Metroidvanias are a beloved genre, as are rougelikes. There have been many attempts to mix the two, but while they can be successful, it is not always the case. Sometimes an alternative way to meld the concepts is needed though, and that brings us Chasm. Chasm is a metroidvania that is different every time you begin a new game, but will remain the same for that specific playthrough even if you save and quit, or die. You generate a new world every time via a seed code, and the seed can even be shared so that you and a friend can have the same playthrough. It is a neat idea, and it definitely does give the genre something new, but is the gameplay itself any good?
Chasm is modelled mostly after the PS1 classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and wears this inspiration on its sleeve. Both in terms of visuals and gameplay, Chasm seeks to fill the void that Castlevania used to inhabit. It offers new idea, and much more of a challenge, but something just did not click right for me. I liked it enough, but the game just feels like it was too ambitious for its own good.
The combat is my biggest complaint here, as the hit detection is off at several points. You can get his by enemies easily but you will have a harder time attacking them. The issue gets worse when the game just doesn’t let you know certain things, such as that there are bonuses for not getting hit by bosses, and some of the puzzles are very obtuse. There is also the issue of the controls suddenly acting strange at the worst time, such as when making a jump.
I like what the developers were attempting, as I said, but I do not feel this Chasm is what they wanted it to be. I tried playing with a variety of seeds, but each one still had something strange to it. I wanted to like Chasm, but I always felt too underpowered for how much I played, and then suddenly felt way too powerful. In other words, the pacing was not handled the best way and I feel this is key to my earlier complaint about the combat.
If you want a metroidvania title, then by all means check this out, But I do not recommend it right now.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.