Astrae Oratio Reveals Real‑Time Turn‑Based Combat at Tokyo Game Show

Tokyo Game Show is buzzing, and one of the louder whispers coming from the expo floor is about Astrae Oratio’s brand‑new combat demo. The magical‑girl RPG, which first sparked interest earlier this summer, finally got a chance to let visitors actually press buttons and feel the fight system in action.

The game drops you into an alternate 1989 Tokyo – neon lights, VHS tapes, and a whole lot of mystical mayhem. You play as a Shunin, a low‑level civil servant stationed at the Special District Office, tasked with keeping the everyday mundane and the supernatural from colliding too hard. Think city‑bureaucrat by day, magic‑hunter by night.

What really caught our eye was the combat, which the developers describe as “real‑time turn‑based.” In practice, that means you can actually watch an enemy’s move cue up, then decide how to answer. It feels a bit like a rock‑paper‑scissors game: you either choose the correct counter‑action or you “tag out” one of your party members to dodge the blow.

It isn’t all cute and tidy, though. Some foes unleash attacks that can’t be blocked outright, forcing you to think less about winning a single exchange and more about soaking up as little damage as possible. That’s where the tagging mechanic shines – you can hop between characters, stringing together their abilities, and as you do, a Dominion Gauge fills up. Once it’s brimming, you can unleash a Declaration of Dominion, a big‑screen‑style finishing move that can turn the tide.

The demo at TGS was the first time anyone could actually get hands‑on with this system, and while the writers can describe it in glossy terms, watching players scramble, grin, and occasionally flail gave us a more honest sense of how lively and chaotic the fights feel. We’ll be keeping an eye on early reactions as the show rolls on.

If you want to stay ahead of the curve on upcoming mobile releases, keep an eye on Pocket Gamer’s features and round‑ups – there’s always something new on the horizon, from magical city‑scapes to bullet‑hell brawlers.