Info about Clash: Artifacts of Chaos: Official game description: ZENO EDITION ============ About the Game ============== **You play as Pseudo, a master of martial arts who lives as a recluse in the strange land of Zenozoik. When you cross paths with the Boy, a small creature whose mysterious powers have attracted the attention of Gemini, the Mistress of the Artifacts, you decide to protect him, unaware that much greater forces are involved.** * EXPLORE ZENOZOIK ---------------- Drawing upon both surreal and punk fantasy influences, the world and civilisations of Zenozoik are brimming with fascinating characters, creatures and landscapes. Roam this intriguing land and discover its paths, inhabitants and ancient secrets. * CRUSH YOUR OPPONENTS -------------------- Your fists and speed are your greatest weapons. Attack, dodge, stun, block, counter a parry to land a special attack, switch to first-person view to perform unique techniques: each time, it's up to you to seize the occasion to achieve victory and avoid mistakes that could quickly prove fatal. * CUSTOMISE YOUR COMBAT STYLE --------------------------- Learn various martial arts during your adventure and alternate freely between them based on the situation, types of enemies and your preference. Victories will enable you to improve your characteristics and upgrade your attacks, so you can develop your own unique style. * RISE TO THE CHALLENGE OF THE RITUAL ----------------------------------- Before fighting, you can challenge your opponent to a game of dice, with the winner defining the rules of the encounter – often to their advantage. Summoning a monster as an ally, covering the area in fog, having shackles limit movement… far from determining the outcome of the combat, the Ritual represents an opportunity to exploit if you win it or a challenge to cleverly overcome if you lose. * A RICH STORYLINE ---------------- Your search for the Great Artifacts that will help you defeat Gemini will take you farther than you ever imagined. While taking on the mercenaries pursuing you and developing your friendship with the Boy, you must confront your past and delve into the sources of the chaotic society of Zenozoik. _Clash: Artifacts of Chaos takes place in the same universe as Zeno Clash and Zeno Clash II, but the game is entirely independent._ Release date: 9 Mar, 2023 Categories: Real-time Combat, Single-player Story, Exploration, Character Customization, Character Progression, Dice-based Gameplay, Crafting - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: No data - Time-to-fun: No data - Player Archetypes: No data Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Exceptional and unique art style (weight 0.94): The game features a unique and striking art style, with many reviewers praising the visuals, character designs, and world design as exceptional and memorable. The game's artistic direction is consistently highlighted as a major strength, contributing significantly to the overall experience and setting it apart from other titles. Many reviewers noted that the visuals are among the best aspects of the game. - Engaging and fluid combat system (weight 0.76): The combat system is praised for being engaging, fluid, and offering a variety of options through stances, special moves, and customization. Reviewers note that mastering the combat mechanics is rewarding and leads to a satisfying experience. The transition to a third-person perspective is seen as an improvement, enhancing the combat's complexity and enjoyment. - Unique and well-developed world (weight 0.56): The game world is consistently described as unique, bizarre, and well-developed, with a strong sense of atmosphere and lore. Reviewers appreciate the attention to detail and the way the world enhances the narrative. The world's originality and immersive qualities are frequently mentioned as standout features. - Compelling story and characters (weight 0.54): The game features a compelling story with well-developed characters, particularly Pseudo and the Boy, who form an engaging emotional core. Reviewers praise the voice acting and writing, noting the heartfelt and often humorous interactions between characters. The narrative is described as impactful and memorable, with many reviewers expressing emotional investment in the characters' journeys. - Excellent and immersive soundtrack (weight 0.4): Reviewers consistently praise the game's soundtrack and sound design, noting its high quality and its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere and experience. The music is described as beautiful, memorable, and well-integrated with the game's world and action. Many reviewers specifically mention the emotional impact and unique character of the music. - Improved over previous entries (weight 0.2): The game is seen as a significant improvement over previous Zeno Clash titles, with enhanced