When I saw that Chaos Rings was a Japanese RPG, designed by Square Enix, starring a blonde-haired, armor-clad hero with a sword over his shoulder, I assumed that JRPG clones had gone full circle, and now even Square Enix were making Final Fantasy clones; inspired by their own games. I never thought I could be so far from the truth.
Yes, it has a lot of superficial similarities, they could have even called the lead “Squall Jr” and I would have accepted it, but Chaos Rings takes place in a realm far from the Final Fantasy universe. For starters, the plot is about as linear as they come…in a good way. Linear is typically a word, in game design, that’s steeped with negativity, but with Chaos Rings, this just isn’t the case; it’s actually really refreshing. Rather than the hours and hours of back and forth that are typically found in JRPG games, particularly Final Fantasy games, you run a specifically designed gauntlet, perforated by mini-bosses, big bosses and even strategic, evenly matched 2v2 battles against ingame rivals.
Despite the weird “please touch” invite on the start screen, it’s surprisingly well presented. Without giving away the plot; you are plunged into a very straightforward story, not of adventure; but survival, with a very clear objective and little in the terms of residual plot to chew through. This makes for a fast-paced, always-action rpg, which makes for a really nice change.
The battle system is somewhat unique from the usual turn-based, Final Fantasy style sequences. You’re only ever in a team that’s 2 heroes strong, and you’ll take on between 1 and 3 enemies per battle. During battle, you can choose, at the start of each turn, to fight individually, or as a pair, each with their own advantages, and at the end of each battle, your HP is fully restored (although your Mana isn’t).
What this means, is that the developers are able to put much tougher enemies in, which all require tactical thought, and all have the potential to deliver a fatal KO, and if you don’t maximize your turn, even a handful of small monsters can take you down. This is a great way of weening out that desire, from many turn-based RPG fans, to simply grind and then hammer the attack button in small battles; every moment can be as tactical and rewarding as a boss battle. To an extent, the enemies evolve around you as you advance, but one of the great features in Chaos Rings, is that you can choose what level your foe is, at the beginning of every dungeon. Granted, this means some players can take the easy route, but if you want a real challenge, the option is always there.
The Solo/Pair mechanic, at the start of each turn, can make for some interesting strategies, and again, can make the difference between a win and a loss. As a pair, you are vulnerable to both your heroes taking damage at the same time, but MP costs are split between both characters, as are item costs, and seemingly, you’re blocks are more effective. This makes for great buffing and healing options, but against a powerful boss, it can prove to be a terminal flaw in your plan, if timed incorrectly.
Chaos Rings, like the other Square Enix games is a little pricey, and comes in at a hefty £7.99 on Windows Phones, (£5.49 on iOS), but arguably, you get what you pay for, I’m currently 6 hours in on one of the 2 main storylines, and judging by the achievements, there’s another 2, hiding in the wings.
If you like your JRPGs, and think you’ve seen it all, I’d strongly recommend Chaos Rings; it has a lot of familiar nodes, but still manages to bring a lot of new tricks to the table, telling a pretty decent story along the way too. Also, if you’re an iOS user, sequels have already been released in the Chaos Rings series. Personally, I can’t wait to see if they make it over to Windows…even if they do cost £8 each!
BehindTheWires 