Astellia Royal has launched on Steam as the Free2Play version of the MMORPG Astellia. However, the reviews have been extremely negative. We will look into why this is the case.
What is Astellia Online? Astellia Online launched in 2019 as a Buy2Play MMORPG. The Steam launch took place in January 2020. The special feature of the game is the so-called Astels. These are companions that you can collect and train. They support you in battles when summoned.
- You create your hero from 5 classes that belong to the Holy Trinity.
- There are many quests and a linear story
- The battles take place via tab-targeting
- You explore dungeons, engage in PvP fights in arenas, and try to collect the perfect equipment
From Buy2Play to Free2Play
How does Astellia Royal differ from it? You can naturally play the Free2Play version for free via Steam. The new version brings a number of changes. These include:
- More grind because you level up more slowly
- Open-world PvP
- Dungeon tickets take longer to regenerate. These tickets are necessary to explore dungeons.
- Items can break due to failed enchantments
- You can purchase equipment and Astels for money
- The auction house works with purchased currency
How is the new version received? The Steam launch took place on March 11. The reviews currently stand at only 33% (as of March 15 at 10:30 AM with 234 reviews).
Players primarily criticize the pay-to-win aspect. They do not like that Astels and equipment can be bought for money. Also, the ability to purchase dungeon tickets to execute more dungeon runs is not well received. Additionally, there are several technical problems, such as failed logins when certain software is installed on the PC.
We summarize some voices for you:
- Dixxx comments on Steam: “174% Pay2Win! You can simply buy top-tier equipment, top-tier Astels, and everything you need. Bonus packs give new players a head start.”
- Kareno explains (via Steam): “In the shop, you can buy Astels, of course randomly, like in a gacha system. Additionally, there are boosters and plenty of game conveniences in the shop. But you can also spend a lot of money to buy crystals and scrolls to enhance your character. In theory, you can boost a level-1 character to level 50 with 1,000 euros.”
- [A.] KSib can’t even play properly (via Steam): “It doesn’t even run unless you uninstall your Logitech/Steelseries/Corsair mouse/keyboard software. Apparently, it is also pay-to-win. I’m opting out.”
- BREADSTICK writes on Steam: “The developers clearly want to squeeze a bit more out of the game with this release.”
The reason for this assumption of “squeezing” is that the player numbers of the MMORPG have steadily declined since the release. From 1,124 concurrent players at peak to now only 258 according to Steamcharts. With the release of a free-to-play version, the team hopes that new players will return and spend money in the in-game shop – this is at least what some players accuse the developers of.
However, some also find the game good:
- Sanedor writes on Steam: “It’s fun and summoning the Astels is also amusing. I had no issues with logging in, unlike many others.”
- HankTruck thinks (via Steam): “It’s a good MMORPG with good graphics, good gameplay, interesting maps, and monsters. I hope they don’t let it die because it has a lot of potential.”
Whether the developers will change anything in response to the criticisms is currently unknown.
Have you had the opportunity to check out Astellia Royal? What do you think of the free-to-play version and can you understand the criticism currently aimed at the MMORPG?
In 2019, Astellia Online was even among the best MMORPGs released in that year.
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