Astrologaster

Astrologaster is a comedy narrative adventure video game developed and published by Nyamyam. It was released for iOS on 2 May 2019, for Microsoft Windows and macOS on 9 May 2019, and for Nintendo Switch on 18 February 2021. The game centres around the historical 16th-century physician and astrologer Simon Forman and the characters he encounters, who demand diagnoses, treatments, and sometimes to be read fortunes written in the stars.

Not to be confused with Astrologer.
Astrologaster
Developer(s)Nyamyam
Publisher(s)Nyamyam
Director(s)Jennifer Schneidereit
Writer(s)Katharine Neil
Composer(s)Andrea Boccadoro
Platform(s)iOS
Microsoft Windows
macOS
Nintendo Switch
ReleaseiOS
May 2, 2019
Windows, macOS
May 9, 2019
Nintendo Switch
February 18, 2021

Gameplay

The player controls Simon Forman (Dave Jones), a real-life astrologer, occultist, and herbalist active in London during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I of England. After examining the skies for hints about patients' personal lives, the player can suggest a treatment or course of action for them. The game was inspired by Forman's casebooks.[1][2] A number of patients are based on real historical figures including Emilia Lanier (Katherine Rodden), Robert Devereux (Rich Keeble), Thomas Blague (Richard Reed) and Alice Blague (Natalie Winter).

Development

The game was developed by Nyamyam after creative director Jennifer Schneidereit saw Lauren Kassell present her research on Simon Forman's casebooks at the University of Cambridge. Inspired by the wealth of character and story material, and with the help of Kassel's research team, Nyamyam researched Forman's life and original patient records for inspiration for the game's characters and stories.[3]

Reception

The game was released for iOS on 2 May 2019, for Microsoft Windows and macOS on 9 May 2019, and for Nintendo Switch on 18 February 2021.[9][10]

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the PC version received mixed or average reviews while the iOS version received generally favourable reviews from critics.[4][5][6]

Astrologaster was featured on The Gadget Show[11] and appeared on a number of "best of" lists for video games in 2019.[12][13][14][15][16]

Astrologaster was nominated for "Excellence in Audio" at the 22nd Annual IGF Awards,[17] and for "Best Music for an Indie Game", "Best Music in a Casual Game", and "Best Original Choral Composition" at the 18th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards.[18]

In 2023 Astrologaster was featured in the British Library Digital Storytelling Exhibit,[19] during which a Q&A was held with Schneidereit and Kassell alongside performances of songs from the game's soundtrack by a live vocal quartet.[20][21]

References
  1. Caldwell, Brendan (2019-05-14). "Wot I Think: Astrologaster". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  2. MacDonald, Keza (2019-05-09). "Astrologaster review – comedy quack stalks the streets of Shakespeare". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  3. "Press Kit". A comedy written in the stars. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  4. "Astrologaster". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  5. "Astrologaster". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  6. "Astrologaster". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  7. Juba, Joe (May 10, 2019). "Game Audio Network Guild Announces 18th Annual G.A.N.G. Award Nominees". Game Informer. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. Gray, Kate (February 28, 2021). "Astrologaster Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  9. Twitter https://twitter.com/nyamyamgames/status/1111239835933700096. Retrieved 2022-12-20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. www.webdevo.ie; Fugate, Daniel (2021-02-04). "Call Your Astrologaster to the Nintendo Switch on February 18th". GamesReviews.com. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  11. "S29 Featured Games of The Week | Gadget Show Competition Prizes". Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  12. "The 30 Best Videogames of 2019". pastemagazine.com. 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  13. "IGP's Indie Stars of 2019: 'Astrologaster'". Indie Games Plus. 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  14. "My favourite combat free games of 2019". Find the Strawberry. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  15. Bald, Cameron (2019-12-30). "Top 5 Best Games you might have missed in 2019". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  16. "AppUnwrapper's Favorite iOS Games of 2019 (GOTY List)". AppUnwrapper. 2019-12-29. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  17. "Here are your finalists for the 2020 Independent Games Festival Awards!". Independent Games Festival. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  18. Wilson, Kelly (2020-02-13). "Game Audio Network Guild Announces 18th Annual G.A.N.G. Award Nominees". The Hype Magazine. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  19. "British Library announces a new interactive exhibition showcasing how technology is transforming storytelling". British Library Press Office. 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  20. "Digital Storytelling: Astrologaster". The British Library. 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  21. https://blogs.bl.uk/digital-scholarship/2023/09/huzzah-hear-the-songs-from-astrologaster-live-at-the-library.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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