Chaos Domain – Review (PC)
I’m not sure I get this one guys, I’m really not sure.
Chaos Domain by Holy Warp is a seemingly straighforward side-scrolling gun ‘n’ run platformer. You play a mech-suited Anubis (yeah, the Egyptian God) and you have to, for some reason not disclosed, run through various levels killing aliens and robots.
There’s no storyline, no tutorial, and seemingly no point except to get used to the slightly cramped controls and ‘enjoy’ the very 80’s soundtrack. It takes a while to grow accustomed to using K to shoot, having only a 45 degree choice of aiming. If you want to optimize your run, you have to memorize tough enemy locations to avoid a world of pain. On easy mode, you get three lives and one ‘continue’ pass which will give you another three lives before it’s Game Over. Normal mode doesn’t grant you a ‘continue’ – bearing in mind that each and every single enemy is capable of dealing one-hit KO’s, this is actually quite a big difficulty step-up, although at the beginning the levels are two minutes long at best and it’s not the biggest deal having to restart again.
There are many different weapon types – you start with the single-shot basic gun, but as you kill enemies you can pick up anything from a rocket launcher to a machine gun, which deal bigger and faster damage payouts on-the-go. But weapons seem to spawn randomly. On my first play, I didn’t get any drops at all. On my second load-up, there were drops all over the place. It can’t seem to make its mind up about what gun I’m allowed, and the basic gun is rubbish. You also lose your gun upgrade when you scoot along to the next level, removing any sense of character progression and achievement.
Bosses are tough, but generally follow predictable patterns of attack, spray, move etc. It was the side-kick aliens in these boss fights that usually got me – the re-spawning, slow ones that you don’t think will bother you too much. Even after you kill an enemy, the bullets are slow and don’t just vanish into thin air so often you can jump straight into a stray projectile long after its owner has perished.
There’s a tactical element here in that you can purchase items at the store to help you – spending your points on health boosts for example – but this didn’t become obvious until a few hours of gameplay when I noticed the option for it and went on a spending spree. Really, a tutorial is needed here and at least some kind of meaningful story if I’m going to commit to grinding out points.
The game design is the tried-and-tested sci-fi factory setting, complete with conveyor belts and barrels. I hoped that as I progressed, the levels would become more exciting, but it becomes very stale by the time you reach level 10.
Gameplay is okay once you get used to it, as I’ve said. IF you get used to it. The controls are cramped up on one side of the keyboard, and in all honesty aiming is pathetic. It’s nearly impossible to do a clean run based on this fact alone – 45 degree aiming angles aren’t what I’m after. This would be a thoroughly enjoyable game if I were allowed 180 degree aiming with my mouse, using the buttons to shoot, instead of having to use WASD and the K key. After a bit of research, I found that this game is also available on iPad, and promptly stole my Dad’s to play it hoping for 180 degree shooting. I was wrong – it’s exactly the same on the touch-screen. Not a cross-hair in sight.
I like that there’s multiplayer support, but honestly I don’t understand the original control layout for single player enough to try and tangle my limbs with someone sharing the same keyboard. I’m sure for couples this would be a fantastic bonding experience, but why bother when you have Mario Kart?
Aside from this, the game didn’t actually get repetitive at all (apart from the music and design, and my endlessly wayward shots), because the enemies and bosses are unique and diverse. The level designs are unpredictable and keep you on your toes, despite some being mind-numbingly difficult.
The Verdict
Good:
- Fluid gameplay with no lag or obvious bugs
- You get to play as a robot Anubis
- Enemies are diverse and interesting, with a strong AI
- Level design, although visually similar, keeps you on your toes
- Multiplayer existence
Bad:
- Controls suck. Cramped, dated and the iPad version is exactly the same.
- 80’s soundtrack and graphic design get tired quickly
- Can’t keep your gun upgrades between levels
- No tutorial
- No storyline, and any dialogue is vague and unnecessary.
A great homage to the Retro era that could be a really enjoyable game if quite a few things were, well, quite a bit better.I’m giving it a…