Overview
Astra Bestiary is a 2D monster-raising RPG from indie developer Bicho Feo, built around a core loop that goes well beyond simple creature collection. You hatch beasts from eggs, nurture them through feeding and training, push them through evolution, and send them into a non-linear world full of danger. The generational mechanic is what separates it from the crowd: beasts age, and their legacy carries forward rather than resetting.
The world itself is described as fading, a place where uncovering its secrets is as central to the experience as combat. Non-linear structure means the path through it isn't scripted, giving players room to explore at their own pace and discover what's left of a dying civilization.
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Gameplay and mechanics
The creature-raising loop in Astra Bestiary covers the full lifecycle of each beast. Key mechanics confirmed for the game include:
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- Hatching beasts from eggs
- Feeding and training to build stats
- Evolution into Champion-tier forms
- Fast-paced, tactical battle system
- Generational legacy progression
The battle system leans tactical rather than purely action-based, demanding real decision-making in fights rather than just button mashing. Speed appears to be a factor too, so players who master timing and positioning will have an edge.
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What makes the generational system work?
The generational mechanic is Astra Bestiary's most distinctive feature. Rather than treating each beast as a permanent companion, the game acknowledges that they age and eventually pass on. What they leave behind, their legacy, shapes the beasts that come after them. This creates a long-term investment in your roster that goes beyond grinding a single creature to max level.
It's a design choice that rewards patience and planning. Raising a beast well in one generation has tangible consequences for the next, which adds a layer of strategy rarely seen in monster-taming games. The closest comparison points are games like Harvest Moon's breeding systems crossed with the combat ambitions of something like Cassette Beasts, though Astra Bestiary appears to be pushing the concept further.
World and setting
The world of Astra Bestiary is built around decay and mystery. The non-linear structure gives it the feel of an open exploration game rather than a guided narrative, with secrets distributed across a perilous environment that punishes unprepared teams.
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Bicho Feo's 2D art style suits the tone. The aesthetic carries a hand-crafted quality that fits a world in decline, where ruins and strange creatures coexist in an atmosphere that feels genuinely foreboding rather than generically fantasy. The combination of monster-raising warmth and environmental dread is an unusual tonal balance, and it's one of the more interesting creative bets the game makes.
Content and replayability
Non-linear world design and generational progression are both strong drivers of replayability. No two playthroughs will produce the same beast lineages, and exploring the world in different orders changes how the story and setting unfold. For players who enjoy optimizing creature builds across multiple runs, the generational system offers a deep well of experimentation.
Astra Bestiary is set to release on PC via Steam on September 30, 2026. For fans of monster-taming RPGs looking for something with more mechanical ambition than the genre average, Bicho Feo's game is shaping up to be a genuinely compelling option.