Final Fantasy Devs Are Trying Something New With Astria Ascending With plenty of major RPGs under their belts, writer Kazushige Nojima and composer Hitoshi Sakimoto are helping build a whimsical, yet mature, hand-drawn world. GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. Your first impression of Astria Ascending will probably be that it's a fantastical side-scrolling turn-based RPG that borrows several cues from the likes of Final Fantasy. The character designs, the music, and even the game's logo all lead you to believe that the seminal RPG series is a core influence. You'd be right, and there's a reason for that.