mechanics, a move to third person, and a greater variety of fighting styles. Reviewers appreciate the expansion of the lore and the connections to the original series. Fans of the Zeno Clash games will find this a worthy successor. - Unique and engaging Ritual system (weight 0.1): The Ritual system, a dice-based minigame before fights, adds a unique tactical layer to combat. This system offers strategic options and the ability to skip encounters, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Reviewers find the Ritual mechanic engaging and appreciate its integration with the story. Common complaints: - Lacks fast travel system (weight 0.57): The game lacks a fast travel system, which exacerbates the navigation issues and makes backtracking tedious. This absence, combined with the confusing level design, leads to a slower and more frustrating experience. - Confusing and maze-like level design (weight 0.54): Many reviewers criticized the level design and navigation. The world is described as confusing, maze-like, and repetitive, with a lack of clear direction, insufficient signposting, and a poor map system, leading to players getting lost and frustrated. - Problematic camera and targeting (weight 0.54): Some reviewers found the combat camera and targeting system problematic, especially when fighting multiple enemies or large creatures. This can lead to obscured views and difficulty targeting specific enemies, making combat more frustrating. - Inconsistent difficulty curve (weight 0.52): The game's difficulty is inconsistent. Some found the early game too difficult due to low damage output and unclear mechanics, while others felt the game became too easy later on as they leveled up and mastered certain skills, trivializing most fights. - Lacks polish; buggy and unoptimized (weight 0.25): The game suffers from a lack of polish, with reviewers noting minor bugs, visual clutter, and poor graphics. Some also mentioned that the UI and menu system are terrible, further detracting from the overall experience. - Artificial pacing; feels padded (weight 0.18): The game's pacing feels artificially slowed down due to infrequent saves, excessive backtracking, and a lack of clear direction. This padding can make the game feel longer and more tedious than it needs to be. - Unsatisfying ritual dice game (weight 0.13): The ritual dice game mechanic is criticized for being nonsensical, luck-dependent, and having little impact on combat. Many reviewers found it annoying and skippable, suggesting it feels out of place and poorly integrated into the game. - Poorly implemented crafting system (weight 0.12): The crafting and potion brewing systems are described as over-simplified, unclear, and ultimately pointless. Reviewers found it difficult to understand the effects of different ingredients and felt the systems added little value to the overall gameplay experience. Gameplay feedback: - Interconnected world rewards exploration (weight 0.47): The game world is interconnected and rewards exploration with shortcuts, items, and upgrades. However, the lack of clear guidance or fast travel can lead to significant backtracking and navigation challenges. The game encourages players to explore and discover secrets independently. - Unique martial arts combat system (weight 0.44): The game features a unique martial arts-inspired combat system with a mix of brawling, RPG, and fighting game elements. It includes multiple stances, special attacks, and dodging/blocking mechanics, with a focus on timing and animation canceling. The game has transitioned to a third-person perspective, a departure from previous entries. - Dice-based mini-game before battles (weight 0.25): Before certain battles, players engage in a dice-based mini-game ('The Ritual') to gain advantages or impose penalties on opponents. While unique and thematic, some reviewers found it optional or unnecessary, with limited impact on the core gameplay. The dice game mechanic is tied to the game's lore. - Day/night cycle alters gameplay (weight 0.2): The game features a day/night cycle with distinct gameplay mechanics. During the night, players control a different form with unique abilities, accessing new areas and facing stronger enemies. Death during the day allows players to revive in the night form to reach their point of death. - Campfire saves and potion crafting (weight 0.11): The game features a campfire system for saving, leveling up, and crafting healing potions. Players collect resources to create potions with various buffs, similar to an Estus flask system. Shops have limited stocks of crafting materials, while ingredients for brewing do not respawn, creating a finite supply. - Character customization with varied stats (weight 0.11): Players can customize their character by improving stats and unlocking different fighting styles and special attacks. There are many different stances