The difference between Canon of Creation and Vengeance in Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance and where to start

AWAKEN: Astral Blade is a brand new metroidvania that was developed by Dark Pigeon Games, and released in 2024 as a part of Sony's China Hero Project. Leading up to release, the game was described as a "fairytale-style sci-fi action game with a unique feel, exquisite level design, and shocking boss battles," but that statement alone didn't quite explain what the game was. What was this unique feel? Shocking boss battles? What? 

These are questions that intrigued me the first time I heard about the title, and when Dark Pigeon Games was kind enough to provide me with an early release copy, they were the very same questions I had going into the game.

So, what is AWAKEN: Astral Blade?

The Story:

AWAKEN's story isn't one that is clear cut. The game follows a biotic by the name of Tania, as she is sent into a forest to locate the missing members of a research team. Along the way, Tania must explore the ancient ruins left by an extinct civilization, and learn more about herself along the way. What initially begins as a rescue mission, eventually evolves into a story that revolves around her creator, and her very own "sister" models, while also exploring events of the distant past.

Instead of having tons of cutscenes, the game opts for telling its tale by using environmental storytelling, and hidden documents that can be discovered. There is an intro cutscene, sure, but cutscenes elsewhere are typically limited to boss fights, and a handful of NPCs that are met along the way. Everything else is explained in paragraphs long notes you come across, and by simply looking at the world itself. That being said, it can all get a bit confusing.

The basic story isn't anything too surprising for anyone who has played other games AWAKEN was influenced by, but the history and world itself gets very wordy and can be hard to follow as a result. Typically this isn't an issue for me in games, but here a lot of the information didn't fully sink in, or was simply easy to forget. It also didn't help that notes could be found out of order, so when five new terms get dropped within a single entry, it can be especially hard to figure out what it is talking about. Ultimately I had to reread the notes I found multiple times to fully understand what was going on, and even then I still feel like I missed something. 

With all of that being said however, the story isn't what AWAKEN is about. It is there to help provide context to the world, and give us a reason for being here, but the real focus is none other than the gameplay. And that is where the fun is to be had.

The Combat System:

AWAKEN is a Metroidvania with a very strong focus on its combat system, and boss fights. When you first start the game you only have access to your sword and basic combos, but eventually other weapons are unlocked which help mix things up. These new weapons get incorporated into your standard combos, but can be switched to at any time as well. Combat follows a standard light and heavy attack system, with a dodge and block button that allows you to counter attacks. Doing so with perfect timing will also slow down time and give you other bonuses, so timing becomes key if you want to survive.

While the game's normal enemies aren't anything too crazy, boss fights take everything out of you. Normal enemies can typically be killed in seconds, which doesn't allow you to fully appreciate the combat system, but some larger enemies allow you to pull off finishing moves to kill them instead. With the bosses however, not only do you have to memorize attack patterns, get used to blocking and dodging, and target weak points, but you also have to always be ready for the unexpected. Often you will go up against a boss that has multiple targets along side them (which makes for a long fight), and after killing the boss you'll find it getting back up even stronger before. If you burned through all of your items in your initial struggle, then there's little to no hope for you in phase 2.

This is a common occurrence in AWAKEN, but it is also very hard to predict. Some bosses die extremely fast so you'd expect a second form, but in reality that was it. On the other hand, there's another boss early on that is actually three bosses in one... And has to be fought twice in a row. So not only do you have three bosses coming at you at once, the moment you defeat them they just get back up even stronger than ever. New attacks, more aggressive, more damage, more health, and just more challenging in general. These are the fights you wouldn't expect it on, but it's usually when it happens.

Thankfully the game does go the "Ninja Gaiden" route and offer you an easier difficulty setting if you keep failing, but even that is false hope. Testing this out on an earlier boss, I discovered the fight was basically the same as when I beat it on normal. It died slightly faster, but it still required you to memorize the boss patterns, and fight with everything you've got. Small mistakes still kill you, it's just you don't have to dodge and counter for quite as long.

Exploration:

Outside of the bosses, the game plays like many other Metroidvania titles, but with some pretty "organic" map design. With the game taking place in old ruins and wooded areas, there are a lot of funny rock formations, tree branches, and other strange objects for you to climb on. This helps keep things unique, but can also sometimes be a pain to navigate. One area in particular was mainly just trees with dozens of branches to jump across, which would also sink down when stepped upon. This meant the map required a lot of hopping around large open spaces to fully uncover the map, and discover any hidden items. 

Elsewhere however, the game is more enclosed, and the paths you can take or items you can discover are a lot more obvious. Hallways with split paths or drop offs, it typically means at least one of those branches will have something new for you to find, while the others will be the "right way to go." It isn't anything new for the genre, but it also doesn't have to be.

