Astra promises a 'very personal' mixed reality adventure through the cosmos on Quest.
Developed between Atlas V and Albyon with Eliza McNitt (Bulbs) as a director, Astra tries to transform your room into a spaceship in a 'deeply personal' adventure that touches on loss, grief and family heritage. Your mission involves traveling the universe to discover the mysteries of life. Following the research left behind by your astrobiologist mother, Astra's journey takes you to various planets and moons such as Jupiter and Titan.
It took about 45 minutes to complete in practice, and Astra's premise initially reminded me of Starship Home. Both games turn your living room into a spaceship using mixed reality, although Creature's upcoming debut game focuses on befriending alien plants. Astra takes an almost educational approach to this trip and although the planetary images are not as sharp as something like that Red matter 2it feels impressive to see these worlds from orbit.
Starting with a box of your mother's belongings, Astra's story unfolds through audio logs. It chronicles her adventures as she researches the chemical elements necessary for life on other planets, and provides a compelling story that piqued my interest. Although you can use controllers, tracking by hand feels more natural, even if performing certain actions felt a bit clunky at times.
A command console will appear on your chosen wall to choose your next location. To reach your destination, you are teleported downwards, stepping into a specific circle as a field of light envelops you. It's a visually appealing approach that reminds me of Star Trek's transporters. After arriving at the surface, you are tasked with analyzing elements local to each moon or planet.
Scanning elements can feel quite repetitive. Waving your hand in front of the headset, reaching for anything in sight and making a 'grabbing' motion when the shapes overlap is functional but not particularly exciting. However, I appreciated that Astra becomes a more educational experience when you return to the spaceship. Your cosmic laboratory describes how each element affects these worlds, aided by a good user interface.
There's not much else I can say without ruining this short experience, but Atlas V and Albyon have delivered an enjoyable adventure among the stars. While Astra's gameplay can feel repetitive at times, there is an intriguing personal story that weaves well into the mixed reality.
Astra is available from today on the Meta-quest platform.