and customization for special attacks. However, some stats, like Endurance, may feel negligible depending on playstyle. - Intelligent enemies require tactical combat (weight 0.11): Enemies exhibit intelligent behavior, employing tactics like flanking and adapting to player actions. Learning enemy movesets and exploiting vulnerabilities, such as stun-locking, is crucial for success. The game reuses the same cadre of mercenaries throughout, with enemies employing new tactics and ambushes. - Attack canceling enables combo potential (weight 0.08): The combat system allows for attack canceling, enabling combos and faster attacks. Dodging is best used for extending combos rather than pure evasion. The game features methodical combat without a stamina bar. - Personal and claustrophobic world (weight 0.06): The game world is designed to feel more personal and claustrophobic, contrasting the untamed wilds with the heroes' responsibilities. There are a lot of options for character builds by the end of the game, allowing for varied playstyles. - Night mode offers unique rewards (weight 0.03): Night time offers optional challenges for experience, unique gear, and crafting items. Some secrets and chests also only appear at Night. Sets of night-only armor can be found in night mode. - Gameplay systems can be abused (weight 0.03): Some reviewers felt that gameplay systems can be abused to make fighting fairly easy. There is little incentive to use weapons, potions, or combat stances. Performance notes: - Adjustable graphics, loading options (weight 0.1): The game offers adjustable graphics settings and world-loading options. Players can choose between seamless open-world streaming or chunk-based loading with loading screens, which can help improve performance on weaker systems. - Minor bugs and glitches (weight 0.04): Players have reported encountering bugs, including AI glitches and collision issues. The developers are reportedly working to address these issues. - Settings and localization issues (weight 0.02): Some players have reported issues with specific settings, such as vertical synchronization and full-screen mode, not functioning correctly. Additionally, there are reports of text being displayed in multiple languages in the settings menu. - Customizable visual style options (weight 0.01): The game provides a variety of graphic options to customize the visual style. This includes adjusting the thickness and visibility of lines and strokes. - Moveset equipping bug (weight 0.01): A bug sometimes causes the player to equip a third moveset after obtaining it. This could potentially disrupt gameplay or provide unintended advantages. - Widescreen support available (weight 0.01): The game supports widescreen aspect ratios, specifically at least 21:9. This allows for a more immersive experience on ultrawide monitors. - Annoying transitions in swamp/coast (weight 0.01): Transition times are generally acceptable, except in the swamp/coast area. Frequent transitions in this area can become annoying for players. - Visually unpleasant, causes eye strain (weight 0.01): Some players find the graphics visually unpleasant and report eye strain. This is a subjective opinion, but it's worth noting as a potential concern for some players. Recommendations: - Strongly recommended, despite flaws (weight 0.93): Many reviewers recommend the game, citing its unique qualities and overall enjoyment despite flaws. Some suggest waiting for a sale, while others consider it worth full price. The game is often described as a hidden gem or a must-try experience. - Polarizing; not for everyone (weight 0.49): The game is polarizing; some players will love it, while others will hate it. It may not appeal to those easily frustrated or those seeking a polished experience. This point reflects a divide in player reception. - Negatives outweigh positives (weight 0.4): Some reviewers express disappointment, stating that the negatives outweigh the positives. This suggests significant issues that detract from the overall experience. This point is vague and lacks specific details. - Unique blend of genres (weight 0.37): The game is compared to other titles like Dark Souls, God of War, and Gothic, highlighting its combat, exploration, and unique world. Reviewers note its blend of genres and its distinct identity within the gaming landscape. Some suggest Sifu as an alternative for martial arts combat. - The game is 'balling' (weight 0.33): One reviewer uses the term "balling" to describe the game, which is slang for excellent or impressive. This point is based on slang and lacks specific details. - Good entry to Zenozoik series (weight 0.19): The game is a good entry point into the Zeno Clash series, especially for new fans. Some reviewers suggest playing earlier games for context, while others consider this installment the best. Overall, it's a recommended experience