Chasm

This is one of my most favourite games of all time! My only complaint is that the game is just so good that I did not want it to end, and I found myself wishing there was even more levels/areas to explore! Don't get me wrong, it's quite long. However I didn't find certain items (that require leveling up) until near the end of the game so I never had a chance to get the full experience of that dynamic of the game. The games atmosphere is what made such an impression on me, as it has such beautiful artwork, coupled with an extremely well fitting soundtrack, excellent controls, and amazing weapons! (Love games where enemies drop random items, which can include rare weapons/armour etc.) I've LOVE to see them make a Chasm 2 title!

Well, I'm actually a bit torn about this game. I really wanted to like it, but the fact that the entire game happens in a goddamn mine put me off a little bit. I was expecting to meet interesting NPCs and villains, but all I found was a procedurally generated mine that goes on and on and on. Maybe it's my fault that I was expecting a bit more of RPG elements out a modern metroidvania? Pros: - Great pixel art - Good bosses Cons: - Pseudo-Random generated map (I don't like the concept. maps lack that personal touch) - Lack of NPCs to interact with - Bland story - LOTS of backtracking

Solid game, completable in about half a day. The mechanics are not groundbreaking and gameplay is relatively simple, but what there is is very well executed. The first 30 minutes of the game are a bit bland so you might have to hang on just a bit to see what the charm of this game is about. Interesting that up until almost the very end, I would stumble upon random loot when slaying monsters that was better than what I had (you can find gear that through enchantment is better than otherwise superior non-enchanted gear). Might be a bit of a disappointment for those that are used to more linear clear cut gear progression, but I found it kept that part of the gameplay surprising until the end. The bosses (on normal difficulty) have been pretty easy (only had to use life potions for two bosses) and a lot of the challenge I found was just surviving the gap between save points (though it was not frustratingly difficult). The game is very action/platform oriented with very light puzzle elements. There is a lot of backtracking to access previously inaccessible locations with new gear, but thankfully, apart from 2-3 exceptions, this is well indicated on your map so you won't be doing too much aimless wandering searching for what you might have missed. This game won't convince people who aren't already fans of the genre to change their minds, but it will allow those that are to scratch an itch for a couple of hours, come out happy with their experience and then move on.

So I really don't like to crap on games, especially indie games by small teams. But, if I'm being honest, Chasm wasn't that fun to play. Slow-ass grind with very rare item drops. A lot of verticality in maps, but not that much of traversal abilities. No post game feel of overpowering yourself. No fun weapons or magic either I forced myself through it to the end and I have no desire to repeat that, generated maps or not (doesn't change that much anyway). Bloodstaind costed me about 5 times more, but it's so much more fun to play.

First, it's important to note (if you're browsing the reviews) that this game seems to have gotten a lot of QoL updates since it was released, and many complaints from 2020/2021 aren't an issue any more. That said, I found this game pretty solid. Good art, good-enough music, acceptable enemy variety, mechanics that cut very close to Symphony of the Night... this has been the first game in quite a while that I've felt compelled to finish, though I fell off the "gotta get 100%" wagon near the end of the game, because... The game's biggest flaw, in my opinion, is the backtracking. Sure, we expect it from a Metroidvania, but there are some games that do it right, where it doesn't really _feel_ like backtracking, and others, where you sigh because you're going back, again. Unfortunately, Chasm is in the latter group. Two things make this worse: one, that certain important rooms aren't marked on the map, so if you don't have the foresight to use the custom marker, you'll have a good time trying to find them again; two, you could go through the whole game without realizing that there are hidden areas, only to have to go back through everything again to try and find them. Overall, no regrets. A good time, with some minor hangups.