Chaos Reborn Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Chaos Reborn
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Chaos Reborn wizard

Chaos Reborn is one of the video games that made me religiously play its Tutorial section after handing down a list of defeats, both against humans and computer opponents, that made me question my ability to play a turn-based tactical title.

I had a little luck during my first real match, and I managed to win it despite the fact that I did not actually know what I was doing on the battlefield and I then quickly lost five in a row, two of them so catastrophically that I decided the best idea was to make sure that I understood all the mechanics before trying again.

Chaos Reborn has a very solid mechanical foundation, superb teaching tools and a lot of content to offer to the patient player, but it can also be merciless with those who fail to understand all nuances of its system.

The title is created by Snapshot Games, and the core ideas come from Julian Gollop, the legendary designer that is known for his work on the original version of Chaos and the first incarnation of X-COM, the impressive UFO Defense.

The entire experience was funded with the help of fans via Kickstarter, and gamers can still get a special edition via the official site if they want to support future development.

Story

Chaos Reborn is not too focused on narrative, and in many ways, this is an experience built around multiplayer combat against other humans.

But the development team at Snapshot Games is also offering a single-player experience, with gamers able to enter Realms where they can take out powerful boss wizards that have specialized skills and will require carefully constructed strategies to defeat.

Goblins and Gravelings is the campaign that the community rates very highly at the moment.

Chaos Reborn allows gamers to get some rewards from the single player, with staffs and robes that can be further improved with talismans to make a character better able to execute some tactics.

The tutorial is also very well put together and allows players to learn the core mechanics of the game and engage in some challenges that test their skills and teach them how they should seek to exploit fate in order to win.

Gameplay

Chaos Reborn is a turn-based tactics-driven game that focuses on the choices that players need to make to take our their opponents using either creatures or direct attack spells.

When a match starts, gamers will be in charge of their wizard, and they can move him for limited distances and then play one of the cards they have in hand.

The spells can bring forth a number of magical creatures, from skeletons to unicorns and vultures and more, but they can also create obstacles, or they can try to harm the enemy wizard directly to take him out.

The unique challenge is that everything that the player can do in Chaos Reborn is affected by chance, and gamers will quickly see that they need to be conservative rather than offensive to succeed.

Chaos Reborn level creation
Chaos Reborn level creation

Creatures can be summoned as the real version, which carries a chance that the spell will fail, or as illusions, which makes them vulnerable to the dispel launched by an enemy wizard.

The alignment of the battlefield also influences the process, and as a match progresses across its 20 turns, gamers will have to carefully consider which cards to deploy, based on their allegiance.

Combat is also percentage based, as are direct attack spells, and a creature dies as soon as another one breaches its defenses, which means that each duel implies a lot of risks but also potentially big rewards.

Illusions can kill enemies just as well as real creatures, and it's very easy for a player to use deception and a few well-placed spells to take out a more powerful enemy force, as long as he also has a little luck on his side.

The wizards can summon a mount, which adds a new layer of protection, and then summon weapons in order to jump right into the fray and try to defeat creatures and even the other wizard on their own.

Chaos Reborn can feel entirely unfair during one match, especially when summons fail one after another and an expensive phoenix dies because of the first enemy to attack it, and perfectly balanced during another, when both sides have similar trouble bringing creatures to the board and attacking.

The development team has clearly worked hard to make sure that a solid player strategy can survive the hazards of the random number generator that decides spell failure and the results of battles, but the title still feels a little too much driven by chance.

The game certainly gains in excitement and variety, but there are moments when the experience can veer towards frustration and anger, like when a rat manages to capitalize on its under-ten-percent chance to take out a dragon.

Graphics and audio

Chaos Reborn has a unique art style and unique design for the wizards and the characters, but the title is clearly not designed to focus on the graphics department.

The development team at Snapshot Games has long offered the title with limited detail for the creatures and spells, and there's a part of me that liked that spartan take on the universe, which emphasized the magical nature of the various forces on the battlefield.

As it exists, the Early Access system on Steam Chaos Reborn uses models and color to make it easy for gamers to understand what the situation is and the best way to use his creatures.

The unicorns have a big sword instead of the horn, a great touch that justifies their attack power, the dwarf is stocky to signal that he is slow and very good on the defensive, the rats come in threes and are weak but can multiply targets occupied.

The action in Chaos Reborn is very violent, with blood rushing through the veins of the creatures instead of blood, but the bright colors and the cute design make the game feel like a tactical cartoon at times, which is a solid choice for a fantasy universe.

The sound design of the title is well suited to the theme and underlines the dream-like nature of the creatures, the spells and the battles that are constructed with them.

Multiplayer

Chaos Reborn is based on a concept that was initially only used to power multiplayer battles, and although the new version offers a single-player component, the best way to experience the thrill that it offers is to play against humans.

Ideally, gamers will battle friends or at least acquaintances so that they can learn about their style in time and create strategies designed to counter their favorite moves.

Victory in Chaos Reborn is a matter of both skill and chance, and battling humans makes bluffing more interesting, which tends to lead to impressive wins when a long-term strategy works and inglorious defeats when it does not.

The community that the game has since its Kickstarter and Early Access days is also very helpful, with solid guides offered on the forums and a reliable level of politeness during battles.


The Good

  • Tactical depth
  • Complex and surprising battles

The Bad

  • Chance plays too much of a role

Conclusion

Chaos Reborn is a game about intelligent gambling and gamers who want to become proficient need to carefully evaluate each of their moves while trying to guess what their opponents are planning to do in the long-term.

The randomness does not dominate gameplay but can play havoc with even the best-constructed plans, and that tends to lead to battles that change course abruptly and result in interesting player narratives, even if they do not always end in victory.

The official site of Chaos Reborn also makes it clear that Gollop and his team have plans to introduce a range of new features and content to the title, which should ensure its long-term appeal both as a single and a multiplayer experience.

Gamers who are thinking about playing the game need to be sure about how they feel about its blend of tactics and luck-driven gameplay.

Those who want precision and control should stay away, but Chaos Reborn will be a good fit for players who appreciate planning but also want to be surprised during a battle.

story 7
gameplay 8
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 8
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 

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