<s>
is	O
a	O
2019	O
action-adventure	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
PlatinumGames	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Takahisa	O
Taura	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
previously	O
lead	O
game	O
designer	O
for	O
Nier	B-Application
:	I-Application
Automata	I-Application
,	O
under	O
supervision	O
by	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
and	O
Bayonetta	B-Application
series	O
creator	O
Hideki	O
Kamiya	O
,	O
and	O
character	O
designs	O
from	O
manga	O
artist	O
Masakazu	O
Katsura	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Utilizing	O
the	O
titular	O
"	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
"	O
,	O
the	O
twins	O
restrain	O
and	O
tether	O
the	O
creatures	O
,	O
employing	O
them	O
in	O
combat	O
and	O
investigation	O
,	O
referring	O
to	O
them	O
as	O
"	O
Legions	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
setting	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
draws	O
heavy	O
inspiration	O
from	O
various	O
cyberpunk	O
manga	O
and	O
anime	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
gameplay	O
combines	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
combat	O
with	O
role-playing	O
elements	O
and	O
investigative	O
adventure	O
game	O
sections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
was	O
estimated	O
to	O
have	O
had	O
a	O
five-year	O
long	O
development	O
cycle	O
and	O
follows	O
a	O
slate	O
of	O
previous	O
collaborations	O
between	O
PlatinumGames	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
with	O
both	O
companies	O
having	O
previously	O
worked	O
together	O
on	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Wonderful	I-Application
101	I-Application
and	O
Bayonetta	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
received	O
highly	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
who	O
praised	O
its	O
dual-character	O
gameplay	O
,	O
world	O
building	O
,	O
presentation	O
,	O
customization	O
,	O
and	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
received	O
some	O
criticism	O
for	O
its	O
usage	O
of	O
a	O
silent	O
protagonist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
sold	O
over	O
a	O
million	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best-selling	B-Device
games	I-Device
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
assumes	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
detective	O
from	O
the	O
"	O
Neuron	O
"	O
special	O
police	O
task	O
force	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
tasked	O
with	O
solving	O
cases	O
and	O
investigating	O
incidents	O
that	O
take	O
place	O
in	O
"	O
The	O
Ark	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
main	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Legion	O
can	O
be	O
manually	O
directed	O
with	O
the	O
right	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
position	O
the	O
Legion	O
for	O
more	O
specific	O
maneuvers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
players	O
unlock	O
the	O
IRIS	O
tool	O
,	O
a	O
heads	B-Application
up	I-Application
display	I-Application
from	O
which	O
they	O
can	O
inspect	O
the	O
environment	O
and	O
search	O
for	O
clues	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
save	O
their	O
progress	O
,	O
manage	O
the	O
inventory	O
,	O
customize	O
in-game	O
menus	O
,	O
view	O
the	O
level	O
map	O
,	O
and	O
manage	O
orders	O
(	O
benchmarks	O
and	O
photo	O
challenges	O
that	O
reward	O
the	O
player	O
with	O
items	O
,	O
crafting	O
materials	O
,	O
XP	O
,	O
money	O
,	O
and	O
photo	O
filters	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2078	O
,	O
where	O
humanity	O
is	O
on	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
extinction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
remnants	O
of	O
the	O
human	O
populace	O
have	O
retreated	O
to	O
a	O
megacity	B-Application
called	O
"	O
The	O
Ark	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
rests	O
on	O
a	O
massive	O
artificial	O
island	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jena	O
stages	O
a	O
large	O
scale	O
invasion	O
of	O
the	O
Ark	O
,	O
announcing	O
her	O
intention	O
to	O
save	O
humanity	O
by	O
merging	O
Earth	O
with	O
the	O
Astral	O
Plane	O
,	O
which	O
serves	O
as	O
a	O
collective	O
memory	B-General_Concept
bank	I-General_Concept
of	O
humanity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
preceded	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Nier	B-Application
:	I-Application
Automata	I-Application
,	O
with	O
PlatinumGames	O
estimating	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
been	O
in	O
the	O
works	O
for	O
roughly	O
five	O
years	O
between	O
its	O
conceptualizing	O
and	O
eventual	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
assistance	O
of	O
former	O
Scalebound	B-Device
and	O
PlatinumGames	O
producer	O
Jean	O
Pierre	O
Kellams	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
pitched	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
requested	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
with	O
high	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
comparisons	O
to	O
Scalebound	B-Device
dual-character	O
gameplay	O
,	O
PlatinumGames	O
producer	O
Atsushi	O
Inaba	O
has	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
two	O
games	O
are	O
very	O
different	O
in	O
concept	O
,	O
and	O
sees	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
as	O
an	O
evolution	O
of	O
their	O
previous	O
action	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takahisa	O
Taura	O
was	O
appointed	O
as	O
director	O
due	O
to	O
his	O
previous	O
work	O
on	O
Nier	B-Application
:	I-Application
Automata	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
belief	O
that	O
they	O
need	O
to	O
foster	O
multiple	O
directors	O
that	O
can	O
bring	O
a	O
different	O
flavor	O
for	O
each	O
of	O
their	O
individual	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
