Chasm Reviews
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.
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.
Chasm tries something new with its procedurally generated map but it failure to create interesting maps results in a lackluster experience
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.
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.
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
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.
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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.
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.
Despite its flaws, there's still a lot of fun to be had with Chasm.
For $19.99, you could certainly do much worse than Chasm. While I don’t feel it entirely lived up to my expectations, it does a lot of things right, and looks and plays quite well. Unfortunately, the decision to make it rogue and the lack of a developed main character prevents it from making its mark as a true Metroidvania classic. But if you enjoy Metroidvanias and are looking for a fun if flawed experience, you should give Chasm a chance. If nothing else, the highlights of this game makes me anticipate whatever project Bit Kid does next.
Chasm is overall a good representation of the genre but it lacks elements that elevate above other titles.
CHASM is the perfect Metroidvania for those that desire a heavier emphasis on RPG systems at the expense of less flair on the action side of things. If you like the more RPG-centric Castlevania games from the PS1 and DS eras, there’s a lot to love here. Lore nuts and audiophiles may not have a lot to get excited about, and it isn’t as infinitely replayable as the procedural generation system would have you believe, but CHASM still proves to be a solid experience.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.