Dripping with the eternal flare they are known for Capcom’s latest hack and slash Chaos Legion is more than your average singular combo fest. Taking the goth inspired locales from such games as Devil May Cry and meshing them with incredible character design has spawned a truly unique and absorbing adventure that fans will either love or despise. While packed with mass quantities of style over substance Chaos Legion brings enough innovation to the table to make it another Capcom cult classic. What it lacks in depth it certainly makes up for in design and appeal, but the question on everyone’s mind these days…is it worth my hard earned cash (or in many cases my parent’s)? All of these questions and so much more are unveiled in our full review of Chaos Legion for the PS2, so sit back and enjoy another collection of text by yours truly.
The basic layout is certainly of the cookie cutter quality but it does fit the game and is imperative to the overall story which at times can be extremely somber. You take on the role of Sieg Wahrheit whose primary goal is to exterminate the countless hoards of demons and all things of the beastly kind. The main story has you pitted against your long time enemy Victor who seems to possess powers beyond your comprehension. Without spoiling too much expect swords to fly and lightning bolts to strike you in a grand battle of good vs. evil of the most predictable kind. All of this is presented to you in conventional Capcom CG cut scenes that tell the tale beautifully, great voice work and magnificent sound effects round out the experience.
Watching Chaos Legion can be a gratifying experience as long as your field of vision doesn’t stray too far off in the distance. High levels of fog plague the game but the trade off is worth it simply for the large amount of enemies thrown at you around every corner. The slowdown is kept minimal and the enemy design sits right at home with your surroundings. Sure textures could be better but once again the truly phenomenal animation makes up for it. Chaos Legion seems to be a constant trade off, one thing shines bright while others fall short and any fan of Capcom will tell you this is a common practice for the big C. What does not disappoint though is the atmosphere that surrounds this game as you play. Superlative menus, great presentation, and even a few RPG elements certainly make up for it’s shortcomings.
Trying to distance itself from other action games Chaos Legion does have a very interesting game play element that certainly distinguishes it from others in it’s genre. As you progress through the game you will collect Legions, imagine these as gothic summon spells. They range from swordsmen to shields and aid you throughout the game. They also gain experience the more you use them as well as consuming energy, defeating enemies will build your legions energy up and unleashing them in boss battles is crucial to victory. Continuing with the meshing of genres Chaos Legion also uses traditional RPG elements to build your character and legions as you progress through the levels, my only complaint is that some levels almost require you to use certain legions and tactics so expect to play some levels over and over until discovering the perfect combination.
To sum everything up Chaos Legion is not going to win any awards for it’s simple game play but it could easily entertain you for the handful of hours it lasts if you can get past it’s shortcomings. A great blend of action and RPG that truly needs to find an audience in this day and age of mindless gaming. High production values and excellent design leave Chaos Legion in a tough position, my suggestion to you is to rent the game and see if it grows on you. If anything you will be compelled to play to experience the story and may even end up sticking around for the treasure that lies beneath it’s gloomy exterior. Recommended for fans of action games that are tired of the same old shit over and over again.
