Asch (The Last Promise)
In the grand scheme of things, Asch’s stats are nothing special. Here you have his stats compared to Kelik’s ones, who joins a chapter earlier than him.
Definitely stronger and bulkier, but his speed is on the lower side and that 4 luck is not exactly fantastic.
Furthermore, considering the fact that TLP is a game with a great focus on growth units, being a prepromote does not favour you in any manner. Looking at his growths, which by the way are not that bad, is almost trivial. It’s not like he’s going to level up that much or cap any of his stats, which is fondamental for a healthy lategame experience.
However, what makes Asch worth of notice is the numerous amount of tiny little positive aspects that surround him.
Let’s start with an easy one. Asch looks cool. He is rappresented by a very polished splice with some nice custom elements into it. The palette is also pretty cool. Overall, a great start for the guy.
Secondly, Asch is not a guaranteed unit. In order to have a chance to recruit him, the player has to not trust Logan, who’s asking for help, in Chapter 12. This little aspect helps him become a tiny bit more memorable imo.
Speaking of Logan, you can recruit him instead of Asch if you respond to his plight for help. A comparison between the two units is a natural occurrence.
And lucky for us Logan sucks big time. Good luck having any screentime with 5 Strength and Kelik and Tekun on your neck. I guess that’s another point for Asch.
Fun fact, did you know that Asch is the only unit able to weild axes in Kelik mode from chapter 13A up to chapter 17? That’s 4 chapters of free real estate! And guess what, the guy comes with a B rank and a not too shabby 12 Con! He’s going to throw Hand Axes left and right like there’s no tomorrow. But if you really want to lolligagmax, Asch comes equiped with one of the quirkiest weapons present in TLP.
Is it good? Hell no! Is it funny tho? HELL YEAH!
Lastly, a couple of words about his stats. As said before, his numbers are not particularly good in TLP, but they allow him to leave a decent impression at the very start of Kelik’s mode to later gently fall off around Chapter 18.
His strenght is not going to be matched by any unit for a decent amount of time, his speed allows him to double the not exactly fast enemies of the first part of TLP and he is even bulky enough to compete with the likes of Kevin, a unit notorious for being as talky as a wall. But guess what, Asch does not have do deal with having 4 Mov, au contraire, he sports 6! Pretty cool stuff, huh?
In my opinion this shows how, if inserted in the right context, an otherwise underwhelming unit can shine through a myriad of soon to become broken units and help them in their journey. I don’t know how intentional all of these little boons were, but with certainty they make Asch a memorable prepromote in a land of sometimes bland options.