopefully they will get that operational fairly soon.

Astral Masters is a fairly deep game, and there are plenty of subtleties not mentioned in this review. Also, new players may find a tough time adjusting and may lose many of their first duels. However, those that can stick with it will be rewarded with a fun card dueling experience. If you’re already a fan of the genre, give the demo a download and see how you fare.

http://www.astralmasters.com/en/main.htm

Overall Rating: 7.00

Chris Dahlberg
September 20, 2005