Percentile Rank
Rating Summary
Based on 36 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Score Distribution
Unscored Reviews
Top Critic
With a lot of similarly styled games on the market right now, the vastness and the creativity of Chasm makes for a really fun take on a popular theme.
Top Critic
I'm happy there's another Metroidvania game for me to dig into, especially one that feels as taut and classically inspired as Chasm. It's just that after such a long wait those things no longer feel like enough.
Chasm delivers in many ways, but the one thing that holds it back from the upper echelon is a world that feels as though it were built from Lego pieces.
Scored Reviews
Top Critic
This world is a joy to get lost in and thanks to the unique take on procedural design, it offers a multitude of ways to re-experience the game even after completion. Aside from some minor issues with the ho-hum traversal upgrades, Chasm is an inspired take on a well-worn genre. If you long for the days of annual Igavanias, Chasm's one of the better modern stabs at that glory.
Top Critic
You know the saying, that good things come to those who wait? Well, this wait for Chasm has definitely yielded an amazing fun title, that should appeal to even the more hardcore of Metroidvania games. Beautiful, lots of stuff to do and tons of items and secrets to uncover, makes Chasm the game that will keep you busy for a long time. In fact, we just might be playing it longer than it took for this gem to be released.
Top Critic
Chasm is one of the finest Metroidvania games ever created.
Top Critic
Chasm may not be the most original or engaging metroidvania game out there, but it's still a delightfully charming adventure/RPG game that's sure to appeal to fans of The Legend of Zelda series, old-school Castlevania and Metroid games, or anyone else whose idea of a good time involves delving into monster-infested dungeons.
Top Critic
Chasm's sharp combat mechanics and rich visual design make it easier to bear the inconsistent difficulty curve.
Top Critic
While it can sometimes be hard to pick and chose which of many Metroidvanias to try out as the market is very crowded, genre fans definitely shouldn't pass on Chasm. The game took the developers six years to make, and this is seems to have paid off when looking at in the quality of the visuals, controls, and how well the Chasm's take on procedural generation and the placement of its rooms works out.
Top Critic
It has been a long wait for Chasm and I am happy to report that it provides a great classic Metroidvania experience. It isn't as obviously polished graphically as the likes of Oni or Hollow Knight, and doesn't offer the Dark Souls stylings of Dead Cells, but it succeeds entirely on what it sets out to do. The art style is perfectly suited, the controls are responsive and focused (although I would have liked to move dodge from the Y button) and the world map is a real joy to explore, despite my worries about the procedural generation. It may not be the gamechanger that Dead Cells seems to be (having not yet played it myself) but it is a wonderfully pure and challenging experience. If you have even a passing interest in the genre, Chasm deserves a place on your playlist.
Top Critic
While Chasm is an indie Metroidvania title using procedural generation, this isn't another roguelike. Instead, Chasm generates a new map with every campaign for re-playable variety. During the campaign the map stays put, promoting exploration and memorization. Chasm is all about getting around: finding new abilities to open a new path forward and overcoming difficult platforming challenges. Chasm might have been outdone in certain aspects during its five years in development, but what's here is still very good.
Much of Chasm's appeal comes from the random nature of the adventure. The procedurally generated Metroidvania world creates a dynamic situation where combat and exploration are always surprising. Twisted confinements in this underground lair littered with all matter of dangerous creatures and environmental hazards form a deadly dance of evading and slashing. Some of the random environments can link together for vexing platforming challenges and lopsided enemy variety but the tension created by Chasm's chance placement means that nothing you encounter is expected.
Top Critic
With an unrelenting sense of character, Chasm successfully works the Metroid formula into a procedurally-generated fantasy platformer, producing an intricate, challenging and enduring treasure hunt that more than justifies its five-year development.
Top Critic
Beautiful pixel art and tight controls make Chasm a fine, if reserved, modern take on the Metroidvania.
Top Critic
Despite its flaws, there's still a lot of fun to be had with Chasm.
Top Critic
Chasm was worth the wait regardless of its shortcomings. It's gorgeous, it sounds wondrous, and even though I'm not quite at the point where I can call it a "classic," it honors the genre. I hope the follow-up doesn't take nearly as long.
Top Critic
Chasm's procedural dungeon, though a technical marvel, ends up woefully underutilised and results in a title that does little to set itself apart from its peers.
Top Critic
Chasm features a lot of Metroid goodness, but the randomness makes levels range from triumphant to tedious
Top Critic
Top Critic
Chams is a lovely experience for all those players who enjoy by playing classic titles like Castlevania and the first Metroid. Great for 2D and pixel lovers, but a little bit repetitive for modern players.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
Overall, Chasm is a decent game. With it's many dungeons it will entertain you, while uncovering the mysteries behind each stage would increase the eagerness to play. That said, it's awful story and dead characters makes the game not so wholesome.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Chasm might not be the best representative of its genre, and competition is fierce. It doesn’t necessarily provide a fresh experience or a particularly memorable story either, but what it does do is extremely well polished
Top Critic
Chasm is a lovely and fun Metroidvania with a lot of cool new ideas, even if its randomized maps are uninteresting.
Top Critic
Chasm is a fascinating, mechanically sound take on the Metroidvania genre, but it also fails to do anything innovative or original that hasn't been done before in the genre, apart from the relatively minor hook of procedurally-generated worlds. Despite this, it's still a fun side-scrolling adventure that's sure to be worth your time, with challenging combat, fantastic graphics, and a cool premise all combining to make for a release that we'd recommend to fans of the genre - although there are better examples out there, many of which are on Switch right now.
Top Critic
While a perfectly serviceable example of the genre, there are just better options out there in 2018.
Chasm is a good Metroidvania game. But it feels like it could have been better at certain points. A game that took five years to develop feels like it should offer more than Chasm currently does. Is that an unfair assessment? Possibly, but then maybe you should ask someone who kickstarted it if they're happy with what they received after all these years.
Top Critic
There's a lot to enjoy in Chasm if you're after a less intense Metroidvania-like experience.
Top Critic
A metroidvania with some interesting ideas, but lacks in combat system and level design, resulting just sufficient in all of its mechanics and not worth a second run.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Chasm takes a stab at the action-platformer genre popularized by Castlevania and Metroid. It builds a good foundation, but flounders when it comes to making something unique and memorable.
Chasm doesn’t quite have its own identity, as it borrows so much from other games. And, while it does that decently, it’s not best in class. The randomly generated level layout, which is the game’s one unique feature, actually ends up being its biggest weakness. Maybe I am being a little too unkind, as I did have fun playing, but I just feel like it could have been so much more and that’s what bothers me the most.
Top Critic
Chasm is a quite good tribute to some classic games of the Metroivania genre, with some pleasant retro style visuals. But many things are lacking - like some fresh ideas and a tighter level design - to make it more than a satisfying experience.
Review in French | Read full review
Top Critic
Most of what it does well can be contributed to Symphony of the Night, and the few innovations it makes of its own are of the one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back variety.
Top Critic
Chasm is a retro-infused, Metroidvania style roguelike. Although it brings back many nostalgic feelings with its art style, there is much more to be desired and no real sense of accomplishment once you've completed the game.
Top Critic
With underwhelming procedural generation, Chasm fails to stand out from other Metroidvania games due to its simple mechanics and somewhat bland setting. It's still pretty and challenging enough to be occasionally fun.
Top Critic
Chasm tries something new with its procedurally generated map but it failure to create interesting maps results in a lackluster experience
Top Critic
Chasm's beautifully realized world can't distract from an ill-fitting gimmick that leaves its gameplay unbalanced and repetitive.
