Chaos Rings for iPad is the same deep, beautiful role-playing game that we loved on the iPhone, but with two main differences. The first is that the game now sports incredible high-resolution visuals, and the other is the game's gigantic price tag.
Square Enix's Apple masterpiece (Applepiece?) is about five couples who are abducted by aliens and placed in an arena to fight to the death. As they train, the couples all get to know each other better, exposing an emotional backstory for each of them that is snipped short by the "Tri-sickle" Grim Reaper that takes them away when it's their time to die.
In the iPad version, the graphics are writ large, with extremely high-resolution character models for all the heroes and enemies. A few of the backgrounds are notably pixelated, though, and while things run smoothly most of the time, there are incidents of slowdown during big boss battles or showy spell-casting.
This special move is called "shin splints."
But we can't emphasize how much the iPad's screen shows off Square's unique art style. You can see detailed expressions on the characters' faces, and every mutant creature from dinky mice to giant apes looks terribly menacing.
The sticking point is the high price. Debuting at $16, you could just as soon buy, well, 16 smaller games instead of one Chaos Rings for iPad. But you'd be missing out on the beautiful graphics, music, storyline, and gameplay that Square Enix is renowned for on home consoles.
You can read more details about the exquisite gameplay of Chaos Rings in our iPhone review, and it's identical in the iPad version. You're paying a premium price, but there is little doubt that Chaos Rings for iPad is a premium game.
9 Comments
Well worth the price of admission, I can't put it down, and I've barely scratched the surface thus far. I remind anyone who's put off by the price that console counterparts can run as much as 4 times to price. In my opinion it's still s steal, people tend to undervalue apps like this. But it, you won't regret it!
I think it looks great. I want me an iPad.
How is 16 bucks a 'gigantic' price tag? The same exact same game on DS or PSP would be 6 times that! This game is awesome :)
I think it's the most expensive iPad game on the App Store.
Don't be fooled fooled. While this is a very playable game for iPodTouch/iPhone/iPad standards, especially on your first playthrough (there are four storylines, each demanding you to play trough the same game), the game quickly becomes dull an monotone.
It's balance greatly shifts to the players advantage later on. The heroes become powerful very quickly and no encounter, not even bosses pose a challenge. It becomes dull.
This game may appear cheap compared to its "real console" counterparts, but they usually offer a more refined RPG experience. I'd chose FF4 or even FF3 over this any time.
This is true, it really isn't that great of a game. If it were released on any other system, it would be panned in nearly every regard except graphics. It plays more like a Final Fantasy demo than an actual game. The story is dull and the gameplay is shallow and monotonous. When I noticed the same enemy designs being recycled by the second level, I was pretty much done with it, I had to force myself through the rest of the game.
I'm all for getting some quality games on the iPhone/Touch/iPad, but considering the price tag and the experience you get, this game really just isn't worth it. I hate to say it, but if you happen to own a console, you might as well buy a used game for it instead of this. Odds are, it will be cheaper, AND a much better experience, because the $16 you're shelling out for this (or $13 for the iPhone version) is pretty much for the graphics only.
One thing I've found that really helps the difficulty balance later in the game is to choose levels that are much harder. If you want battles to be a challenge, try facing opponents that are at least 10 levels higher than you.
I did this every time from the second playthrough on (where I had all the genes). If you equip the +attack, +experience, physical resistance genes, you tear through everything with relative ease. Bosses are usually dispatched on turn one by a single team-sacrifice.
Choosing levels that are harder, imho, only speeds up the way you get exp (which is a good thing, because the game is over quicker).
Last note (and minor spoiler):
When you have beaten the game with all four couples and managed to defeat the qualia there is one last optional boss to overcome. Even on lvl100 he is no pushover, but there is a neat way to get to lvl100 quickly:
Stock up on a few experience apples. Go to besenthine road on on monster lvl 91-100. Go to the second room full of treasure chests and farm there. You'll encounter lots of billikens. Whenever you run into a tomorrow billiken, eat an apple, kill the billiken and reap the exp. It should take about 20 mins to get form lvl 70 to 100.
NOOOO! This is the best RPG on the App Store! Who are you to say otherwise?
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