As a fighting game enthusiast, I am always looking for the next battle, be it with a warrior from another planet or with a wandering fighter searching for the next challenge, fighting games offer a myriad of worlds with interesting stories and motivations for the characters to duke it out against each other. Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe is a remastered version of the game that was released for Arcades in 2011, and I was pleasantly surprised with how deep the overall mechanics are and how fluid it plays on the Nintendo Switch, and while playing it I can see the passion the developer FK Digital had for the game because it is a polished and fun fighting game.
“Chaotics” has become the sole source of energy for the entire world, but the inventor of Chaotics, Dr. Tesla, has suddenly disappeared and left the mysterious words, “CHAOS CODE” behind. The United Earth Government has tried desperately to cover up both the scientist’s disappearance and his cryptic message, but the information had already gone viral. The United Earth Government was left with little choice but to offer a bounty to anyone who could solve the mystery behind the doctor’s mysterious last words. What exactly is “CHAOS CODE”…? …..this is what sets the events in motion and what unites the varied cast of characters in an all-out fight to uncover the secrets of the Chaos Code.
One of the things that got my attention, in the beginning, is that after selecting your character you have the option to choose four extra skills to add to the character’s repertoire: two of them are special attacks and two of them are super attacks, and you can also select your movement type be it a short Dash or a Run. This mechanic opens a lot of possibilities and combos depending on your loadout. The game uses a basic four-button layout a la King of Fighters, two punch buttons weak and strong and two kick buttons weak and strong as well. You can chain attacks following the Weak to Strong rule and you can even cancel a strong attack with a command move or an EXmove (some characters allow to chain an Ex move and a super if your timing is right), or if you are feeling fancy, a Super move. The possibilities are limitless and the combo routes you can take are up to the player’s creativity. Another good mechanic implemented in the game is how the stun works. Normally, in many fighting games, you can do a certain amount of damage so you can stun your opponent. Doing it consistently can cause your opponent to get stunned again, making your combo infinite. Chaos Code has a different approach to this matter. Below your health bar there is a small gauge that fills out when you are receiving damage, and once that purple bar fills you are stunned. However, while it’s true that depending on the attack received the gauge can fill out faster, once full it flashes white and starts to deplete slowly so even if you are getting hit you won’t be stunned again. This is a good countermeasure for infinite combos but is not the only thing in Chaos Code’s repertoire.
Another interesting play mechanic is the Exceed Chaos mode. To activate it you need to have three stocks of special meter, and once you activate it a timer gauge appears on top of your meter gauge causing the following effects: The limitation on combos is removed (this means that you are able to start and link a combo from any button strength and the combo will hit), you will be able to do as many supers as you can while the timer is active, also like an X-factor kind boost from UMvC3, you regain health slowly. Exceed Chaos can be activated after a normal or a special attack. It does have burst-like properties on activation, but it has to be noted that it is not a tool to escape from combos. One small drawback is that once the timer ends you enter in overheat mode during that time you cannot gain meter. In my opinion, it is a good tool to use and can make up for some interesting comebacks.
Now talking about how the game looks I really like the aesthetic and the different backgrounds you fight in, and the characters are varied in design and gameplay. I really like this since each character is unique and not a pallet swap of a base character (namely Ryu and Ken in past SF games). The two characters that surprised me the most were Ray and Catherine, Catherine has the most unique attacks of the bunch as with each attack Catherine changes costumes (called cosplay magic in the games lore). It’s funny looking and makes for the most interesting combos of the roster, reminding me of Spiral’s super in MVC2 in which she transforms several characters to deal massive damage. I am not sure if it’s a nod to that but if it is, it’s certainly appreciated. Ray, on the other hand, packs a punch, literally. He has some hard-hitting combos and a knuckle gauge on top of the super gauge which, while this is full, he’s able to cancel his attacks and use powerful knuckle specials, kind of like a stance mode. He definitely reminds me of Miguel from the Tekken series and it’s really fun to play with. I think the roster is varied and there is a character for each player type. The game plays smoothly in both handheld and docked mode, and for those who like to get the most out of their game, there is a dedicated challenge mode with different challenges to tackle, ranging from survival type missions to specific combos or damage restrictions. It’s good mode to have. There is also a mode to customize your character so you can go wild with all the different color variations you can think up.
So far the game gets a solid recommendation from me. The only downside I can see is that the game has no online versus and it is a real shame that you are unable to play against others online, but it is understandable due to the issues the original developers have gone through and the hiatus the company is currently at. In any case, this is a game that, as a fighting game fan, you should not miss. It has a deep combo system and mechanics that I am sure you will enjoy.
A Review copy was kindly provided for this review.