The Caligula Effect Reviews
As an alternative to Persona with writing and style very much seeped in Japanese culture, the Caligula Effect: Overdose is worth consideration. However, you'll need to ask yourself whether or not you can enjoy the idea of a game that only reaches its potential on a handful of occasions, and whether or not any of what you've read so far sounds worth checking out.
Sadly, The Caligula Effect really just amounts to a waste of time.
With all of the great JRPGs that have been releasing lately, I see no real reason to seek out this title. It’s a game that imploded on its ambitions, creating a title that doesn’t really offer anything worth experiencing.
The Caligula Effect is as fascinating as it is technically failing as a game. This is the kind of title that will be probably remembered for its art style, story and innovative gameplay, but will sadly at the same time, be known as a technical mess and bland progression.
I know it may sound like I’m being a bit hard on The Caligula Effect. The problem is that with so many great RPGs available right now, FuRyu’s latest adventure does very little to stand out from the pack. With ho-hum dungeon designs, a half-baked Social Link system, and numerous technical issues (don’t even get me started on the constant frame drops and lengthy load times), this Vita exclusive is a pretty hard sell.
What if Persona was still developed by the mind behind their first two games. The Caligula Effect is an accurate answer to that question. A philosophical story that will leave you thinking with some cool socialization system. In combat you can predict your enemies movements before issuing commands. Sadly it gets repetitive in every sense. A good game for Vita owners.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The game fell flat at times and I wish they would’ve spent more time on the characters all together to help make the story a little better. With all the flaws present, you could still find yourself enjoying a game that others may question because of the slow yet fast paced of everything and the way it doesn’t really tell you where to go exactly. You’re forced to just explore every single section of the area you’re in to get to the next point in the game. All in all, The Caligula Effect is a fun game but it could’ve been better.
The Caligula Effect tells an engaging story that has a deep thought-provoking message.
JRPG games are very hard to judge because of their pure nature and unique atmosphere. You can't put the "good" or "bad" label on them for their high value. Caligula Effect Overdose has a very good and deep combat system, nice story, expansive NPC Relationships and it is a really addictive game, if you like it in the first place. Caligula Effect Overdose is a game that you shoudn't miss it if you like JRPG games.
Review in Persian | Read full review
In the end, The Caligula Effect has some cool ideas and a cool battle system that is often weighed down by other areas of the game lacking. There is simply far too much fluff that gets in the way of enjoying the good parts, keeping it from being truly great. Gamers with a high tolerance for grind will find this a really enjoyable game, but JRPG fans looking for a smoother ride will be put off by how often the pace slows to a near-glacial crawl.
The Caligula Effect is another interesting take on the high-school social aspects mixed with dungeon crawling genre, however it features a rather lackluster combat system and suffers from some technical issues that make the experience less than enjoyable overall.
The Caligula Effect is an interesting, unique and entertaining portable JPRG on Sony's PlayStation Vita.
The Caligula Effect is a difficult game to review, mainly because of how contradictory it can be at times. Its writing can make it seem leagues above most other JRPGs despite its low production value, yet many of its systems are too complicated to recommend, despite however deep they may be.
On a technical level Caligula isn't perfect; characters can run right through doors, and enemies have a habit of getting stuck in scenery as they chase after your characters, but the art direction itself with its soft pastel colours and clean elegance is a massage for the eyes.
The Caligula Effect has the potential to become a bit of a sleeper hit for the hardcore Vita enthusiasts out there. It reaches a really nice rhythmic cadence with its rock-solid gameplay, complemented by a clever, well-written narrative. A few technical hiccups try to rain on its parade, but overall it's an endearing, touching and surprisingly deep RPG with a ton of character and a bucketload of heart.
With an uninspired story, leaning on several cliches,relying on just a few aspects to stand out like the soundtrack and the art, The Caligula Effect is a game that's just worth checking out after the other, more interesting releases of the year.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall, you could do far worse than The Caligula Effect, but you could do far better as well. Due to its myriad of issues both technical and otherwise - and despite the solid story and music - there's little reason to check out this RPG until it's deeply discounted.
When discussing The Caligula Effect, one cannot help but feel it will fall under the same umbrella as Resonance of Fate. It's highly flawed and requires a bit of work to get the best out of it.
Technically messy and relentlessly shallow, The Caligula Effect is one taboo better left unbroken.
Deep and important exploration of psychological issues in an underwhelming package.