Astrae Oratio will have some truly intriguing gameplay on offer at Tokyo Game Show

If you are lucky enough to be at the Tokyo Game Show, first off, know that I am burning with jealousy. Placing that aside, NC is taking part with a showcase of their first playable demo for Astrae Oratio, and this is definitely one that you definitely do not want to miss.

In a genre as packed as anime gacha RPGs, you really need to stand out, and Astrae Oratio is certainly making a case for itself with this demo. If you are unaware of what this game is, it is a turn-based RPG following the lives of magicians in an alternate version of 1989 Tokyo. There is gacha, of course, but thankfully, the characters don’t seem to be designed as explicitly “anime” as some other culprits. Yet, anyway. 

Speaking of characters, the demo shows off 12 magicians from four clans, including one who is already my favourite: Runa Mitsukoe. She is a magician who packs a gun; I don’t know why I find that as funny as I do. Up front and centre, however, is the combat, so let’s stop building it up.

Whilst Astrae Oratio is a turn-based game at heart, there is a lot of tactics baked in. For one, there are two phases to combat: Action and Engage. During the Action phase, you will see a moving timeline of the attack your enemy is planning. Here, you will have to choose your action based on what will thwart the enemy. Kind of like a magical rock, paper, scissors.

Select right, and your attack happens with your Normal, Combat, or Ultimate Skills. You can also break your opponent by dealing heavy damage, leaving them defenceless for a barrage of skills. Sometimes an enemy will launch a preemptive strike, triggering a quick-time event for you to time a block and counter. Other times they will try an unblockable attack, at which point you will tag in your least favourite hero to get their head kicked off. 

There are also Dominion Skills charged by winning clashes, which are effectively super stylised buffs. Your hero establishes their dominion and changes the look of the battlefield; it's quite impressive to watch. It is all very interesting, and if this is only the first demo, I can’t wait to see what Astrae Oratio has in store next. If you are at TGS, definitely make a beeline for this game. From an unbiased, journalistic viewpoint, of course.

You can sign up for the Closed Beta Test for Astrae Oratio on the official website.