Chasm Reviews
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.
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.
Chasm features a lot of Metroid goodness, but the randomness makes levels range from triumphant to tedious
Despite its flaws, there's still a lot of fun to be had with Chasm.
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.
Beautiful pixel art and tight controls make Chasm a fine, if reserved, modern take on the Metroidvania.
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 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.
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.
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.
Chasm's sharp combat mechanics and rich visual design make it easier to bear the inconsistent difficulty curve.
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.
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.
Chasm is one of the finest Metroidvania games ever created.
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 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.
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.
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 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.