The Korean RPG remake hitting Steam on February 11, 2027 is built on three decades of lore, and the Astonishia Story character backstory is where every party member's motivation begins. This is the same classic 1994 Sonnori quest that defined grid-based Korean RPGs, now redrawn in HD pixel art and rebuilt for modern players, so understanding who Lloyd, Ylenne, Rudoug, and the rest of the cast really are changes how every battle feels. Below is a complete walkthrough of each core hero's origin, their role in the main story, and how their personal history translates into the game's most effective party setups.
Lloyd von Reuental: The Knight At The Center Of Astonishia Story
Lloyd von Reuental is the 24-year-old knight whose relic hunt anchors the entire plot, and his Astonishia Story character backstory sets the tone for a story about stolen heritage and reluctant leadership. He begins the journey after a sacred relic tied to his family lineage is taken, which is the inciting event that pulls every other party member into his orbit. According to the Astonishia Story Steam store page, his quest is supported by knights, wizards, monks, archers, and magical allies who each carry their own reasons for joining.
Lloyd's profile is what players will see first in the Astonishia Story main character guide, because the remake frames him as the default party leader regardless of which mercenaries you recruit later. His age, knight class, and personal stake in the relic theft make him a balanced frontline presence, but his combat style is closer to a defensive sword-and-board duelist than a power damage dealer. He is the anchor your grid-based formations will rotate around in the opening chapters.
Lloyd's In-Plot Role And Combat Identity
Within the broader Astonishia Story characters ranked list, Lloyd is the protagonist who is there at the start and the finish of the campaign, which is why veterans almost never replace him from the active four. He is the only character who triggers critical story cutscenes during the Elven Queen arc, and his relic-related dialogue branches only fire when he is in the front line. Mechanically, that means he pulls double duty as your story engine and your physical tank.
| Attribute | Lloyd von Reuental | Role Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 24 | Young enough to grow, experienced enough to lead |
| Class | Knight | Frontline physical combat |
| Starting Weapon | Sword + Shield | Defensive grid control |
| Plot Anchor | Relic recovery quest | Cannot be permanently swapped out |
| Best Party Slot | Front-line center | Triggers story-only dialogue |
In the HD remake, the developers reworked Lloyd's sprite and frame data to suit the new battle grid, which is what players see in the NIS America announcement trailer. If you want the deeper breakdown of his stat growth and skill tree, the Astonishia Story Lloyd build guide covers his talent paths in detail.
Ylenne: The Astonishia Story Best Mage And Granddaughter's Burden
Ylenne is the 22-year-old apprentice wizard whose bloodline defines the Astonishia Story best mage discussion, because she is the granddaughter of Lezail, one of the eight Nestors of Astonishia. The Nestors are the ancient custodians of the world's highest arcane knowledge, and being Lezail's heir means Ylenne starts the game with spell access most apprentices spend twenty years earning. That lineage is also the reason she leaves home to join Lloyd, since her grandfather's title alone would make her a target in the coming conflict.
For players looking at an Astonishia Story Ylenne build, the core idea is to lean into her inherited ice and arcane nukes while letting another party member handle the physical frontline. She is one of the few characters who can deal reliable magic damage from the back row in early chapters, which makes her the natural answer to armored mid-bosses that shrug off sword swings. Her low starting HP means she needs a dedicated healer or shield-bearer positioned in front of her on the battle grid.
Why Ylenne Sits High On The Characters Ranked List
The Astonishia Story characters ranked tier list consistently places Ylenne in S or A-tier for any composition that lacks magic damage, because no other starting character brings her spell range. Her apprentice status is also a narrative excuse for the player to grow with her, since she levels into more powerful tiers of the Nestor spellbook as the campaign advances. According to community data gathered from the original 1994 release, players who benched Ylenne early typically struggled against the Act 2 elemental encounters.
| Ylenne Build Pillar | Recommended Focus | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Primary School | Ice / Arcane | Hits elemental weaknesses early |
| Position | Back row | Protects her low HP pool |
| Pairing | Healer + Knight | Covers her survival weakness |
| Growth Trigger | Nestor side quests | Unlocks her highest-tier spells |
| Late-Game Role | Burst mage | Out-scales physical DPS by Act 4 |
If you want a full party context for her, the Astonishia Story all-characters roster lists how she slots in alongside every other recruit.
