Astral Chain

Astral Chain is an original exclusive title from PlatinumGames under the creative direction of Takahisa Taura, writer of NieR: Automata, set in the near future, where humanity has relocated its last remaining metropolis onto an artificial island after Earth was invaded by extradimensional monsters called Chimeras. The player takes on the role of an officer in the special unit Neuron, equipped with the ability to summon and control their own Legion -- a tamed Chimera tethered by an invisible astral chain that can be controlled in combat alongside the player's own character.

This dual control is the heart of the combat system: the player maneuvers their detective on the front line while simultaneously using the chain to steer their Legion, catching enemies, creating barriers, or performing synchronized combo attacks, with five Legion types offering distinct fighting styles ranging from a sword and a firearm to transforming into a motorcycle for chases. The chain itself also serves as a tool -- it can be wrapped around an enemy, used to pull yourself toward it, or stretched across an enemy's attack path as a trap, turning combat into more of a positional spatial game than simple button-mashing. Outside of combat, the game also functions as a detective adventure -- the player investigates cases around the city, collects evidence, interviews witnesses, helps civilians, and decides how to allocate Neuron unit resources, which affects the side content. Each chapter also closes with a performance rating that encourages a cleaner repeat playthrough.

The visual style combines cyberpunk aesthetics with colorful, almost anime-style stylization of the combat, and the contrast between the island's sterile streets and the warped astral plane ranks among the strongest imagery of the entire generation. The controls are demanding on coordination at first, and the game requires several hours before dual-managing the character and the Legion feels natural in the player's hands, but the satisfaction once combat clicks is all the greater for it. Astral Chain was received by critics as one of the most original new titles of the generation and a showcase of how PlatinumGames can experiment even outside its established franchises.