Although the game does offer a large overworld map to explore, AWAKEN does progress with some areas resembling that of classic video game "stages." It isn't simply exploring and looking for the next area, but rather, exploring until you reach a point that forces you through the next area. This includes some pretty crazy chase sequences that require you to be perfect, to entirely different locations you access by going through doors or portals. There are also moments where you are cut off from the rest of the world, until you eventually unlock fast travel to go back. Thankfully the fast travel system allows you to jump to any save point (which there are many of), but until you unlock the feature you are confined to your current location. This means anything you missed is going to be gone for awhile, and that can make the game harder in the long run.

Leveling Up and Upgrades:

Like many other games in the genre, AWAKEN features some RPG elements, including an ability tree, and weapon upgrade system. However, unlike in many other Metroidvanias, upgrades and abilities aren't necessarily found.

While you do gain energy points to spend on upgrades by killing enemies and breaking stuff (some can be picked up or even help direct you where to go), they are just one part of the currency needed to purchase upgrades. On their own, this energy can be used to buy passive skills or unlock combat abilities, but when combine with one of the many other collectible materials, they can also be used to upgrade weapons and abilities. 

This is where the game is quite a bit different, and where it asks you to explore very thoroughly.

As there are so many upgrade materials hidden throughout the game, not exploring means you can be missing out on upgrades. Since each upgrade will require a set amount of materials to use (with a limited number in existence), you need as many as you can get. It isn't as simple as "you found a health up" like in most games, but rather, you found a material that you can now take to a specific NPC who can increase your health. And if you missed that material, or used it elsewhere? That's on you.

Of course there are exceptions, with some abilities unlocking after boss fights, but these are mainly for progression purposes. One early example is a ground pound ability that'll break spaces below you. Is it useful in combat? Sure. That doesn't change it's main use of letting you access new areas though.

This part of the game isn't any different from what we've come to expect from these types of games, but nearly everything else being controlled by upgrade materials is a bit different. At one point these same materials are actually purchased rather than found, but even the shop has a limited number to provide. This means you'll need to farm the points needed to buy them, plus need the points to purchase the upgrades along with the materials you just obtained. This is something you will want to do, as the bosses will keep getting harder and harder.

On top of all of this, there is a light equipment system as well. You'll find multiple items with stat increases and other perks throughout the game, with a limited number of slots you can equip items in. It runs by a point value, with stronger items requiring more points, but it basically lets you equip one of each type of item. There are also costumes to unlock which change your look with some additional stat increases, but they aren't significant enough to be a game changer.

Should you play it?

AWAKEN: Astral Blade is in a weird spot for me. The game has very nice artwork, and every screen is a joy to look at. The gameplay is nice and fluid, the combat system is fun, and there are plenty of bosses to challenge you. At its core, the game is nearly everything you can ask out of a Metroidvania. Large map, plenty to explore, hidden items everywhere, side quests to give you a reason to go back, and an extensive level up and upgrade system. It is a game you can easily spend countless hours on discovering every little hidden secret. It doesn't do anything to reinvent the genre by any means, but it also doesn't have to. Anyone who wants to play it simply because they love Metroidvanias will not be let down. On the other hand, the game isn't perfect either.

Voice acting is limited, and not the greatest. Some of the lines feel forced, and the dialogue itself does not match up with the on screen text. The story also tries to be deeper and more complex, but it ends up mainly being confusing notes and documents, with a predictable main plot. Of course this isn't the main focus of the game, but that also means you shouldn't be purchasing this game for the plot.

Another down side is that some of the maps are a bit too open. This might not be a problem for everyone, but those who want to 100% the game will find themselves hopping from tree branch to tree branch quite often. Sometimes this is rewarded, other times you'll find that it is pointless. On the other hand there are also sections where you'll have to find "switches" hidden in these larger maps, so you'll have to fully explore them otherwise. Thankfully these moments are very few overall, but it can be an annoyance.

Besides a lack of polish in a few other minor areas, the game is still a solid Metroidvania experience. The game isn't short by any means, as it can easily take dozens of hours to do everything, and there are multiple difficulty modes to tackle if you want a challenge. Multiple skill trees and weapon upgrades give you a reason to level grind, but sometimes this can halt your progress as well (if you aren't skilled enough). There's an option for platform assistance for those who struggle with platforming games also, but those who leave it off will find multiple challenging sections throughout the game as well. 

Overall, AWAKEN: Astral Blade is a fun Metroidvania. Is it perfect? No. Does it reinvent the genre in any way? Not really. But did it need to? Of course not. It is a great game for both newcomers and long time fans of the genre alike, but there's no denying that there are better ones out there. Even so, I still recommend it.