Rudoug And Rendalf: The Fighter And Veteran Who Hold The Line
Rudoug is the 25-year-old monk who enters the story as Carrahan's best pupil, and his Astonishia Story character backstory is rooted in martial discipline rather than noble obligation. He joins Lloyd because his master recognizes that the relic theft is a threat to the entire martial order, not just to knights. In combat he functions as a high-aggression fighter, which is why he is usually the answer whenever players ask who the Astonishia Story best fighter is for the early-to-mid game.
Rendalf, by contrast, is a 180-year-old Dwarven merchant and veteran warrior who fights with a merchant's pragmatism and a warrior's reflexes. His Astonishia Story character backstory is the slowest to unfold because much of it is delivered through barks and optional dialogue, but the lore implication is clear: he has seen multiple regional wars and outlived most of his trading partners. Mechanically, he is a slower but harder-hitting alternative to Rudoug, which makes him ideal for the second physical slot.
Fighter Roles In The Party Building Puzzle
For anyone planning a full team comp, Rudoug and Rendalf solve the Astonishia Story best fighter problem in two different ways. Rudoug is the fast monk who chains combo attacks and strips enemy turn order, while Rendalf is the bulky veteran who soaks hits and punishes enemies for focusing him. The choice between them usually comes down to whether you need speed control or pure durability in your second frontline slot.
| Fighter Comparison | Rudoug | Rendalf |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 25 | 180 |
| Fighting Style | Monk combo chain | Veteran bruiser |
| Best Matchup | Fast enemies, mages | Tanks, high-HP bosses |
| Story Hook | Carrahan's best pupil | Dwarf merchant past |
| Frontline Slot | Aggressor | Anchor |
Players who want to see how both fighters interact with mercenary slots can read the Astonishia Story party building guide for a layered breakdown.
Lezail, Akra, And Jenas: Support, Magic, And Ranged Archers
Lezail is the 135-year-old wizard and one of the eight Nestors of Astonishia, so his presence in the party is less about raw damage and more about lore authority. He joins because his granddaughter Ylenne is in danger, which makes the Astonishia Story character backstory of his recruitment entirely personal. Mechanically, he is a slower caster than Ylenne but with a wider spell variety, which is why he is sometimes swapped into a secondary caster slot once the player has access to more party members.
Akra is the Magic Monk who detests discrimination, and his background gives the remake one of its clearer moral themes. He is a hybrid fighter who blends martial arts with light magic, which is unusual for a monk archetype and is the reason he is a flexible pick in many Astonishia Story characters ranked discussions. His in-story reason for joining is more ideological than personal, since his philosophy puts him at odds with the world's existing power structures.
Jenas is the 118-year-old archer and the last survivor of Halken Village, which makes his Astonishia Story character backstory a survival story more than a hero's journey. The fall of Halken is referenced as a regional tragedy, and Jenas joins Lloyd partly because he sees the relic hunt as a way to uncover why his village was lost. Mechanically, he is the only dedicated archer in the starting roster, and his range lets him attack from the back row without the HP frailty of a mage.
Why The Astonishia Story Best Healer Conversation Includes Akra
Players looking for the Astonishia Story best healer role will quickly notice that the starting roster does not include a pure cleric. In the original 1994 release, healing was largely distributed across items and a few support spells, and the HD remake keeps that philosophy. Akra's light-magic access means he can pinch-hit as a healer with the right spell selection, and Jenas can use certain consumable bows that restore ally HP. For a dedicated healer slot, however, the game leans heavily on recruited mercenaries, which is why the Astonishia Story supporting cast guide is the better reference for healer builds.
| Support Character | Class | Lore Hook | Combat Niche |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lezail | Wizard | Nestor of Astonishia | Wide spell variety |
| Akra | Magic Monk | Anti-discrimination philosophy | Hybrid heal / fight |
| Jenas | Archer | Last Halken survivor | Back-line ranged DPS |
Optional Recruits, Mercenaries, And How Backstory Drives Party Synergy
The HD remake adds a "Round Up and Recruit" mercenary hook that lets you fill empty party slots with hired blades, and every optional mercenary in the game has their own Astonishia Story character backstory. According to the official announcement trailer, the recruitment system is built around paying or persuading wandering fighters to join your cause, which means even non-story characters arrive with personal motivations. Some mercenaries are ex-soldiers, others are merchants with grudges, and a few are exiles from the same conflicts that shaped Jenas and Rudoug.
The optional recruit who gets discussed the most in the community is Patton, who is referenced in early recruiting guides as a high-value fighter pick. The full breakdown of how and where to find him lives in the Astonishia Story recruit Patton guide, but the in-lore reason he is worth recruiting is that he carries a backstory that ties into the same Elven Queen conflict the main cast is chasing. That is the pattern the remake follows: even side characters have a story reason to be on your grid.
