Massive Chalice Reviews
Massive Chalice is about time, about heroes, and most importantly, it's about taking that deep breath before the strike.
Massive Chalice is lots of fun and highly addictive. Yes a lot of the best things about it come from it being highly influenced by XCOM: Enemy Unknown, but it not only captures a lot of the spirit of our Game of the Year 2012 but Double Fine also manages to provide their own unique spin on it with the Game of Thrones-style setup.
Chaotically fun in doses, but lacking in vitality
As turn based strategy games go Massive Chalice has some nice innovations that make it well worth playing if you are a fan of the genre. With a distinctive art style and an interesting combination of story driven multiple choice decisions and roguelike mechanics there is nothing else really like it out there. The lack of multiplayer is a real shame though and the game loses a point because of that. But the games positives far outweigh its few negatives and considering Massive Chalices budget price it is a hard game not to recommend to both strategy and Double Fine fans alike.
There's bound to be some disconnect with the mortal world when you live forever, but I could have used a reminder why this war is worth spending 300 years to win.
Double Fine's new strategy game isn't likely to disappoint anyone who's been keeping tabs on Massive Chalice over the last few years.
Games like Massive Chalice live or die on the emergent narratives they create, which makes designing death as an inevitability for your cast of heroes an admirable risk. They're trusting that, as the wheel of time turns, players will glimpse a larger shape coming into view. The stories that stand out are family epics, like the Buendias of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude. By following the tangled paths of lineage, we're left with tales too large to be understood in terms of the lone hero.
Taken as a whole, Massive Chalice is basically tactical strategy "lite." It is easy to pick up and play, and there are enough varied elements to keep veterans of the genre interested, but it doesn't break any new ground. If it were a $60 game, Massive Chalice wouldn't hold up, but as a $20 game, it fits the bill nicely. This isn't a title that is going to compete head-to-head with the next XCOM, but it is a good way to pass the time while you wait for XCOM 2.
Double Fine has produced a good tactical strategy game with 'Massive Chalice'. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but also brings some of its own ideas to the table. It's not without its faults, but if you can look past those, you may find an engaging strategy experience.
Massive Chalice is the sort of video game that I would love to see Kickstarter users focus on more in the coming years, a title that does not rely only on nostalgia in order to get access to development funds and also stays the course during the creation process, with no hiccups from the studio in charge.
I really tried to like this game, i couldn't do it. I lost track of how many arrows my hunters fired into nothingness, while having the enemy at an arm's length. Thank god they were not nearsighted. I ran out of heroes many times because i could not generate any offspring via marriage or conquest. The combat system is far too simplistic, having to reveal enemies hidden in fog-of-war and moving characters in the grid system. Luckily, Double Fine's humor is always present in the interactions we have with the chalice and the different genetic traits of our heroes. Far from top tier games like Xcom or Final Fantasy Tactics, which is far far superior, and came out in 1997.
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Massive Chalice's generational loop makes for a strong core, and elements like the hybrid classes lend it some much-needed depth. However, it doesn't do a great job of tracking the history of your heroes, and it's ultimately lacking in elements like diverse character art and base classes. Still, there's the foundation for a phenomenal strategy game here if Double Fine is willing to build on it. As it is, though, it makes for a diverting few hours, and a welcome change of pace from XCOM.