Astrae Oratio director Jong-gyu Lim discusses the game's fighting game-inspired combat, retro romance sim influences, and its upcoming Closed Beta Test starting October 2.
Astrae Oratio Closed Beta Test Set for October 2, Director Talks About Game’s Influences
Classic Fighting Games and Early Romance Sims Gave Inspiration
Astrae Oratio’s Closed Beta Test is set to begin on October 2, giving players their first hands-on look at the upcoming urban fantasy RPG's combat and social systems. Director Jong-gyu Lim discussed at the Tokyo Game Show 2026 the game's aesthetic, fictional Tokyo setting, and the influences behind its core systems.
The team actually inspected what makes fighting games like Street Fighter II and the Tekken series enjoyable. They drew inspiration on how to "incorporate that excitement of trying to read your opponent’s moves, making counter-decisions, and the tension of playing offense and defense in a way that matched Astrae Oratio."
For the game's social and free-time content, they based it on "90s romance simulators", aiming to recapture the feeling of weighing who to spend time with and which relationships to pursue, while pacing things to feel more approachable for a modern audience. In this aspect, Lim added that the game is fully voiced and rendered in 3D, with hand-drawn-style touches, in hopes of having "those familiar with the era to feel a sense of nostalgia" while also allowing newcomers "enjoy it as a fresh experience."
How the Magic x Administration Concept Came to Be
The director also briefly broke down the game's central magic and administration premise, explaining it came from wanting to pair magic with competitive, character-driven action. The combat already captures the magic half of that idea, while the administration side is being designed as long-term, simulation-style content that won't be complete until after launch. Still, he did highlight a limited version of this will be testable during the CBT.
Before the interview ended, it was also addressed why most of the game's marketing so far has been more into nighttime visuals, despite showcasing the existence of a day and night cycle. It was mostly due to wanting to "convey the mysterious atmosphere of the city" but clarified that daytime play is just as integral to the experience.
Story content and time spent at the Special District Office in the "mundane world" unfold during the day, while the game's magical, hidden-world encounters happen at night. As the game has only taken its first few steps leading to launch, with plenty more story and characters still to reveal, they hope fans can look forward to it once the CBT goes live.