Backstory Layers That Affect Endgame Choices
By the late game, the Astonishia Story character backstory of each starting party member begins to feed into branching dialogue and combat decisions. Lezail's Nestor status opens certain magical shortcuts, Jenas's Halken survival grants him dialogue options with forest-dwelling NPCs, and Rudoug's martial order connection unlocks a chain of monk-related side quests. The optional mercenary roster is designed so that any character with a personal stake in the Elven Queen arc can be slotted in for a specific chapter, then rotated out without losing main-story progress.
| Recruit Type | Lore Depth | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Main Story (Lloyd, Ylenne, Rudoug) | High | Permanent slots |
| Story-Optional (Lezail, Akra, Jenas) | High | Rotated for specific arcs |
| Mercenaries (Patton and others) | Medium | Filled slots, side-quest hooks |
| Wildcard Hires | Low | Pure combat filler |
Astonishia Story Lore: The Eight Nestors, The Elven Queen, And The Relic
The lore behind the eight Nestors of Astonishia is what makes the magic users in the game feel like they belong to a real world rather than a generic fantasy setting. The Nestors are an ancient council of eight master wizards, and Lezail's seat on that council is why his granddaughter Ylenne inherits both opportunity and danger. According to the Astonishia Story Wikipedia entry, the party roster also includes Francis de la Cross and the Elven Queen as central antagonists, with the Elven Queen acting as the climax threat that every backstory ultimately converges on.
The relic Lloyd is chasing is tied to the same conflict that destroyed Halken Village and that pushed the Nestors into a defensive position, which is why so many backstories feel thematically linked. The game's narrative design uses shared lore beats rather than isolated character arcs, so a single quest resolution can advance three backstories at once. That is the same structural choice the original 1994 release made, and the remake preserves it for veteran players who remember the original plot.
Cultural Context: A 1994 Korean RPG In 2027
Astonishia Story originally debuted for MS-DOS in South Korea in 1994, developed by Sonnori, and that origin matters when you read each Astonishia Story character backstory. The original cast was drawn from a Korean fantasy tradition that mixed Western medieval archetypes with Eastern mythological undertones, and the remake leans into that hybrid identity. The Korean version launched on December 18, 2025 for Switch and PC through PURPLE, while the western release on February 11, 2027 will be the first time many English-speaking players experience that cultural mix firsthand.
According to the Astonishia Story official Steam news hub, the western version supports English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese text and voice, which gives the remake the largest localization footprint in the franchise's history. That wider audience is part of why a complete Astonishia Story characters ranked discussion is more useful now than it was in 1994, since newer players will meet characters like Akra and Jenas without prior context.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the main character in Astonishia Story?
Lloyd von Reuental is the main character in Astonishia Story, a 24-year-old knight whose family relic is stolen at the start of the game. His quest to recover the relic drives the entire plot, and he remains the default party leader throughout the campaign. Most story-only cutscenes are framed around his perspective.
Who is the best mage to build in Astonishia Story?
Ylenne is widely considered the best mage in Astonishia Story because she is the granddaughter of Nestor Lezail and starts with high-tier spells. Her ice and arcane school access lets her break armored mid-bosses that physical fighters cannot scratch, which is why she is an S-tier pick in most Astonishia Story characters ranked lists.
Is there a dedicated healer in Astonishia Story?
The starting roster does not include a pure healer class, so the Astonishia Story best healer role is typically filled by Akra's light-magic access or by recruited mercenary clerics. Players can also rely on consumable items and Ylenne's restoration spells for emergency healing, especially in chapters where the back line is exposed.
Can you recruit optional characters in the Astonishia Story remake?
Yes, the remake introduces a "Round Up and Recruit" mercenary system that lets you hire optional fighters, including Patton, into your active four. Each mercenary arrives with their own Astonishia Story character backstory, and some of them have dialogue that ties back to the main Elven Queen arc. The system is fully explained in the recruit guides on this site.
How does the Astonishia Story Ylenne build change in the HD remake?
Ylenne's spell scaling and grid movement were reworked for the HD remake, so the recommended build leans more heavily on her back-line nuking role than the 1994 version allowed. Pairing her with a knight and a healer gives her the protection she needs to cast safely, and her growth through the Nestor side quests remains the fastest way to unlock her highest-tier spells.