AstroN is a 3D sci-fi flight shooting multiplayer online RPG. It doesn't focus too much on the story, instead it is heavily action based. It is very different from other online games, because it looks and plays more like an arcade. The missions are designed like levels and the gameplay is linear, meaning that the game world isn't that big and you don't get a sense of free roaming.
To begin playing you first need to choose a ship. There aren't many models and it doesn't matter which one you choose. All of them are very similar, however they have different weapons. After you've chosen the ship you will be transported on a planetary platform where you can begin playing. Once there, a tutorial will be given to you, and it will explain the basics of the game. Also, the game features guiding arrows which will show the way to your objective.
The gameplay feels strange for an online game. It plays more like a single player game than a multiplayer one. I say this because, to begin missions you have to step on a ramp, which will transport you to another area, which is designed like a level. The level is linear, there is nowhere else to go but forward. Basically the more you'll advance the stronger the enemies will get until you reach the boss. After defeating the boss you'll automatically be transported back to the planetary platform. To begin the next mission you have to go to the same place where you took the last one, over and over again. The game does have some interesting features though. Each ship has two main weapons which can be upgraded. Throughout the levels a lot of enemies will drop better weapons and you can equip them on the go. Once back on the planetary platform you can check the shop where other upgrades are available. Another interesting thing is that you can allocate the evolution points as you wish, after leveling up. This can cause problems for some players, but for the rest this is a very nice customization aspect.
The mechanics of the game are also quite different. You control the ship mostly with your keyboard, moving with the arrow keys and shooting with Z or X. You can land your ship by pressing Shift, which is the way you can interact other NPC's in the game. The NPC's come under the form of mini-platforms.
Overall it is an interesting game, however the controls aren't very well designed and, because of the outdated graphics, it feels very old. Astron can be enjoyable though, if you like arcade games and want to play a similar game online with your friends.
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