Recent reviews by MrGrumpywumps

The regular 6v6 is all you need. The game can be enjoyed fully F2P without any issues.

The engagement is top. Never felt like I was sitting around doing nothing at any point. There's always somewhere to go, something to do, people to poke.

The Weapon/Ship system I feel is pretty well done. Everyone starting with the same base ship and choosing their own path down the line feels really nice. Randomization of the unlocked ship order really adds to the dynamic of "what is everyone doing this game" rather than the same thing all the time.

Ships all feel unique and different, nothing really sticks out as an optimal choice over another which is nice.

Overall feels really great at EA launch and don't have any real complaints. Will say if you're going to try it, you need to give it a few games to get the systems down so set aside a few hours and don't just one-off an opinion.

Nostalgia hits hard sometimes.

It plays like an oldschool ARPG with knowledge from the future.

I put a lot of hours in during open Beta and can say the game is pretty easy to keep smashing the "play" button.

Fun free game with enough game modes of varying duration's.
7v7 are very quick in and out, (Character passives only)
3v3 are a little longer but feel more involved. (Primary ability/passives enabled)
5v5 Payload and Demo don't overstay their welcome. (All abilities available)

You can only do 7v7 until level 3 when you unlock Payload and 3v3, and demo unlocks at 5. Takes a about an hour to unlock all the gamemodes.

If you enjoy the art style, Third person shooters or ADS, I suggest at least giving it a try. That's the cool part about the price tag.

Super fun!
Super aggravating!
Super Faaast Penguins

Gameplay is simple but engaging. Knowing the maps is helpful but a lot of the gameplay relies on what everyone around you is doing and how you choose to play around them. Very rarely is there someone so far ahead that it just doesn't matter.

Games take a bit of time currently to get into but it's not usually more than a minute. Playing through an entire Tour takes about 20 minutes, which is made up of 4 "activities" which are just stages. Bottom X don't make it through, regardless of how many points you've accumulated from previous rounds. I've seen people get 1st 1st 1st and then not make it through during the last round. It's almost always possible to catch up at the end in points if things work out!

Anyway, the game is free and you'll know after a tour or 2 if it's something you're interested in. Not much of a time sink and certainly not breaking your wallet.

One run in and I'm already very satisfied with all the changes they've made going from Lost Castle 1 to 2.

A few of the QOL include:
Not locked into attack animations for nearly as long
Dodge is more responsive
UI Enhancements for charge attacks and a weapon attack layout per weapon in the top left
Clearer explanations of what abilities do on weapons
Loot is PERSONAL now for multiplayer and can be shared for other players to see with a button
Certain loot drops give you a choice between 2 separate items instead of "this is just bad" and also added a dismantle for items you don't want that can be used to upgrade your equipped gear.

Overall, it's a much more updated and modern roguelite compared to its predecessor while keeping the charm it had. If you liked the original, I highly recommend picking this up.

It's like floaty Lost Ark raids without the risk of falling behind for not playing 100 hours every week. Highly recommend.

Good silly fun.

The game itself is pretty fun! There's player interaction almost every turn. When something bad happens to you, it doesn't really feel bad because of how RNG everything is. Ya, the gods could be against you, but as long as you can laugh at yourself for turning 3 fortunes in a row that somehow screw you over, it can be pretty enjoyable for all 4 players to see it happen.

1st place swings are wildly happening all the time from just the sheer amount of damage that the cards plus the board itself puts out. Very rarely does someone pull ahead and just run away with the game. Unlike in OJ, killing someone with a card GIVES YOU THE COINS, so smashing someone with a brick over the head is a viable way to turn the tide.

Combat itself is pretty entertaining as well. The card bidding wars with your 3 points adds an extra depth to the fight which can be pretty exciting to see. I'm not usually a fan of big number go boom in games, but getting belted for 15 damage and then AUTO REVIVING the next turn just makes it easier to laugh at than actually being upset.

I guess the overall feeling I'm trying to get across is no matter what happens in the game, its never so terrible that it's "the end". Constant warfare and giant purple dinosaur people keeps everyone on their toes with "oh no, am i going to take 1 or 30 damage this turn"

Since this game is something that will attract the OJ crowd, I think this needs to be said.
They're comparable games, but that doesn't mean they're not separate. They both have their merits and imo have almost completely different playstyles. The most important difference is the barrier to entry for Astral. You want to introduce your friend to a new board game? Ok, "free download" followed by a 2 minute tutorial that teaches you the game pretty well followed by you're in lets play. No deck building, no real "character rock paper scissor" it' just pick up and play, and to me that adds a ton of value.

The game has only been out about a month and has been getting constant GOOD updates. Most of the "Lack of content/QOL" reviews are outdated by now. They've added a new map, voice acting, a glossary for the cards (in the main menu), and a minimap. It seems like people are spoiled on current OJ and never played it near its own original release.

TL;DR, Game is quick and easy to get into and can provide a ton of laughs assuming you're capable of laughing at your own misfortunes.
Would I recommend OJ? Absolutely, great game.
Would I recommend Astral? Absolutely, great game.