At this year’s Tokyo Game Show event, I was lucky enough to experience a hands-on demo of Astrae Oratio, which is fast becoming one of the most anticipated RPGs on the market. It’s launching in 2027 on mobile and later, on PC. It’s obvious to see the energy surrounding the game; I had to queue for an hour for my 15-minute preview.
I was treated to a brief glimpse of Astrae Oratio’s core gameplay elements, and then I was able to sample some of the upcoming story points. This will certainly be a game to watch out for, as it boasts some slick visuals, a nice streak of humor and emotion, and some stylish combat sequences.
Astrae Oratio Could Be 2027’s Standout Mobile RPG
Astrae Oratio is obviously one of the biggest hitters coming to mobile platforms next year. It was one of the busiest games, queue-wise, at Tokyo Game Show, with players getting a world-first hands-on preview of the charming RPG.
As I walked the streets of Tokyo, I was treated more than once to a peek at some art from Astrae Oratio, including a shot of the game’s characters plastered down the side of a delivery truck. It’s everywhere, and there’s a very good reason why.
I didn’t have long with Astrae Oratio, but what I saw, I really enjoyed. The demo opens with a brief introduction of the Magicians of Minato, three young women with some remarkable skills, spread across both ranged magic attacks and up-close-and-personal sword-based abilities.
Once you’ve assumed control of this team, you’re plunged into an engagement against Kujo Yuria, a warrior from Kyoto with a sword that’s so powerful it slices through metal like it’s no challenge at all. Kujo Yuria has aura, that’s for sure. She’s sure that she’ll be able to trump the Minato trio, but that hubris will be her downfall…
I quickly got to grips with Astrae Oratio’s combat procedure. You take turns, as you can probably imagine, spending action points (AP) to plan your attacks, and once you’re organized and set to go, you’ll enter the ‘Engage Phase’. If you’ve been successful during the Active Phase, you’ll deal some damage, but if not, you’ll need to go on the defensive.
It’s pretty diverse. You need to counter and parry incoming attacks, use ultimate abilities, basic attacks, and heavier offensive skills, all while managing your three core characters and ensuring you keep the balance in the battle.
They throw out some quips, they have each other’s backs, and ultimately, you’re able to utilize their skills to take care of Yuria, but not for long.
That’s basically the entire demo, but there’s also a look at a short trailer that reveals some of the vibes for the story, which seems pretty intriguing and potentially emotional. It was an introduction built in a visual novel style with a memorable soundtrack that gives us a much better idea of how Tanaka Erin, one of the game’s leads, lives her life.
I can already tell it’s going to be tough to pick a favorite character.
There’s still a fair mystery to unravel, but I was very impressed by my preview of Astrae Oratio. The visuals were superb, the game ran beautifully on the Samsung S26 Ultra (my device, which is nice), and the voiceover work was brilliant. At the end of the demo, I was invited to sign up for the Astrae Oratio closed beta test, which I’m now extremely excited for.
Astrae Oratio will be hitting mobile platforms in 2027, and later, it’ll launch on PC. Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server if you’re looking forward to this game.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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