The Caligula Effect Reviews
FuRyu's latest RPG might be their best work yet, with a combat system that can be incredibly satisfying to link together, but there is still something lacking in the parts that don't attempt to emulate Persona.
There is a lot of content to experience, but it is all riddled with flaws, making it an unsuitable replacement for Vita fans disappointed in the lack of Persona 5.
Offering little excitement and interest, The Caligula Effect is easily skippable.
A lot of video games attempt to say something, but rarely do they manage to leave a genuine impact by the time the credits begin to roll.
The Caligula Effect has some of the coolest systems ever found on the Vita. The game seems to push what the system is capable of and perhaps that was asking too much. With some frame rate drops during battles and unnecessarily confusing dungeons, the game might get passed up by the more casual RPG players. However in the end, the side stories, characters, and awesome soundtrack saved the game and made me want to see it through to till the end.
The Caligula Effect offers a fascinating story inside of a huge virtual world. Filled with heavy concepts, writer Tadashi Satomi weaves a complex story about human suffering, artificial happiness, and the lengths people will go to find inner peace. While not nearly as developed or immersive as Persona 5, the game's flashy graphics, star-studded soundtrack and solid story help to make up for what the game lacks in a depressingly shallow and unfulfilling social system, unclear objectives within dungeons and a rather tedious battle system.
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.
The Caligula Effect tells an engaging story that has a deep thought-provoking message.
Sadly, The Caligula Effect really just amounts to a waste of time.
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 has a turn-based battle system that is refreshingly fun.
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 features a nifty concept as well as some notable minds behind its story, music and character design. At the same time, the PS Vita JRPG is also the victim of bad timing as everything it does, Persona 5 does much better. If you haven't played the latter, then I recommend getting that instead. Otherwise, if you're looking for a more old-school Persona-style game, then The Caligula Effect can be worth checking out.
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 an average JRPG with a memorable soundtrack that has some ambitious ideas for mechanics, but fails in executing them in a constructive manner.
Technically messy and relentlessly shallow, The Caligula Effect is one taboo better left unbroken.
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.
I wish I didn't want to like The Caligula Effect as much as I do, but it's just tragic how far it falls from its own obviously lofty goals. For a game about a virtual world where everyone appears as their best possible self, The Caligula Effect is a walking worst-case scenario, representing the most disappointing possible execution on the huge potential of its best ideas.
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