Chariot Review (Xbox One)

Puzzle platformers nowadays usually try to find some interesting twist on the regular gameplay and then run it into the ground, neglecting to make the actual experience fun or rewarding, not to mention accessible for both one player or, ideally, for two or more via some sort of cooperative mode.

Chariot, coming from Canadian independent studio Frima, tries to achieve both goals, offering an interesting twist, as players need to guide a funeral chariot containing their dead father's casket through a cave system, but also gameplay that's great with two players, as the princess and her fiancé are both playable.

Does the new indie title manage to succeed in delivering a fun puzzle platformer experience or should the funeral party grind to a halt? Let's find out.

Story

Chariot simply throws players right into the thick of things at the beginning, but soon enough, some actual details are offered. Players control a princess and her fiancé, who need to find a suitable resting place for her late father, the king of the realm. The trouble is, his pretty pesky ghost wants to be buried in the most perfect spot of all the land, meaning the couple needs to lug around his coffin, which is on wheels, through a series of caves filled with all sorts of treasures and dangers.

The story is pretty fun, although only the ghost king and a helpful skeleton do the talking. However, soon enough, the demanding nature of the former monarch starts to get annoying, especially if you happen to get split up from the actual coffin. You then have six seconds to get back in range or you respawn from the last checkpoint. During these seconds all sorts of annoying warnings are uttered by the ghost, which really puts into question whether you want to help him or not.

Explore great environments

Gameplay

Of course, such a game relies more on its actual gameplay than story to keep players hooked on the experience. In terms of the platformer mechanics, Chariot is a pretty decent title, with characters moving swiftly through the side-scrolling levels.

Unfortunately, the big addition of the casket, while novel and entertaining at first, becomes quite tedious as you progress through the levels. Moving it can be done either by pushing from the back or pulling from the front, using an instant rope that's deployed when you press a trigger. Unfortunately, the actual trigger needs to stay pressed for the rope to remain attached. As such, when you start navigating tougher and tougher platforming sections, you might want to pause for a moment so that your trigger finger doesn't get numb from the constant pressure.

While the physics of the coffin and the characters is pretty constant, things get even more hectic when other elements are introduced, such as the bouncing platforms, which are downright horrible to navigate. You also reach an ice environment, where maneuvering both the characters and the coffin becomes more like a game of trial and error.

Levels, on the other hand, are quite big and filled with all sorts of diverging paths. The main one, thankfully, is always signaled through indicators and arrows, so you can't really get lost. Many paths also loop around in a clever way. Things get a bit more tricky when special platforms on which either the chariot or the player can walk on, once again leading to a bit of trial and error. Some of the secondary paths are rather difficult, or filled with enemies, but they're always properly marked, and in the end, contain rewards like special skulls or blueprints for extra gadgets.

These gadgets are rather rare but provide some interesting benefits. Bear in mind that you can only bring one into a level, so choosing between them is essential. You can opt for a peg that you can attach a rope to, or a sort-of grenade to knock out enemies, and more.

While the environments are well structured, many of them are populated with enemies called looters that come in the form of rat-like, bat-like, or even penguin-like creatures that jump on the chariot and steal some of your loot.

The attacks are triggered by the noise made by the chariot when it draws in gems or hits the ground with moderate speed. While some encounters you can avoid by moving more slowly, others are unavoidable. What's more, at least in the beginning, you can barely fight the enemies, so your only bet is to keep the chariot on the move and run faster than the greedy creatures.

Chariot also has quite a few features to enhance replayability, as most levels have alternate entry points and they can be tackled in a Speedrun mode.

Multiplayer

Chariot is designed for local cooperative play, with another player being able to join at any time the action on the screen. However, teamwork is a learned ability here, as it takes some time to figure out who gets to push and who gets to pull and where exactly to go.

Things get even tricky during the certain sections in a level where only two players can go, which are once again signaled so that solo people don't think they can achieve them on their own. These areas are quite devious in their design and require some top-notch teamwork to complete. As such, be prepared to argue, make, and break friendships with Chariot.

Visuals and Audio

Chariot is a gorgeous-looking experience, with rich environments, varied colors, and great character design. In some areas things get quite dark, and it becomes difficult to see where your intended platforms are, but in most cases things look and feel good, as the framerate is constant.

In terms of sound, the game has an upbeat soundtrack but it can easily become annoying as you start getting stuck on levels and hear the rambling of the ghost king.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion

Chariot is a pretty decent puzzle platformer with stellar visuals but it could've been much more, had it not been for the annoying enemies and the rather difficult task of escorting the coffin through the many different caves. Its design is sound but its pace is grueling and filled with trial and error. Playing with a friend alleviates this somewhat, so bring a buddy if you want to go through the game.

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