View source for Astal

{{Bob
| bobscreen=Astal_Title.png
| publisher=[[Sega]]
| developer=[[Sega]]
| system= [[Sega Saturn]]
| releases={{releases
| sat_date_us=1995
| sat_code_us=81019
| sat_date_jp=1995-04-28
| sat_rrp_jp=5,800
| sat_code_jp=GS-9019
| sat_date_br=199x
}}
| genre=Action
| esrb=ka
| sega=all
| tectoy=6
| romsize=598MB (JP), 606MB (US)
|}}
'''''Astal''''', known as '''''Kisuishou Densetsu Astal''''' (輝水晶伝説アスタル) in Japan, is a 2D platformer created by [[Sega]] exclusively for the [[Sega Saturn]]. It was originally released in April 1995 in Japan before subsequently seeing a release in North America and Brazil. Curiously the game was never released in Europe, despite initial plans.

''Astal'' was not a launch title in western regions, though was brought to the Saturn in its "software drought" period, created when [[Sega of America]] unexpectedly brought the console's launch several months forward. Though reviews of the game were not stellar, it became a common and relatively well-known Saturn title in the regions it was sold in due to a lack of alternative software. ''Astal'' has yet to be bought to any other platforms or see any sequels since release.

==Story==
''~Astal's Tale~''

''My story begins on a world that's different from your Earth. This is the legend of the beginning of the world of Quartalia.''

''Quartalia was created by our goddess, Antowas. Out of precious gems she made the land and sea, the mountains and the trees. And finally, from her last two jewels she created us. From a green jewel, Antowas created Leda, who has the power to make things live on Quartalia. From a red jewel, she created me, and made me really strong and powerful so I could keep Leda safe. Leda and I are as different as night and day. Leda is gentle and sweet and could never hurt anybody. I have a short temper, and sometimes I overdo things. That's what happened this time.''

''Unknown to us, the demon Jerado had been watching Antowas work. He wanted to rule a world all his own, but his powers weren't as strong as Antowas', and he didn't have the strength to make his own world. Instead he plotted to take over Quartalia, and change it the way he liked.''

''Exhausted from her work, Antowas fell asleep. That's when Jerado made his move. The first part of his plan was to get rid of Leda and me, and he created a powerful warrior named Geist to do the dirty work. One day, while I was taking a nap, Geist stole Leda away. I searched and searched, and I tore Quartalia apart looking for her. I finally found her, trapped in a crystal  on the bottom of the sea.''

''Once I rescued Leda, I thought things could get back to normal, but the ruckus I caused woke Antowas up. When she saw the mess I'd made, boy, was she angry! When Leda found out about my punishment, she was heartbroken, and gave her green jewel to me to keep. Then Antowas sent me to Quartalia's moon, where I would stay out of trouble. Finally, Antowas used up the rest of her power to deal with Jerado, then fell into another deep sleep....''

''Now Jerado was out of the action, but Geist was still free. One day, from my prison on the moon, I saw him capture Leda again! This was too much! I destroyed my prison, broke my chains and headed back to Quartalia.''

''Nothing in the world means more to me than Leda—nothing! I will find her. I will find the one who took her, and I will deal with him! It's only a matter of time.''

''Quartalia has changed. The demon Jerado has transformed it somehow, and none of the creatures who now live here are friendly. Except for this bird I rescued, who for some reason, just won't leave me alone....''

==Gameplay==
''Astal'' is a 2D platform game which supports one or two players. Player 1 plays as "Astal", alongside a cooperative buddy, a bird, which can assist Astal in several ways. In single player mode, Astal gives commands to this bird to attack enemies, retrieve health or even perform context sensitive actions that are specific to certain levels, however in two player mode, the bird can be controlled by a second player instead. Two player mode also allows both players to team up and perform attacks together, with the downside being that the bird now has a health bar, and both players share the same lives counter.

Hints on how to defeat bosses are hidden within the opening cinematic.

In the overseas (i.e. non-Japanese) version, the player's hit points are reduced to three and the opening cinematic music is changed.

