Upon first sight of the Chasm cover art, the novel Ready Player One came to mind. The artwork just seems so powerful. Bit Kid Inc. did a nice job of capturing the Metroidvania niche making us all want to revert back to our retro gaming days.
Similar to Castlevania, the goal here in Chasm is to go on your first mission in the Guildean Kingdom. You play as a new recruit tracking down rumors about the kingdom being shut down. Things undoubtedly become much worse than imagined when townspeople have disappeared, having been kidnapped and when supernatural creatures start popping up from somewhere beyond.
In the midst of the chaos, you must dive further in to the epic journey, face deadly battles and ultimately bring peace to the kingdom. Among the dungeons and castles, new equipment is to be found and adventure awaits. With a linear story overall, each player will have a unique journey ahead of them as they fight their way through this dungeon crawler that changes each time you play.
The map is massive and the six mapped areas are all hand-crafted. The ambiance also is in retro style with traditional pixel art as well. Overall the color palatte and music are very reminiscent of original retro games. This can also be said for the fighting as well. Characters can be customized for weapons, armor and spells specifically which is nice when the bosses become more than can be handled. Each boss battle will lead players to new abilities and give access to new areas in the game. So stay sharp!
Overall Chasm is much like the retro games from the past but has a nice spirit. The plot is direct and fills players with the desire to win and save the kingdom. With the massive maps and challenges too, there is the need to keep going when everything else feels lost, so Chasm is easy to follow and keep playing. Chasm could easily be a sleeper game that ends up with a cult following down the line.
8/10
Available on PS4, PS Vita, and PC
