Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch
    Game on Aus
    • News
      ANZPL Season 4 Champions

      World Of Tanks ANZPL Season 4 Grand Final: Champions Decided In Sydney Derby

      June 27, 2022

      The ANZPL Season 4 Grand Final is here. The Sentinels take on the Skorpions to find out who will be the Season 4 champions!

      Best Console Digital Deals of the Week 24/6/2022

      June 23, 2022

      PlayStation has released it’s Mid-Year Sale offerings along with a few great choices for deals to be picked up on…

      Sentinels vs Skorpions to clash in World of Tanks ANZ Premier League Finals

      June 23, 2022

      [This press release has been provided by Wargaming PR and is presented by the GOA team for your information] The…

      Fall Guys is finally available on all platforms…and it’s free!

      June 22, 2022

      The wildly chaotic, battle royale-like party game, Fall Guys, has finally launched on all platforms. Up until today, Fall Guys…

      Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands finally comes to Steam this week

      June 22, 2022

      Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands may have launched on most platforms back in March, however Epic Games had exclusivity of the title…

      View All
    • Reviews

      The Quarry – The Review

      June 24, 2022

      OK readers, I have a secret to tell. And I might lose some of your respect after I tell you.…

      Necesse screenshot

      Necesse – the perfect blend of two iconic indie games

      June 23, 2022

      I really don’t know how to open this other than: more people need to be playing Necesse ASAP, it’s my…

      More D&D Monsters! A review of Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters Of The Multiverse

      June 22, 2022

      THERE are a lot of sourcebooks for Dungeons & Dragons out there. D&D 5e (the current edition) has something like…

      SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

      June 19, 2022

      DESPITE never being the hugest fan of MMO/MOBA games, largely due to my lack of patience and willingness to invest…

      Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Portable Wireless Charger reviewed

      June 17, 2022

      POWERBANKS are a pretty straightforward piece of kit at this point – there’s a battery, in a case, and you…

      View All
    • Podcasts
      game on aus logo

      Predators Beware!

      June 23, 2022

      Stormie’s not well this week so Pete and Jim carry on! The lads chat how many lootboxes you need in…

      Episode 245 Hero Card

      Episode 245: Summer Games Fest!

      June 17, 2022

      Catch up with all the news from a weekend of announcement at Summer Games Fest! Pete, Stormie and Jim talk highlights and lowlights along with games that are just too big!

      Episode 244: Diablows?

      June 9, 2022

      Pete has some things to get off his chest about Diablo Immortal and new Pokemon while Stormie and Jim nod…

      GOA Pod 243

      Episode 243: Happy Birthday Solitaire!

      June 2, 2022

      The gang talk about their cozy Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband, licensing music for games…

      GOA Pod 242

      Episode 242: The Richie Benaud Episode Number

      May 26, 2022

      Two… two four two. Yes, episode 242 is here and like the late, great Richie, it’s marvellous. Pete and Jim…

      View All
    • Categories
      • BY PLATFORM
        • Playstation
        • Xbox
        • Nintendo
        • PC
        • Mobile
        • VR
        • Retro
      • BY GENRE
        • Action
        • Action-Adventure
        • Adventure
        • Battle Royale
        • Fighting
        • FPS
        • Horror Games
        • RPG
        • Simulation
        • Sports
        • MMORPG
        • MOBA
        • Party Game
        • Platformer
        • Puzzle
        • Strategy
        • Survival
        • Indie
      • GOA ESSENTIALS
        • Esports
        • Conventions
        • Tabletop
        • Hardware
        • Furniture
        • Funny
        • Streaming
        • Win
        • Podcast
        • Video
    • More
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
    Game on Aus
    Home » Astrologaster: Stargazing, Elizabethan-style
    INDIE

    Astrologaster: Stargazing, Elizabethan-style

    Royce WilsonBy Royce WilsonJuly 26, 2019
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    ELIZABETHAN medicine was a worrying affair of home remedies, guesswork, outright nonsense and sometimes – if you were very lucky – something approaching actual science.

    Astrology is not an actual science, but it was one of the ways Elizabethan doctors could try and diagnose their patients ailments, and is the subject of the quirky and fun game Astrologaster, developed by Nyamyam for iOS and PC.

    The game casts you as Dr Simon Forman, an Elizabethan physician who has taken to using astrology to diagnose his querents (patients) in late 1590s London, since that was about as effective as most of the other medical treatment available at the time.

    To be fair to Dr Forman, his role is not just as a physician, but also a sort of counsellor, with many people seeking his advice on whether to invest in expeditions to The New World or apply for a role as a Bishop or whether they should marry a particular person.

    The humorous Elizabethan-style songs in the game before each character visit really add to the atmosphere and setting in Astrologaster.

    After a querent comes to you with an issue, you then consult an astrological chart to work out one of a number of answers to their question, make your diagnosis, and then give your response to the querent. They may or may not like the answer, however – even if you know from the 21st century (or sneakily looking it up on Wikipedia) how the event actually played out in real life.

    What is really surprising is the game is largely based in fact. Many of the people in the game – from Dr Forman to several of his patients – really existed, the maladies were real ones people came to him seeking treatment, and the ‘cures’ he prescribed were similarly factual, all recorded in his voluminous notebooks which are now in the Bodleian Library at Cambridge University.

