The Caligula Effect Reviews
If you're a JRPG fan and can see past its dull dungeon design and grindy friendship system, then there is still fun to be had here, but you'll have to push through layers of tediousness to get to it. The Caligula Effect is a game with plenty of good ideas, but sadly, they're just not executed very well. It feels like developer Aquria has tried to implement so many ambitious concepts, but it doesn't actually take the time to flesh them out, and instead, repetition has been used to fill in the gaps.
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.
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.
The Caligula Effect is intended for a niche crowd that's made even smaller by the lack of fun it offers.
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.
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.
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.
Offering little excitement and interest, The Caligula Effect is easily skippable.
Technically messy and relentlessly shallow, The Caligula Effect is one taboo better left unbroken.
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.
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.