was	O
initially	O
envisioned	O
as	O
a	O
fantasy	O
game	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
utilize	O
magic	O
,	O
however	O
at	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
recommendation	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
changed	O
to	O
a	O
cyberpunk	O
setting	O
as	O
they	O
felt	O
it	O
would	O
make	O
for	O
a	O
more	O
unique	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taura	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
setting	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
various	O
anime	O
such	O
as	O
Ghost	B-Application
in	I-Application
the	I-Application
Shell	I-Application
and	O
Appleseed	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
works	O
of	O
Masakazu	O
Katsura	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
hired	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
character	O
designer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
of	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
is	O
designed	O
around	O
controlling	O
two	O
characters	O
at	O
once	O
,	O
which	O
Taura	O
has	O
said	O
comprises	O
the	O
core	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
itself	O
,	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
way	O
the	O
"	O
Wicked	O
Weaves	O
"	O
ability	O
is	O
the	O
core	O
of	O
Bayonetta	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
also	O
took	O
plenty	O
of	O
inspiration	O
from	O
Libble	B-Application
Rabble	I-Application
with	O
the	O
dual-character	O
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taura	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
main	O
difference	O
in	O
approach	O
compared	O
to	O
PlatinumGames	O
 '	O
work	O
on	O
Nier	B-Application
:	I-Application
Automata	I-Application
was	O
that	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
had	O
its	O
scenario	O
built	O
around	O
the	O
gameplay	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
other	O
way	O
around	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
asked	O
about	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
becoming	O
available	O
on	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
in	O
a	O
February	O
2020	O
interview	O
(	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
then-recently	O
announced	O
Kickstarter	O
campaign	O
for	O
the	O
remastered	O
The	B-Application
Wonderful	I-Application
101	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Inaba	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
too	O
early	O
to	O
say	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
ultimately	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
call	O
,	O
not	O
 [ theirs ] 	O
 "	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
score	O
for	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
was	O
primarily	O
written	O
and	O
produced	O
by	O
Satoshi	O
Igarashi	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Bayonetta	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
holds	O
an	O
aggregated	O
score	O
of	O
87/100	O
,	O
indicating	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steven	O
Petite	O
of	O
IGN	O
praised	O
the	O
combat	O
,	O
commenting	O
that	O
"	O
though	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
lacks	O
a	O
deep	O
combo	O
system	O
,	O
it	O
makes	O
up	O
for	O
that	O
and	O
then	O
some	O
with	O
its	O
roster	O
of	O
Legions	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
Polygon	O
,	O
Chris	O
Plante	O
highlighted	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
non-combat	O
side	O
activities	O
that	O
involves	O
the	O
player	O
investigating	O
and	O
performing	O
helpful	O
tasks	O
toward	O
non-player	O
characters	O
,	O
citing	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
"	O
a	O
deeply	O
human	O
game	O
about	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
people	O
striving	O
to	O
do	O
good	O
—	O
not	O
just	O
on	O
the	O
world-saving	O
level	O
,	O
but	O
on	O
the	O
minute-to-minute	O
level	O
,	O
during	O
a	O
time	O
when	O
the	O
future	O
seems	O
incredibly	O
bleak	O
"	O
,	O
concluding	O
by	O
calling	O
the	O
game	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
best	O
new	O
IP	O
since	O
Splatoon	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
became	O
a	O
target	O
of	O
review-bombing	O
by	O
Metacritic	O
users	O
,	O
primarily	O
for	O
being	O
an	O
exclusive	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
:	I-Application
Three	I-Application
Houses	I-Application
,	O
another	O
title	O
also	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
was	O
review-bombed	O
at	O
around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
for	O
similar	O
reasons	O
,	O
with	O
users	O
countering	O
the	O
negative	O
scores	O
on	O
both	O
games	O
with	O
10/10	O
scores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
review	O
bombs	O
on	O
both	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
and	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
:	I-Application
Three	I-Application
Houses	I-Application
were	O
later	O
removed	O
by	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
launched	O
at	O
#1	O
on	O
the	O
UK	O
physical	O
charts	O
,	O
#2	O
on	O
the	O
Japanese	O
physical	O
charts	O
,	O
and	O
#10	O
on	O
the	O
NPD	O
charts	O
for	O
August	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
full	O
sales	O
numbers	O
were	O
n't	O
disclosed	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Taura	O
mentioned	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Famitsu	O
that	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
had	O
outperformed	O
the	O
companies	O
 '	O
sales	O
expectations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2022	O
CESA	O
Games	O
White	O
Papers	O
revealed	O
that	O
Astral	B-Application
Chain	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
1.28	O
million	O
units	O
,	O
as	O
of	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
