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Astria Ascending coming to Xbox consoles in 2021

Astria Ascending is a new upcoming RPG from Final Fantasy veteran writer Kazushige Nojima.

TJ Denzer

March 26, 2021 11:20 AM

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It’s been a solid couple years for the celebration and return of beloved classic JRPGs and the creators behind them. We’ve seen the Final Fantasy, Legend of Mana, and SaGa franchise make returns alongside other new JRPG titles. It seems to be continuing with another game coming to Xbox and possibly further platforms in 2021. We got a good look at Astria Ascending from longtime Final Fantasy writer Kazushige Nojima and Artisan Studios.

Artisan Studios showcased a trailer for Astria Ascending during the ID@Xbox livestream showcase on March 26, 2021. The game takes players to the fantasy world of Orcanon where players will explore lands inhabited by various fantastical cultures and nature. We take up the role of a group of demigods composed of various beings from across the world to fight against the Noise: a malevolent force that threatens to destroy the harmony of the world. This is portrayed through lushly drawn environments and characters and features seemingly classic turn-based JRPG battles. You can have a look at the game’s art, music, and action just below.

Astria Ascending has a very striking visual style that reminds somewhat of Vanillaware titles like 2020’s 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Kazushige Nojima is bringing his iconic talents to the narrative of the game, but that’s not all. Final Fantasy 12 and Vagrant Story composer Hitoshi Sakimoto and the group at Basic Ape are creating the soundtrack for the game. Moreover, artwork is being handled by Cydesignation who previously handled art on games like CyGames titles like Odin Crown. There’s a lot of various veterans of classic JRPG titles and design coming together in one place for this project.

At this time, Astria Ascending is simply slated for sometime in 2021 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and the Xbox Game Pass. Stay tuned as we await further details such as a concrete release date.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.