Astonia looks ancient by modern standards. Even on an old Dos machine, this game would barely pass the grade. Unlike Anarchy Online, which is much newer, Astonia actually looks much, much, MUCH older and still runs. Strange.

This game rubbed me the wrong way from the start. I needed to make an account on the website, which is what I expect from just about any game. Then I have to create my character online. It has different purchases that can be made in the usual, free for life, pay for the exclusive and awesome goodies, system. You can make a fighter or a mage, male or female, that’s it. THAT’S IT?!

What is this some kind of poor excuse of the Dungeons and Dragons system ported into a game on the NES?! After starting up the game, it hijacks the desktop with an 800 x 600 resolution. This can be changed of course, but this is the game’s default and I figured I better try things as nuetral as possible for a good review. The first thing I noticed was how pixelated and jaggy the graphics were. Even at 800 x 600 resolution most games are passable. This game uses the bare minimum of pixels for juts about everything. Then the whole proportions of the game are based on that. Characters are small, really, really, reallys mall. It’s hard to make out anything without squinting. Remember I could change the resolution. Dare I put it at my display’s maximum, 1280 x 1024? I bet my eyes would be dead.

I get started in a castle/fort/stable area which is very drab and grey. Unlike many MMORPGs, I start out with armor on me. I have an NPC telling me of a quest I can take which is north of this area. I see the familiar Guild Wars approach to this game. It wreaks of it. In fact I begin to wonder about this formula that many MMORPGs use. Was it imported from World of Warcraft?! Standard chat bars, guages, item boxes etc are here. The whole screen is basically cluttered. The server is really unreponsive, even though I had the second of three servers picked.

Community?! What community?! I ran into a Brazillian asking me if there was any BRs (Brazillians). I was the only person present.

There was no music either.

Stats are listed in a box, up on screen. That’s normal. Listing EVERY SINGLE STAT IN A SINGLE SCROLL BOX IS NOT. Especially when it follows the D&D style. There’s alot of stats to keep track of. Ugh.

Ugh.

I didn’t make it past the beginner area before I hit Ctrl+F4. That didn’t work. I had to Ctrl+Alt+Del to exit the game. It was promptly uninstalled.

Skip this one.

Yozuki’s Drive - 1