Of the many games on Switch, Astral Chain has possibly one of the most distinct art styles out there. This likely owed in part to the fact that character design was handled by mangaka Masakazu Katsura, known for his works Zetman and Shadow Lady, amongst others.
But this is also a PlatinumGames game, which means it is defined even further by its exhilarating combat and engaging enemy design. And this of course extends to the many bosses of Astral Chain, too, and their corrupted, otherwordly designs.
10 Crius, A Roadblock
Crius is fought in the latter half of the game. After an encounter with Jena Anderson atop the heliport of the Neuron HQ, you give chase to her into the city. Of course, you face plenty of opposition along the way from other enemies but you face your most difficult threat in Crius.
In a scene very reminiscent of the opening scene of the game on your motorcycle, you must now fight Crius with the help of your legion. Though by no means the game's most elaborate boss fight, the beauty of the tunnel and its bleeding neon lights flashing past as you defeat this monster of another world is a great feeling.
9 First Encounter With The Raven Unit
Another later fight is with the revelation of what exactly the Raven unit of Neuron is. Though not strictly a boss fight, it provides an encounter unlike anything else in the game at that point.
You are brought face-to-face with enemies that finally fight exactly like you, legions and all. Down in a sewer at the bottom of the world, just you and your own legions have to battle off wave after wave of these ravens. In this fight, Astral Chain isn't afraid to show its anime roots.
8 Homonculus Δ, The Towering Colossus
Though there are many homunculus battles throughout the game, this is the final and by all means grandest one. On soaring pillars, you stare down on the drenched neon skyline below while this giant towers above you.
The soundtrack blares its mix of orchestral highs and electronic beats as you have your legion drag you from pillar to pillar, using the game's unique combat system to its advantage, as you begin to tie down homunculus Δ and finally defeat it.
7 Nemesis Legion Fights
In Astral Chain, you have five legions at your disposal. Though before you can unlock them, you have to beat them first in various missions over the course of the story. And all of these fights give you a taste of the legions before you face them.
The sword legion's dashing strikes, the arrow legion's raining arrows, or the ominous maze you have to traverse before fighting the axe legion and its heavy strikes and shields. They each highlight the legions' strengths and weaknesses, and helps you in your later fight with the Raven unit too.
6 Astraeus-Capaneus, Lords Of Lightning And Wind
This boss is a funny one as they are an entirely optional encounter yet feature all their own cutscenes. When traveling the rooftops of the slums in File Six, you can take a certain detour before being funneled into a very obvious boss arena. But the fight itself is quite a unique one.
Amidst the downpour on the dilapidated rooftops, you fight Astraeus and Capaneus, users of lightning and wind. They are a formidable foe in their own right. And though other enemies in the game can link their attacks together, they don't quite function like this. When their health is lowered, the two feature in a unique cutscene whereby they fuse in a very Dragon Ball dance that sees them form into a wholly unique enemy.
5 Kyle, Leader Of The Hermits
A name featured prominently throughout the game is that of Kyle, leader of the Holy Order of the Digital Hermit. But his real standout feature is his design. He features dreadlocks made from wires and wears a mask with a digital face to match his emotional state, all while dressed in a long orange and black coat and boots.
His fight carries this same eccentricity, leaping from place to place and attacking you with his katana while continually calling in more and more reinforcements in an attempt to overwhelm you. Kyle doesn't even let you defeat him, instead deciding you are worthy enough after dealing enough damage.
4 The Final Noah Fights
The final fights of the game are those against Noah, a very obvious biblical but also Evangelion-inspired enemy. Noah is unique, going through four distinct phases that are almost all entirely different.
The first is Noah, Soul of Ambition. A giant three-faced amalgamation of legions and raven unit clones and Yoseph, the game's antagonist, this phase is one in which you can't fight back - just survive until you are sucked into the Noah Core, a wireframe looking boss and area that must be purged before you can face the final two phases, Noah Prime and Final Noah Prime.
3 All The Jena Anderson Fights
After a certain point, you finally come face-to-face with Jena Anderson, the pseudo-antagonist of the game. Jena sought to stop Yoseph and used any means to stop you from delaying her. She lived long enough in the Astral Plane that she could shift her body and move at incredible speed as you fought her above the Neuron HQ heliport as Jena Aberrant. Following this fight, you give chase into the city.
Here, she takes a drug that forces her evolution into a more pure being of the Astral Plane, Jena Asymbiote. She sprouts wings and circles you gracefully as she attempts to take you down. But she is once again forced by rage into a final, monstrous phase, Jena Apotheosis. Amidst a ruined city and flying skyscrapers you make your way to her and finally put an end to her suffering.
2 Akira-Legion Fusion
Immediately following the fight against the Raven unit for the first time, which included your sibling Akira, you are forced to fight them once again. But they are different this time. Pushed to the brink of life-and-death, their legion fuses with them to keep them alive. This fusion is a monstrous chimera, almost impossible to defeat.
Impossible, until your legion decides also to fuse with you, turning you into a chimera much the same as your sibling but with full control. As your transformation completes, the music track Dark Hero kicks in (a song whose vocals change depending on the sibling you play as) as you chase each other across this expansive room until you finally emerge victorious. Here, Astral Chain chooses to fully indulge itself.
1 Aether, The Final Challenge
Finally, is a boss that can only be encountered in the post-game. The final file of the game is dedicated to challenge missions of fighting off waves of enemies in various locations classed as cleaning up the final chimeras in the city known as the Ark. But at the end of this is the wholly unique boss, Aether.
Aether's power is wholly above those of other bosses, the game itself classing Aether as being on par with Noah Prime. Throughout this fight, the game's main theme Saviour plays in the background, a song not used in other gameplay scenarios. But as you reach the second phase of the fight, the lyrics seamlessly kick in, and the tempo of the whole fight increases. There's not a feeling quite like it when the stakes feel raised like that. The fight demands patience and skill, but it's a victory unlike any other.