Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles | PS5 Review

Much like the Biblical conflicts between good and evil this roguelike dice builder known as, "Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles" weaves an astronomical tale of chosen beings destined to fight in the morally aligned conflict that ensues. Taking place on chapter based maps filled with battles against the corrupted denizens it is each Oracle's duty to cleanse their corruption using their gifted Astrarium. Through this endeavor they'll work their way to the heart of the corruption in their beloved star creator, Astrea. Ridding the six surrounding worlds of their affliction once, and for all. 

As fate would have it the age of light was brought to a halt by a fiery corruption borne of shadow within the star, Astrea. A conflict that can only be resolved through Oracle intervention. As one of six Astrarium wielding Oracles you must roll the dice, and hope RNG is in your favor. Thankfully RNG isn't the only thing guiding your fate though. By winning battles through a tug-of-war of purification you can gain star shards that can be spent to upgrade dice faces, and even to recruit sentinels for an added dice roll on your behalf. These upgrades plus the safe, balanced, and risky dice that are earned for a successful purification can help in your ongoing mission.

As an Oracle you have three hearts keeping you away from total corruption, and a bar of several links with the potential for sustained purity or gained corruption. By either taking corruption or keeping it at bay you make dice choices per turn to take advantage of an additional Virtue mechanic or deal the purification to the corrupted individual needed to win the fight. 

The Virtue mechanic, itself, comes into play when corruption has been dealt to the Oracle in stages. Each Virtue unlocked via corruption allows for bonus dice actions that can turn the tide of battle by enhancing dice, gaining additional dice, or rerolling die for a better roll. You can even dish out bonus purification if taken down to the proper notch on the meter. The catch is that if a full meter becomes corrupted for the Oracle one of three hearts is lost, and once all three are lost it's GAME OVER!

Choosing what dice to use is the key to winning in, "Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles". That and having a complimentary dice deck is crucial to completion. Each chapter that plays out in-game has a branching roadmap of optional paths pertaining to the types of fights you'll encounter as well as the rewards you'll reap, and the shops you'll gain access to. You'll even find a shrine that can restore lost hearts if needed. The end goal of each chapter is to face off against the lesser enemy types while taking advantages of the bonuses along the way before facing off against that chapter's boss. It is the boss that has an over-corruption meter which must also be fully purified to win.

The more you play, and the more you complete in "Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles" the more you'll unlock. This includes new features, and new Oracles each with their own perks and unlockable gameplay enhancing equipment. It's something to work towards on this very challenging grind.

The Verdict ...

Astrea is a beautifully crafted visual delight enhanced by new age tunes, and a dice building gimmick that is unique to it. It is a tug-of-war style battle system where each decision weighs heavily on the outcome, and while there is an element of RNG to it the game still gives you enough tools to have a hand in the matter. Fans of astronomy and the good versus evil plight will no doubt love this latest addition to the roguelike dice builder genre. I for one had fun playing through it, and learning the ropes of gameplay.