Astro Boy: Edge Of Time

The subject of this article is non-canon.

The information within the article is not canonical in the Astro Boy Series .

Astro Boy: Edge of Time was a digital trading card game created by Project Atom, a sub-studio within Active Gaming Media. The game was first announced in 2016 with a Kickstarter campaign, and released in 2017 for mobile phones and home computers.

Summary[]

"Join Astro Boy and a colorful cast of heroes on an incredible CCG adventure through a mysterious futuristic city floating at the edge of time and space."

History[]

In 2015, the game began development between Active Gaming Media and Tezuka Productions. It would later be publicly announced via a Kickstarter on August 23, 2016. The Kickstarter offered in-game assets and merchandise as backer rewards for pledges towards the $50,000 USD goal.^[1] Despite the immediate fandom response, the project did not reach its financial goal in time. Edge of Time was pushed back while Active Gaming Media returned to relying on in-house funding for the game.

On June 20, 2017, Edge of Time officially launched in a playable state. It was available on iOS and Android smartphones, and for PC through the Steam Store and DMM Games. Its available language interfaces were English or Japanese. Reviews were mixed, with some taking issue with the game's AI difficulty and unskippable, lengthy dialogue.^[2] Elsewhere, Osamu Tezuka fans were dismayed by the game's setting, citing the gritty, harsh cyberpunk redesigns of Tezuka characters. As well, the player could not choose to "main" a Tezuka character, and were only able to choose an avatar character from a group of original Active Gaming Media characters. Edge of Time continued service through 2017, also releasing expansion packs along the way that added more Tezuka characters to the game.

Edgeoftimeexpansion — Astro, Umataro Tenma, and characters from Osamu Tezuka's *Vampire*

Less than a year later, on February 21, 2018, Active Gaming Media announced that it would be shutting down Astro Boy: Edge of Time. The game's billing cycle would end on March 9th, while the entire game was disconnected on March 29th.^[3] Players were urged to use their in-game items to collect any remaining desired downloadable assets before the 29th. While the game's online shop, battle connection service, and tech support were shut down, the game would still exist in offline mode on the player's computer hard disk. It was removed from the Steam Store soon after. While the game page is no longer accessible, the Edge of Time community forum is still online with game discussion threads.^[4]

Gameplay[]

Overview[]

Astro Boy: Edge of Time was a "Free-to-Play" collectible card game, also known as a "gacha" game. Its system and premise are similar to those of games like Fate Grand Order and Love Live! School Idol Festival. The player collects items and performs actions in order to "win" exclusive images and character art. Additional in-game items and item draws were available for monetary purchase. This is a common aspect of free-to-play games, wherein the game is free to install, but certain features have maximums or "cool-down" periods that can be accessed by paying money. Edge of Time featured an ongoing story mode that was slated to be expanded through online updates, as well as multiplayer ranked and unranked versus modes.

The core gameplay was 1 on 1 card battle, where players use decks they have constructed from the cards they have collected. Players place character cards from their hand onto the board, and either attack the opponent's creatures or the opponent directly. The game ends if a player's own HP is reduced to 0.

Each player has access to two zones when placing their cards on the battlefield: The Enforcers row, and the Defenders row. Cards placed in the Enforcers row are able to attack enemy units and players, but cannot defend the owner. Cards placed in the Defender row can defend the player, but cannot directly attack enemy units or players (except with strategem).

Card types[]

Unit cards are characters that the player can place on the battlefield to attack enemy units and players. These cards remain on the battlefield until they are defeated or removed by a special effect.

Gear cards are instant one-use cards that have a variety of effects, such as upgrading a target unit, or throwing a grenade at a target unit. These cards do not remain on the battlefield after use, and cannot be used more than once in a single game.

Attacking and defending[]

Each unit card has an attack value and a health value. The attack value defines how much damage a card will inflict on enemy units or players, while the health value is the card's total health. When the card's health value is depleted to zero, the card is destroyed and removed from the battlefield.

Each unit on the battlefield can attack only once per turn. When a unit attacks an enemy unit, both cards involved in combat attack simultaneously, meaning that both units take damage. This includes when attacking a card in the Defenders row.

Skills[]

Cards often have skills listed at the bottom of the card. These skills often take action automatically once the proper conditions are met. However, some of these skills can be initiated any time by the player that owns the card.

Construct: Skills that automatically initiate when the card is introduced to the battlefield
Shatter: Skills that automatically initiate when the card is destroyed and removed from the battlefield
Strategem: Special skills that are only available when the card is deployed in the Defenders row. These skills have a charge time of several turns. Once available, these skills can be used at the player's discretion

System Requirements[]

Minimum:

- OS: Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10
- Processor: Intel Core2 Duo 2.4GHz or higher
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 7600GT, Radeon X1650XT or higher
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Additional Notes: Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher

Characters[]

Cards[]

While many cards in Edge of Time featured assets and settings exclusive to the game's universe, many more did feature interpretations of Tezuka characters.