    Astrologaster deliberately takes a light tone and it’s almost impossible not to be reminded of shows like Upstart Crow and Quacks while playing.

    The graphics are fairly simple, but presented in the style of a pop-up book, and it proves a surprisingly effective way to do things.

    The real star of the game is the writing, which is superbly done by Katharine Neil –  it’s very understated and quintessentially British, and also leaves some room for interpretation as to how much of the astrology the game Dr Forman actually believes and how much of it is him using it as a cover to dispense advice using information he has obtained in other ways.

    The main theme of the game is using late Elizabethan astrology to divine the solutions to your querent’s problems.

    Another highlight are the humorous madrigals (a type of Elizabethan song that was the pop music of its day) introducing each character interaction – each of which was especially composed for the game.

    Dr Forman and each of the 12 patients in the game are fully voice-acted, which really adds to the experience over the six to eight hours or so it takes to finish the game.

    The game has naturally been fictionalised in several ways, including toning down Dr Forman’s involvement in magic (and his predilection for the ladies), and one or two characters are included for comic relief, but the amount of research the development team have put into the game is staggering.

    Every consultation has a date and time associated with it, and the star charts displayed in the game show the positions of planets and stars for this exact date and time, as seen from the London suburb of Lambeth (where Dr Forman’s practice was located), as ascertained used real 16th and 17th century star charts.

    How much of Dr Forman’s astrological readings are inspired by the stars and how much of it is intuition, cold reading or his own knowledge is something the game leaves open for the player’s interpretation.

    Astrology enthusiasts may get quite a bit out of the game, but as someone who tends to agree with the point of the Weird Al Yankovic song Your Horoscope For Today I found it still very playable from the point of view of a multi-choice narrative game with a great historical setting and an entertaining cast of quirky characters.

    Overall, Astrologaster is a fascinating look at an aspect of a little-known part of Elizabethan history and once you’ve finished the game, if you want to find out more then the archives relating to the real Dr Forman and his patients are available free online at a dedicated site from Cambridge University too.

    There’s a lot to like here, especially for fans of history and the offbeat – so if that’s you, then you don’t need to look to the stars to know Astrologaster is a game you’ll want to check out.

    Royce Wilson is a Brisbane-based freelance games and technology writer; follow him on Twitter @RoyceWilsonAU

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleJared’s Game Deals – 25/07
    Next Article Jared’s Game Deals – 27/07

    Related Posts

    HORROR GAMES June 24, 2022

    The Quarry – The Review

    OK readers, I have a secret to tell. And I might lose some of your respect after I tell you.…

    FEATURE June 24, 2022

    10 of the best games published by Devolver Digital

    I found myself genuinely surprised in the early hours after Devolver Digital’s recent showcase, as I searched my way through…

    Subscribe

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Ads
    Advertisement
    Categories
    • ACTION
    • ACTION-ADVENTURE
    • ADVENTURE
    • BATTLE ROYALE
    • CLOUD GAMING
    • CONVENTIONS
    • ESPORTS
    • FEATURE
    • FIGHTING
    • FPS
    • FUNNY
    • FURNITURE
    • GOA
    • HARDWARE
    • HORROR GAMES
    • INDIE
    • MMORPG
    • MOBA
    • MOBILE
    • NEWS
    • NINTENDO
    • Open-World
    • OPINION
    • PARTY GAME
    • PC
    • PLATFORMER
    • PLAYSTATION
    • PODCAST
    • PREVIEW
    • PUZZLE
    • RACING
    • RETRO
    • REVIEW
    • RPG
    • SIMULATION
    • SPORTS
    • STRATEGY
    • STREAMING
    • SURVIVAL
    • TABLETOP GAMING
    • TECH
    • VIDEO
    • VR
    • XBOX
    Related Article
    Minsc & Boo
    TABLETOP GAMING

    My favourite cards from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate

    June 27, 2022ArlentricBy Arlentric

    Dungeons & Dragons lore and storytelling meets the world’s most popular collectable card game: Magic: the Gathering in the recently released card set Commander Legends: Battle…

    ANZPL Season 4 Champions
    ESPORTS

    World Of Tanks ANZPL Season 4 Grand Final: Champions Decided In Sydney Derby

    June 27, 2022Darren 'Str8JaktJim' MacneallBy Darren 'Str8JaktJim' Macneall

    The ANZPL Season 4 Grand Final is here. The Sentinels take on the Skorpions to find out who will be the Season 4 champions!

    FEATURE

    Raven’s Top JPRGs to Play until Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

    June 26, 2022Rachael ArmstongBy Rachael Armstong

    JUST over a week ago, the next chapter of the Final Fantasy VII: Remake series of games was shown off. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth…

    Game on Australia Logo

    Game On Aus is an Australian games publication working across written, video and podcast, and supported by an ever-growing community of content creators and fans!

    Copyright GameOnAus 2022. Privacy Policy

    CONTENT
    • News
    • Gaming Reviews
    • Podcast
    • Tech
    • Indie
    ABOUT GOA
    • About Us
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.