Astrologaster

Genre: Visual Novel

Players: 1

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Review:

Astrologaster is a Visual Novel released on PC and mobile devices in 2019 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021. This game puts players in the role of an unlicensed doctor in the late 1800s seeking to treat a variety of patients by reading astrological signs, assisting them both in medical matters and in acts that are little more than fortune-telling about things like love and finance.

It seems ironically prescient that this would be the topic for a game first released in 2019, when its topic matter about a practitioner of pseudoscience seems all the more relevant in the wake of… well, in the wake of more recent pseudoscience being pushed as an alternative to scientifically-proven treatments during a time of great medical need.

Despite this game clearly having no desire to hold back in its satire of such quackery, it is nevertheless surprisingly even-handed in that satire. This game’s protagonist, “Doctor” Simon Forman (based on a real-life historical figure), may be for all intents and purposes peddling snake oil, but he does so truly believing in his diagnoses and intending to help those who seek his guidance, although Forman does at times allow his own self-interest to interfere with his work in ways that are ethically questionable. Meanwhile, his clientele are not treated as fools by the game for believing Forman (save for a few comic relief characters), but as normal people who ar simply ignorant to the hogwash they are being administered… and even that has its limits.

That’s not to say that this game tones down its humor for the sake of making more realistic characters – Astrologaster is delightfully funny, in part due to its biting satire of antiquated medical diagnoses (speaking of things like “black bile”, “choleric temperament” and “ill humours”, to give you an idea), and in part due to the farcical nature of its content juxtaposed against vaguely Shakespearean English that is often seen as an indication of refinement and class (generally by people who don’t know just how lowbrow Shakespheare could be). As one example, when Forman manages to woo a patient, he jots a note in her file – “coitus post consultatio”.

Much of the humor of this game also comes from its delightful cast of well-crafted and well-written characters, each of whom has a wonderfully expressive personality. And none are more compelling than Forman himself, who throughout the game is delicate with his wording so as not to upset his sensitive patients. Much thanks for this game’s excellent presentation is owed to the superb voice acting by all parties that perfectly conveys the character and tone of each situation – Forman’s habit of delicately choosing his words, Avis Allen’s frustration at Forman’s intentional obtuseness when she’s trying to be delicate in her wording, and Emilia Lanier’s no-nonsense tone, just to name a few of this game’s memorable cast.

The soundtrack here is also delightfully fitting both to the historical nature of the game and to its humorous nature, with each new chapter beginning with a chorus singing an introduction to Forman’s upcoming client, or updating the player on the latest development in his own personal story. I am almost loathe to give examples because anything I could link you to would probably be a spoiler, but if you’re not worried about spoilers, here is Fap Not, Forman.

As for the graphics, this game is presented as a pop-up book, with its characters moving like paper dolls. Given the tongue-in-cheek nature of the story and its historical nature, this seems fairly fitting, and the artwork used to create these paper dolls and their backdrops are appealing, colorful, and do a good job evoking the era.

As for the gameplay, there is more to this game than following the stories of these characters. Over the course of the game, players will hear the concerns of Forman’s patients and then be asked to “read the stars” to find an answer to the patient’s question. Here, the game does something quite clever, as these answers are not random – in some cases, a bit of passing knowledge of real-world medicine can point to a correct answer. In others, knowing a bit of history can give the player insight into the events Forman seeks answers on but cannot possibly know. In some cases, simply being observant and reading all of the information available to you can point in the right direction. And then of course there’s always the possibility that you’ll stumble upon the correct answer out of sheer dumb luck, as these are after all multiple-choice questions with limited possible answers.

While these diagnoses are somewhat episodic in nature, the game does build up a story gradually over the course of multiple visits from patients, with Forman building a rapport with his patients, and in some cases even becoming involved in their lives. And overall, players must endear themselves to enough of their patients to acquire enough letters of recommendation to secure a medical license, lest he be imprisoned (or worse) for practicing without a license. As such, players have multiple reasons to play through this game repeatedly – not just to hear the ridiculous diagnoses he gives to his patients, but also to improve his readings to get a different ending.

If there’s a flaw in the gameplay, it is that some of the answers to the questions patients ask aren’t necessarily clear. Often, all of the solutions you’re offered by the game seem like fictions debunked by medical practitioners ages ago, yet you’re expected to know which of these fake cures is the correct one. And while I don’t doubt there are subtle hints in these descriptions I overlooked, it’s still frustrating when it seems like you’re offered nothing but bad choices by design.

Still, I suppose if Astrologaster allowed players to play a prescient medical genius rather than a bumbling charlatan, it wouldn’t be true to the topic matter of the game. In the end, Astrologaster largely succeeds in what it sets out to do – it creates a compelling story about a mostly well-meaning, self-assured medical fraud full of wit and satire, and fans of Visual Novels who think they would enjoy a delightful farce with Shakespearean influences should absolutely give this game a look.

tl;dr – Astrologaster is a Visual Novel about a late-1500s unlicensed doctor who diagnoses patients by reading astrological signs. It’s a well-written and wonderfully voice-acted farce with wonderful characters and a great sense of humor, with clever (albeit at times unclear) situations to diagnose using the power of the stars (or more often, observation and historical insight). Anyone who enjoys Visual Novels and would delight in a funny Shakespherean romp through a tale of medical quackery should definitely give this game a look.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Winner:

Funniest Game – There were quite a few very funny games this year, but Astrologaster was the one that probably had me laughing the most, with its absurd pseudo-science, its fussy protagonist, its juxtaposition of pretentious medical terminology and Shakesphearian presentation with its backwards medical practices and the highly unethical conduct of its protagonist. Heck, you even have a chorus introducing the game’s chapters with songs like Fap Not, Forman. Heck, I probably should have led with Fap Not, Forman…

Best New Character (Simon Forman) – I don’t think any character on Nintendo Switch this year has been as nuanced and layered as Astrologaster’s protagonist. On the one hand, he is indeed a peddler of false treatments who gives his patients potentially dangerous diagnoses in their times of great need, and Forman’s unethical actions often exploit his position of power to profit him personally, meddling in the personal affairs of his patients (“coitus post consultatio”, indeed). On the other hand, Forman genuinely believes in the treatments he administers, sees himself as taking a great risk to help those seeking his guidance, and as for becoming romantically involved with patients, well… how can a man deny true love? Er… true love with another man’s wife… Yeah, suffice it to say, Forman certainly isn’t the hero he thinks he is, but neither is he necessarily a straightforward villain. This depth and nuance makes him my pick for the best new character on Nintendo Switch in 2021.

Runner-Up: Most Original, Best Voice Acting, Best Story, Best Graphic Adventure / Visual Novel

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