for those interested in the Zenozoik universe. - Desire for more content (weight 0.08): Reviewers express hope for future content, sequels, and expansions within the game's universe. They want to see the story and characters further developed and the world expanded upon. This indicates a strong interest in the game's setting and potential. - Buy on sale, not full (weight 0.06): Several reviewers suggest buying the game on sale rather than at full price. This indicates that while they find the game enjoyable, they don't believe it's worth the full retail price. This may be due to perceived flaws or a lack of content. - Needs practice mode, minimap (weight 0.02): Reviewers suggest the game needs a practice mode and quality-of-life improvements like a minimap. These additions would enhance the player experience and address potential frustrations with the game's mechanics and navigation. - Unique, not a Souls-like (weight 0.02): The game is described as a 'different choice' and encourages supporting the developers' unique vision. It is also clarified that the game is not a Souls-like, despite being listed as one, which could mislead potential players. - Fix Teleport and Multi kick (weight 0.01): One reviewer specifically calls out the "Teleport" and "Multi kick" special attacks as needing fixes. This is a specific piece of actionable feedback that could improve the game's combat system. - Cut souls-like elements (weight 0.01): One reviewer hopes the developers return to their roots and cut out the souls-like elements in future Zeno Clash games. This suggests that the reviewer dislikes the souls-like elements in the game and prefers the original Zeno Clash style. - Unrefined combat is appealing (weight 0.01): One reviewer notes that the unrefined combat has a certain appeal. This suggests that while the combat may not be polished, it has a unique quality that some players may find enjoyable. Other player notes: - Underrated with minimal marketing (weight 0.09): The game is considered underrated and received little marketing despite being the first Zenozoic game in 10 years. Some reviewers felt the story lacked depth, serving primarily as a justification for combat. - Unique, mysterious atmosphere (weight 0.05): The game has a unique and mysterious atmosphere, described as 'punk fantasy' with an odd world vibe. The world, characters, gameplay, story, and ending are all unusual. - Father-son narrative (weight 0.05): The story is self-contained and focuses on a father figure protecting his adopted son, a bird-like creature, from a warlord. The narrative presents exotic concepts that fit well with the combat-focused gameplay. - Likable and distinct characters (weight 0.04): The protagonist, Pseudo, and other characters are surprisingly likable and feel like distinct individuals. Some reviewers noted that the voice acting for Pseudo is well-done, but the developers could have done more with the character. - Weird and alien world design (weight 0.03): The game's world and enemy designs are often described as weird, with some reviewers comparing the creatures to muppets. The world is reminiscent of old science fiction books with unbelievable alien landscapes and inhabitants. - Fitting, but not outstanding music (weight 0.02): The game's music is generally considered fitting and good, with a tribal sound that complements the setting. However, some reviewers found the music to be not outstanding, while others highlighted specific tracks. - Smoke indicates save points (weight 0.01): Smoke indicates a nearby save point, providing a helpful visual cue for players. - Bizarre antagonist design (weight 0.01): The main antagonist is a three-armed woman with six heads and a split body, highlighting the game's bizarre character designs. - Difficult to sell title (weight 0.01): The game's title is not easy to sell to friends, suggesting it may be difficult to convey the game's appeal based on the name alone. - Enjoyment requires effort (weight 0.01): Individual enjoyment will vary depending on the effort invested in the game, suggesting that the game may require patience and dedication to fully appreciate. - Developed by small team (weight 0.01): The game was developed by a relatively small team, which may explain some of its quirks and limitations. - Subjective voice acting (weight 0.01): Voice acting is alright most of the time, but subjective. - Initial dislike of changes (weight 0.01): The reviewer initially disliked the changes in Artifacts of Chaos and didn't buy it at release. - Hopes for follow-up story (weight 0.01): Hopes for a follow-up story in the near future. - NG++ not tested (weight 0.01): The reviewer asked the developers about NG++ but they didn't test it. - "Latino-Jank" description (weight 0.01): The game is described as "Latino-Jank", which is a cultural reference. 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