Chaos Rings 2 isn't a port though. It's an original game, built from scratch, just for iOS devices. Check out this screenshot from L.Lawliet: Could you imagine how long it would take to design, model, shade, texture, and light just that shot alone? Considering the time, money, and talent that likely went into making this game, just for us iOS users, I think £13 is a perfectly fair price.
I agree. I'm personally heartened that there haven't been more impressions yet. For a game this big, it really should be played for a few hours at least before impressions will really mean anything. Also, for the forthcoming impressions: let's PLEASE remember the spoiler courtesies. The story is such an integral part of the CR experience.
There is some merit in complaining it's Chaos Rings 1.2 - or at least I'm a couple of hours in and haven't seen anything radically different. It's got the same hub-based mission structure, same turn-based combat, same fixed camera angles and static backgrounds, etc. Perhaps I still like it because I only played a bit of the first game and never bought Omega? But it's just so god damned pretty, and the game still basically works, just like the others did (it's a solid, old-school JRPG). Plus I like the story enough (despite the weak writing) that I can overlook silly things like the pointless touchscreen abilities for each character. It doesn't feel like enough of an advance over the other games to call it properly great, but it doesn't feel like a lazy cash-in either. Maybe £13 (in the UK) was a bit over the top - but not too much. I don't feel ripped off so far.
My problem is that the quite a few of the impressions that have been left are meh-ish. It really makes me go, hmm...maybe I should wait or pass!? Chaos Rings only took about 6 hours to beat. Is this one that much longer. Also, the thing about iOS devices is that they need to be charged. That's a time that a post could be made, especially if you don't like playing games while the device is charging. Just to let you guys know, I wasn't complaining about the lack of impressions --- The fact that this game was made specifically for iOS doesn't really change anything.
The first Chaos Rings was MUCH longer than 6 hours if you want to finish the game at 100% and play the true ending. 6 hours is only for one of the four total storylines.
I know! I was using that amount of time to express my feelings towards the lack of impressions. All in all, it's really not that big of deal. Hopefully there will be more later today.
A few things to address here: a) I would take any impressions that have been left here with a truck-load of salt, for the reasons I mentioned before. b) As just mentioned, CR took MUCH longer than 6 hours to complete. It is nowhere near complete after the first couple. c) I would disagree that it doesn't matter that it is iOS exclusive. It costs a lot of money to make a game of this quality. I seriously question if they could make a profit charging what "typical" app store prices are. I want them to make a profit because I want to continue to have games of this quality. d) If you weren't all that impressed with CR, and felt no need to get CRO, then I don't really think it'll do much for you. As soon as I finished CR, I felt like I had one of the better gaming experiences I've ever had. Hyperbole? Not for me. I understand that won't be the case for most people. I'm not saying this to start any kind of heated discussion...things have been very civil so far, and I hope you see that I'm posting this in that spirit.
No, I appreciate your replies! It wasn't that I thought CR was bad or anything. As a game in general, I felt it could be more. As an iOS game, I thought it was pretty great and don't regret my purchase. As far as pricing: A typical console RPG is $60. It has 40+ hours per playthrough, much higher production values, and has higher marketing costs. Not only that, you get a physical copy that can be lent/traded with friends - cuts down user costs quite a bit. It can also be sold back for up to $40 - obviously dependent on when you sell it back to a store. Personally, I've never sold a game back sooner than 6 months. But depending on what it is, you can still get 20 or so bucks back. I agree that what SE is doing is smart on a business front, but as a user/consumer.. Also, we still don't know how well SE games sell on iOS. Edit: The first one took me about 6 hours get through a playthrough. Is it a bit unfair of me to compare? maybe...probably... I can't help myself though.
Just to clarify, I'm 3 hours and a few minutes in. I've not seen anything to indicate exactly how far through the story I've got. Only fought one particularly difficult boss, and I haven't even unlocked all of the characters. It's different from the first game in that it's not immediately obvious you're supposed to play through it multiple times, with one couple, then the next couple, etc. but there are sections where you're forced to take a different pair out of the cast (okay, you were just doing this with persons A and B, now let's play through what persons C & D were doing at the same time), so perhaps once the main story is over you get to see some of it again from a different perspective? Not sure.
