You almost always know what you’re going to get with a Platinum game. With very few exceptions, titles made in the developer’s 10-year history are action games, built with cinematic pacing, a focus on highly skill-based input, and very little to do outside of the combat. All of which is why Astral Chain is so surprising.
Yes, the Switch exclusive is primarily an action game, but it’s a very different kind of action game for Platinum. Where the likes of Bayonetta or The Wonderful 101 thrive on fighting game-like button pressing prowess, Astral Chain is more interested in movement and positioning. Controlling two characters at once, not to mention utilising the titular chain that binds them, turns the game’s combat into more of a dance than a punch-up; less fury, more elegance.