==Production Credits==
{{multicol|
'''Planning/Original Concept:''' Tsuyoshi Sugai, Motomu Hayashi<br/>
'''Game Design:''' Tsuyoshi Sugai, Masahito Shimizu<br/>
'''Character Design:''' Motomu Hayashi<br/>
'''Original Story:''' Motomu Hayashi, Toshiyasu Kamiko<br/>
'''Art Director:''' Mika Okada<br/>
'''Music Director:''' Yukifumi Makino<br/>
'''Programmers:'''<br/>
'''Main Programmer:''' Kazuyuki Mukaida<br/>
'''Player Programmer:''' Kazuyuki Mukaida, Atsutoshi Takahashi<br/>
'''System Programmer:''' Yoshiyuki Kumazaki (Hitachi TS)<br/>
'''Enemy Programmer:''' Atsutoshi Takahashi, Shin Futakawame, Hiroaki Sakamoto, Yoshiyuki Kumazaki (Hitachi TS), Yasumaro Hotta<br/>
'''Tools Production:''' Takashi Ando<br/>
'''Special Effects Production:''' Takashi Ando<br/>
'''Programming Coordinator:''' Atsutoshi Takahashi<br/>
'''Planning:'''<br/>
'''Map Design/Enemy Settings:''' Tsuyoshi Sugai, Toshiyasu Kamiko, Masaru Ohnuma<br/>
'''Artists:'''<br/>
'''Background:''' Mika Okada, Naoko Hamada, Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, Masahiro Sanpei, Saori Wada<br/>
'''Character Production:''' Motomu Hayashi, Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, Naoko Hamada, Yukinobu Asai, [[Yuji Uekawa]]<br/>
'''3D Graphics Operator:''' Shiroh Kinemura<br/>
'''Title Design:''' Mika Okada, Hiroyuki Kawaguchi<br/>
'''Sound Staff:'''<br/>
'''Music/Sound Effects:''' [[Tatsuyuki Maeda]], [[Tatsuya Kousaki]]<br/>
'''Recording Staff:''' Tatsutoshi Narita, Naoyuki Machida, Shinji Kawahira, Fumitaka Shibata, Invision Interactive (SEGA SOUND LIBRARY BY Invision Interactive Inc.)<br/>
'''Animation Staff:'''<br/>
'''Introduction Production/Editing:''' Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, Toshiyasu Kamiko, Yoshio Inoue, Mika Okada, Ryuta Ueda<br/>
'''Director:''' Toshihiko Masuda (Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co., LTD.)<br/>
'''Art Director:''' Toshihiko Masuda (Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co., LTD.)<br/>
'''Color:''' Tomoko Sakai (Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co., LTD.)<br/>
'''Producer:''' Koji Takeuchi (Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co., LTD.)<br/>
'''Opening/Ending Theme Music:''' "Let me try again!", "Shining World"<br/>
'''Music By:''' [[Tatsuyuki Maeda]]<br/>
'''Arranged By:''' [[Tatsuyuki Maeda]]<br/>
'''Ending/Event Animation Production:''' Masahiro Sanpei, Saori Wada, Tatsuyuki Maeda, Yukinobu Asai, Motomu Hayashi, Mika Okada, Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, Takashi Ando<br/>
'''End Credits Background:''' Mika Okada, Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, Masaru Ohnuma, Takashi Ando, Miho Takayanagi, Hiroshi Nishiyama<br/>
'''Special Thanks:''' Kumi Hasegawa, Kenji Satoh, Jun-ichi Tsuchiya, [[Hiroshi Asoh]], Noriyoshi Ohba, Syu-ichi Katagi, Toshinori Asai, Koh Tanaka, [[Atsushi Seimiya]], Kiyotaka Ogawa, Shin-ichi Higashi, Kentaroh Yoshida, Takashi Iwade, Michikazu Tamamura, Hirotsugu Kobayashi, James M. Spahn<br/>
'''Director:''' Masahito Shimizu<br/>
'''Producer:''' Makoto Oshitani<br/>
'''Executive Producer:''' Mamoru Shigeta<br/>
===SEGA of America===
'''Producer:''' Erik Wahlberg<br/>
'''Assistant Producer:''' Bill Person<br/>
'''Product Manager:''' Lori Von Rueden<br/>
'''Voice Actor:''' [[Lani Minella]]<br/>
'''Voice Producer:''' Mark Steven Miller<br/>
'''Translators:''' Osamu Shibamiya<br/>
'''Lead Tester:''' Gregg Vogt<br/>
'''Assistant Leads:''' Stan Weaver, Stephen Wong<br/>
'''Teasters:''' Crisi Albertson, Blair Bullock, Tim Turner, Nicole Tatum, Lorne Asuncion, Chris Colon, Steve Rapp, Kim Rogers, Arnold Feener, Eric Molina, Tim Spengler, Jeff Hedges, Ed Riel, Niel Musser<br/>
'''Manual:''' Wendy Dinsmore<br/>
Copyright SEGA Enterprises., LTD.
}}

==Physical Scans==
{{ratings
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| cdconsoles=72
| cdconsoles_source={{num|8|page=114/115/116/117}}
| consolesplus=90
| consolesplus_source={{num|44|page=110/111/112}}
| cvg=62
| cvg_source={{num|164}}
| edge=50
| edge_source={{num|22|page=65}}
| maniac=70
| mms=53
| mms_source={{num|33|page=82/83}}
| segapro=92
| segapro_source={{num|46|page=34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41}}
}}{{Scanbox
| console=Saturn
| region=US
| front=AstalBox_us.jpg
| back=AstalBack_us.jpg
| disc=Astal Saturn US Disc.jpg
| manual=Astal sat us manual.pdf
}}{{Scanbox
| console=Saturn
| region=JP
| front=Astal sat jp frontcover.jpg
| back=Astal sat jp backcover.jpg
| disc=Astal sat jp disc.jpg
| square=yes
}}{{Scanbox
| console=Saturn
| region=BR
| front=Astal BR cover.jpg
}}