It's definitely more like 20-24 hours to play through the full storyline in the original cr and omega. Throwing around the "6 hours" phrase is misleading for those who are new to the series.
There are multiple paths in the story line now, But i havent gone through a branching path yet. This can be seen in the "scenario" screen similar to the one in Omega. Graphics... Im not going to talk about this anymore but think Chaos Rings/Omega with a lot more effort and a lot more detailed. Here's a clever thing they did on the graphics: Spoiler To stop the world's destruction, the creator "paused" everything in the world. This makes some static painting-quality backgrounds become justifiable. But this doesnt make the graphics lazy as they are also rendered in more than a few layers making a pseudo-3d effect. Kinda like the bullet time in the matrix, only that is paused rather than slowed down. The 3d effect can be seen when the camera is panned. Sounds... Some sound effects were taken from the the previous titles. The voice acting, albeit not understandable to me, feels like it's an authentic anime experience to me. I like it a lot actually. Gameplay... Battles are still fought the same way, but there are more mechanics like the break attacks and some new limit break-ish moves. New attack animations as well, and each character of course, is unique. Each Character now has a base element attached to them. Puzzles have a different scheme here than previous titles. Each character has his/her own "field" skills which is used to traverse different areas of the game. You'll need to bring the necessary partners to access some parts of the world. I'm not sure what to add next so i guess if you guys ask questions, we could probably give a decent answer.
@ExactPsiecnce & Eight Rooks Thanks for the detailed impressions. It really is the first time I've been hesitant in a while when it comes to pricing. I'm, personally, just having issues justifying it. Maybe it's because ME3 was released not too long ago...IDK! Anyways, the only other thing I'm really curious about is the time it takes to beat a playthrough. And, obviously, the total game time, but I'm pretty sure it's too early for that.
Well, saying it is 24 hours is misleading because it is a 6hr. game that you have to play 4 times to fight the end boss. I enjoyed CR, but I have to admit it felt like a grind to finish the game. The story was compelling enough, but the characters all played virtually identical to each other. It would have been better if you started out each pair without carrying genes and money over, but even then it is pretty repetitive, and way too easy. Omega was a little more balanced in difficulty and more enjoyable start to finish, but it could have easily been an expansion as it didn't offer much that was new. I'll probably pick this up when it goes on sale at Christmas. I have a serious backlog of games that I have barely touched and not a lot of time to play. Honestly, I'm more excited about Ravensword 2 and Across Age later this year.
Some initial impressions: This game is pretty! One of the best graphics I've seen for an iOS game. Voice acting is top notch, this coming from a JRPG player. However, there's only Japanese VA available with English subs for everything. It's fine with me but some people might hate the Japanese voices. Story seems interesting enough.
Yeah well... This isnt on a console, so ME3 isnt really a fair comparison. MEI was pretty good, but it cannot top Chaos Rings 2 in any way. In all reality, MEI was a love it or loathe it game. Im sure Chaos Rings 2 will be getting more loving than loathing, and to me, it has always been a reminiscent of FF8's gameplay.
I know it's not a console, but when a game costs near $20 ($40 less than a physical copy of 40+ hour game on one playthrough; one that could cost you $20 if you sell it within 2 months (you also get to keep the manual & box if that's your thing)), you start to really look at the value of it. That's the point I'm trying to make -- obviously my opinion though. Even at $20, I doubt most people feel the same attachment compared to a console/physical game. Anyways...thanks!
Just ten minutes into it, but already blown away by its presentation. Seriously. This thing screams AAA in every second. Wow.
I read a lot of reviews stating that the original Chaos Rings was way too easy. I'm hoping that this game posts more of a challenge. Any impressions on gameplay and difficulty compared to Chaos Rings 1 and Omega?
