ARIA CHRONICLE

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"ARIA CHRONICLE is a rhythm-based action game where players control a magical girl in her quest to defeat enemies with the power of music. Featuring fast-paced combat and a variety of challenges, players must master different musical elements to deal damage and progress through the game's story. With a unique art style and catchy soundtrack, ARIA CHRONICLE offers an engaging and immersive experience for fans of rhythm games and action titles alike."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 200 reviews

story27 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

The game features enjoyable character and class design, with a diverse range of skills and classes that allow for flexible squad compositions.
The combination of tactical battling and dungeon-crawling mechanics creates an engaging gameplay loop, enhanced by a fun roguelike mode.
The art style and voice acting are well-executed, contributing to a charming and visually appealing experience.

Exploration can be tedious and repetitive, particularly due to long dungeons and a lack of engaging content during backtracking.
The game suffers from balance issues, particularly with hit chances and the effectiveness of certain classes, leading to frustrating moments in combat.
The story, while having some good twists, is often considered generic and forgettable, with some dialogue feeling unnecessary and overly verbose.

story
101 mentions
27 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally described as simple and somewhat generic, featuring familiar JRPG tropes and predictable plot twists, yet it includes moments of humor and character charm that enhance the experience. While some players found the narrative engaging and enjoyable, others criticized it for being forgettable and repetitive, particularly in longer play sessions. Overall, the story serves as a lighthearted backdrop to the gameplay, with mixed opinions on its depth and execution.
- “The story is pretty simple but has some good twists and character development.”
- “It had a pretty good plot with some good twists, a fun cast of characters, an enjoyable set of roles to play with, a good range of difficulty options, and good replay value.”
- “The story is interesting and contains humor.”
- “The story is predictable and really not that interesting... I'm sure there are some that will like it.”
- “The plot has the depth of a mobile game.”
- “While the story and dialogue are alright for the most part, some of the names, ranks, wordplay, jokes and fourth wall breaking fall a little flat due to the direct translation rather than localization.”
graphics
43 mentions
35 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful anime-inspired art style, which many find charming and vibrant, reminiscent of titles like Darkest Dungeon but with a more approachable aesthetic. While some reviewers note minor issues with animations and UI, the overall impression is that the visuals are polished and engaging, contributing significantly to the game's appeal. The combination of cute character designs and lively environments creates an immersive experience that resonates well with fans of JRPGs and anime art.
- “Overall, great game with beautiful artwork.”
- “The artwork for player characters and enemies is gorgeous.”
- “The art style is cute and beautiful and the game makes a really polished impression, with a lot of attention to detail and no rough edges or bugs.”
- “Seems like the aesthetic of Darkest Dungeon is part of the charm, though I found this one just grating instead of interesting.”
- “Everyone says Darkest Dungeon is a great game, but I always find the visuals/graphics of it unappealing.”
- “So the only part of that game I can compare to this one is the art style, and I prefer the art design of this game to the depressing 'everything is red, brown, and black' style of Darkest Dungeon.”
gameplay
43 mentions
19 % positive mentions
74 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally well-received, offering a solid turn-based RPG experience reminiscent of "Darkest Dungeon" but with a more casual approach and colorful aesthetics. Players appreciate the strategic elements, diverse character classes, and engaging mechanics, though some note issues with UI and a clumsy stamina system. While the gameplay loop can become repetitive, it provides a satisfying mix of dungeon exploration, party management, and tactical combat, making it a recommended choice for fans of the genre.
- “This is a great RPG in a similar vein to Darkest Dungeon, but is not as dark or gruelingly hard. Don't let the surface features distract from a good solid RPG experience, as this has many grind moments but has a progressive story with some inventive enemies and tactical gameplay.”
- “It takes Darkest Dungeon, puts in some colorful anime elements, mostly leaves out the intentionally punishing aspects, and embraces the game flow and party mechanics.”
- “Aria Chronicle is a turn-based tactical RPG that feels like a mixture of Darkest Dungeon and Etrian Odyssey. It features the familiar gameplay loop where you upgrade a town that acts as your base of operations, recruit and level heroes, collect and craft equipment while progressing through the main, side, and repeatable quests that form the dungeon exploration aspect of the game.”
- “You make many minor decisions which aren't interesting one after another. The 'going through a level' gameplay consists of things like finding a chest, a signpost, moving through empty rooms, and going into a room that does damage to you (just pops a trap) so you heal your party, deciding if you want to use your actions and things.”
- “The game doesn't really explain the different mechanics that well, and the UI can be a bit confusing, especially at the beginning.”
