I’ve already previewed Chaos Reborn, but that was a while ago, so with the recent release of the Early Access version on Steam, I thought I’d give it another shot.
The first thing to notice is that there is a huge difference between this version and the one I tried before. The preview looked at a very early web based demo, but Chaos Reborn is now far more than that. While previously it was really just a promising proof of concept, we are now able to see the core game take shape. Most exciting of all however, even in the proof of concept stage Julian Gollop’s studio managed to capture the engaging gameplay of the original, and the thrill of dueling with rival wizards by summoning creatures and casting spells was there from the very start. With that essential gameplay now wrapped up in some nicer visuals and a more polished layer of presentation, Chaos Reborn looks well on its way to realising its potential.
At the moment Chaos Reborn has a lot of stub menu options for features that are not yet implemented. There’s not much customization available at the moment, no singleplayer and there’s still a fair number of bugs and minor issues affecting the basic gameplay.
Encouragingly though, basic matchmaking is already available, and I was able to find opponents to play against easily. While I can see the stats and player records being reset at some time in the future, I was still encouraged to see that there’s potential for a thriving competitive scene to develop.
I also created some private matches and tested the game with a friend, and although I experienced some bugs (my character locked up during one game and couldn’t move), we both enjoyed it. In truth we probably enjoyed it more for its potentially rather than the somewhat directionless games we played. One versus one matches tend to be a bit too simple, but with four wizards, either in teams of two or in a free for all, it gets a bit more (*ahem*) chaotic and enjoyable.
The original Chaos is one of the greatest turn based strategy games of all time. Turn based gameplay featuring wizards summoning creatures form a randomized deck of spells is such a great gameplay concept, it’s shocking that we haven’t had more games in that genre. As a result, Chaos Reborn really couldn’t go wrong as long as it delivered on its predecessors gameplay while bringing us some shiny new visuals and a solid online gameplay experience. Looking at the progress made so far, it looks like it will deliver far more than that. A singleplayer mode, comprehensive competitive matchmaking and stats and player customization are all being added too. I think most crucially, the competitive element will give the game direction and focus. I’d love to really dig into the deeper startegies that develop once people get serious about the game.
At the moment Chaos Reborn is promising a lot. But even looking at what it currently delivers, I would have little hesitation in recommending it to anyone.