Astra: Knights of Veda review - "An epic idle adventure"

• Battle the undead, exploding rats, and more in side-scrolling glory
• Collect and level up new Knights of Veda
• Enjoy a familiar yet engaging plot

Astra: Knights of Veda is a charming side-scrolling mobile RPG featuring a detailed, beautiful, yet grisly art style that will immediately pique your interest. The game’s plot is rather what you'd expect from a typical RPG title. However, it does manage to surprise you at times. You’ll enjoy searching for Veda’s fragments as you battle fierce enemies and collect gorgeously rendered heroes in this superb idle RPG.

Astra: Knights of Veda features a fun, if somewhat familiar, storyline. The game follows a soldier who, after falling in battle, is given new life by the goddess Veda and named Master of the Book. Currently, the continent is under the control of Mad King Magnus, whose tyranny coats the land in pain and darkness. However, as the new Master of the Book, you may just have what it takes to save the kingdom.

A New You

You start as a male soldier, but when Veda grants you a new body, you can choose to be either male or female. You can also choose between four preset looks for both included genders. While the character customization is a little sparse, the presets are all pretty fetching. After choosing your new body, you can get into the thick of the game.

---

• Hades mobile review - “A port of a fantastic game that comes with a few labours to deal with”

---

As you progress, you’ll unlock new knights to add to your party. You'll quickly gain access to Leon, Yanko, and Rani, a warrior, archer, and mage, respectively, as you play. Once you get a little way into the game, you can summon new Knights and weapons by spending Crystals of Fate. If you run out of Crystals of Fate, you can convert starstones into them. Starstones are easy to come by early on as you’ll earn them for completing various achievements.

Of course, Astra: Knights of Veda does include in-app purchases. Thankfully, however, you'll never feel like the game is trying to push you to buy something, and you can easily enjoy this engaging RPG without spending a dime.

Once you collect a knight, you’ll want to level them up whenever possible. Leveling up a knight increases their HP, ATK and DEF stats, giving them more of an advantage in battle.

Astra: Knights of Veda features Immersive Combat

In this new mobile RPG, you’ll encounter swarms of the undead waiting to tear you apart. Luckily, you’ll have access to the knights you've collected during battle. You'll automatically switch to one of your remaining knights if one falls. However, you can switch between your knight anytime by clicking on their profile pictures on the right side of the screen.

Each knight of Veda you unlock has four main combat abilities: a basic attack, two special attacks and a dodge ability. Each knight you unlock has distinct special attacks that make it a joy to watch your newest recruits in action. While the controls are simple, combat still presents a challenge. Enemies can swarm you quickly, so a well-timed dodge is key to keeping your knights going.

Delve into the Dungeons of Astra: Knights of Veda

Much of the combat you participate in will be within dungeons. Dungeons are short levels where you battle various baddies like the undead, exploding rats, and beasts. You’ll need to complete dungeons in order to move the story along. While the dungeon layouts are similar, the different environments, the addition of new enemies, and the intriguing NPC encounters you discover along the way keep them feeling fresh.

---

• Girls Frontline 2: Exilium review - "The serenade of firearms and songbirds of gunfight"

---

Beyond dungeons, you can also test your mettle in Trials. Trials let you play as specific characters, even if you’ve yet to unlock them, which is a real treat. I thoroughly enjoyed testing out the abilities of heroes I've yet to unlock, like Xanthia’s teleport ability and Capecchi’s devastating poison attacks.

Take a Break

If you feel like resting your fingers for a bit, the game also features an auto-battle mode. However, the game is much more fun when you take matters into your own hands. Furthermore, being an idle game, Astra: Knights of Veda lets you earn tons of rewards while you are away. When you're gone, your character will battle the undead in a nightmare state. Upon returning, awaken your character to continue progressing through the game

One nice feature that Astra: Knights of Veda offers is the ability to rewatch NPC encounters at any time. So, if you are itching to get into the action, you can skip any conversation without feeling like you’re missing out, since you can re-experience at a later point.

Astra: Knights of Veda is a Charming Addition to your Game Library

Astra: Knights of Veda is a real gem of a game. Yes, we’ve all played games where you must overthrow a tyrant before and there is nothing wholly unique about the game’s combat. However, the game’s beautiful graphics and easy-to-learn, hard-to-master combat make it well worth your time. Featuring a multitude of distinct and quirky NPCs, gorgeous environments, and a charming, if familiar, plot, Astra: Knights of Veda is a beautiful example of an idle RPG done right.