- “Gameplay-wise, the loop does get same-y, but as long as you are willing to mix in other character classes that you haven't settled as part of the 'main team', then it will allow a break from monotony.”
music
22 mentions
41 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its pleasantness and fit within the overall aesthetic, while others find it repetitive and forgettable. Some players appreciate the soundtrack enough to purchase it separately, highlighting its charm alongside the game's art style. However, a few critics suggest that the music lacks variety and can detract from the immersive experience.
- “The artwork is amazing, the music is great, and the gameplay is RPG comfort food.”
- “The music is pleasant, and I ended up getting the soundtrack after buying the base game.”
- “Makes me appreciate the music, art style, sound effects, and writing choices for games like Darkest Dungeon that add to the immersiveness of the game, helping create and maintain player investment, and adding tension to gameplay.”
- “The music's short and forgettable.”
- “The music could've used some variety, instead of the same ones for every map and every boss.”
- “I can genuinely say that I hate this game and I really, really hate the victory music after you win a battle.”
grinding
19 mentions
11 % positive mentions
5 % neutral mentions
84 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is described as both tedious and necessary, with players noting that leveling up becomes increasingly difficult after level 6, often requiring completion of side quests to keep pace with the main story. While some find the grind enjoyable and integral to the gameplay, others feel it can become repetitive and slow down progression, particularly in upgrading vendors. Overall, the game balances grind with fun combat, but players should be prepared for a significant investment of time.
- “By 'not tedious' I mean that here you can hire characters up to level 8 (depending on the level of Aria). You can also save characters that will be equal to the level of the mission where you found them, and you can share experience from unneeded characters with others instead of just removing them.”
- “So, this game isn't grindy, but it is hard - some bosses will be unexpectedly challenging if you don't know what to expect.”
- “Very grindy, but it's very unsatisfying because you can't make an overpowered character, the level limit is only 10, and it misses lots of hits; even magic can miss in this game.”
- “The process is incredibly tedious for one character, let alone a full party.”
- “Grinding: leveling from level 6 onwards takes too much experience and requires you to do every single side quest and repeatable to keep up with the main quest level range.”
humor
9 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by witty dialogue, engaging character interactions, and clever item descriptions, contributing to a light and entertaining plot. While the game breaks the fourth wall, which can disrupt immersion, it compensates with charming visuals and a humorous tone throughout. However, some players noted a lack of character variety, which slightly detracts from the overall comedic experience.
- “Breaks the fourth wall (and therefore immersion) repeatedly for the sake of humor.”
- “The plot is also surprisingly humorous, from witty item descriptions to character interactions.”
- “The characters are charming and there's a lot of humor here and there in the story.”
stability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is considered stable, with users reporting no game-breaking bugs or glitches. However, some mechanics exhibit minor bugs, but these do not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “Some of the mechanics are a little buggy, but overall, it was a good, solid turn-based RPG.”
- “I have yet to run into any game-breaking bugs or glitches.”
atmosphere
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is criticized for lacking depth and originality, relying on outdated JRPG tropes that quickly lose their appeal. However, it features decent 2D graphics and a bright, lively ambiance complemented by engaging voice acting.
- “The decent 2D graphics, bright atmosphere, and lively voice acting create an engaging experience.”
- “Zero atmosphere, no real depth, uses JRPG staples that were stale 30 years ago.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its simplicity yet effective twists, enhancing the overall narrative experience. Players appreciate the character designs and customization options, which contribute positively to the game's value for its price.
- “The story is pretty simple but has some good twists and character development.”
- “Character designs, difficulty, customization, it is all there and for like $15 you can't go wrong!”
replayability
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a solid plot with engaging characters and various roles, contributing to its replayability, especially with multiple difficulty options. However, some users feel that it lacks sufficient replay value, indicating mixed opinions on this aspect.
- “It had a pretty good plot with some good twists, a fun cast of characters, an enjoyable set of roles to play with, a good range of difficulty options, and good replay value.”
- “Replayability is virtually nonexistent.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The optimization in the game has received mixed feedback, with some players noting that certain early-game elements can significantly hinder a character's performance, leading to frustration.
- “However, some optimizations are devastating to achieve early in the game, as they can severely hinder a member's performance.”
- “The lack of proper optimization options makes it frustrating to progress, especially when certain abilities feel underwhelming.”
- “The game's optimization is poorly balanced, leading to significant performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”