Post by Warlock on Mar 22, 2012 21:46:56 GMT -5
I said some ambivalent things about the original Chaos Rings a few years ago over on Inverted Castle; to summarize: It's a pretty and fun but very by-the-numbers as JRPGs go. Since then, two more games have been released in the series- the prequel Chaos Rings Omega was released for the iDevices some time back, but at the time the price scared me off. It's just seen a substantial cut, however, so I decided to take the plunge.
Saying that it's really a 'prequel' is really a bit of a stretch, honestly, because it feels a lot more like an expansion pack on the original- a new, extra-long scenario that covers a lot of the same ground. Nearly all of the environments are the same ones you've already explored with some particle effects to make them look a little nicer; the game's systems are identical to the original's, and although some new enemies have been added, again, there are only a handful compared to the total selection.
The game has a single 'real' scenario followed by a semi-serious 'extra' mode; while this shares some weaknesses with the original Chaos Rings, it's a significant improvement on the most part. Where the four Chaos Rings scenarios felt like a mechanical retread of the same major beats, they did establish how things are supposed to work in the Ark Arena- the world's four strongest warriors and their true loves are pulled into a series of dungeon runs and gladiatorial combats to fight in pairs, with the winners being granted immortality. Things go off the rails almost immediately in Omega when the main character, his pregnant wife, and his father-in-law are all pulled into the Arena. Some new mysteries have been backloaded into the arena, and a new antagonist is introduced soon enough- while most of the major beats are fairly predictable, the story still feels a lot more organic than the original.
While I'm glad I waited for the discount, it's certainly a solid game. It probably fills in enough backstory to be played standalone- only a handful of characters return from the first game, and I think there's enough recapping of the pertinent plot points that new players won't be lost.
- HC
Saying that it's really a 'prequel' is really a bit of a stretch, honestly, because it feels a lot more like an expansion pack on the original- a new, extra-long scenario that covers a lot of the same ground. Nearly all of the environments are the same ones you've already explored with some particle effects to make them look a little nicer; the game's systems are identical to the original's, and although some new enemies have been added, again, there are only a handful compared to the total selection.
The game has a single 'real' scenario followed by a semi-serious 'extra' mode; while this shares some weaknesses with the original Chaos Rings, it's a significant improvement on the most part. Where the four Chaos Rings scenarios felt like a mechanical retread of the same major beats, they did establish how things are supposed to work in the Ark Arena- the world's four strongest warriors and their true loves are pulled into a series of dungeon runs and gladiatorial combats to fight in pairs, with the winners being granted immortality. Things go off the rails almost immediately in Omega when the main character, his pregnant wife, and his father-in-law are all pulled into the Arena. Some new mysteries have been backloaded into the arena, and a new antagonist is introduced soon enough- while most of the major beats are fairly predictable, the story still feels a lot more organic than the original.
While I'm glad I waited for the discount, it's certainly a solid game. It probably fills in enough backstory to be played standalone- only a handful of characters return from the first game, and I think there's enough recapping of the pertinent plot points that new players won't be lost.
- HC