City of Chains

About

"City of Chains: Astronomic" is a first-person shooter game set in a dystopian, futuristic city. As a member of the rebellion, players must fight against the oppressive government and its enforcers, using a variety of weapons and abilities. The game features a rich story, detailed environments, and intense combat that will keep players engaged and challenged.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 304 reviews

story74 positive mentions

graphics12 negative mentions

The game features a compelling story set in a dark, dystopian cyberpunk world, with choices that significantly impact the narrative and lead to multiple endings.
Gameplay allows for a variety of approaches to challenges, including combat, stealth, and dialogue options, which enhances player engagement and strategy.
The character customization and skill progression system is well-designed, rewarding players for completing tasks rather than grinding for experience points.

The graphics and overall presentation are considered outdated, which may detract from the experience for some players.
Combat can be frustrating due to difficulty spikes and a lack of clarity regarding enemy health and morale mechanics.
The writing and dialogue contain grammatical errors and clichés, making some characters feel one-dimensional and the story less engaging.

story
270 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
72%
1%
The game's story is a mix of intriguing elements and familiar tropes, set in a cyberpunk world where player choices significantly impact the narrative, leading to multiple endings. While some players appreciate the well-written dialogue and character development, others find the plot predictable and the characters stereotypical. Overall, the story is engaging enough to keep players invested, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and depth.
- “The story, although cliché for cyberpunk and a bit predictable, is well fleshed out.”
- “The story branches at a couple points and there are a few different ways it can wrap up.”
- “City of Chains got a solid cyberpunk story, good and variety of songs that help with the environment/story setting, deep skills customization for each character, multiple choices that affect the story and the way you play.”
- “Pretending this isn't RPG Maker trash, reviewing the game on merits, ugly retro pixel graphics, fixed resolution, massively outdated gameplay mechanisms, mediocre story and terrible balance all cement this as a low quality, overrated game.”
- “The story, though it has potential and some little twists, is cliché and just uninteresting.”
- “Great crafting mechanic as well as nice map layouts, but the story is boring and the characters are so stereotypical.”
gameplay
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
64%
7%
The gameplay of "City of Chains" features a mix of traditional RPG mechanics and modern innovations, including turn-based combat, crafting, and a variety of choices that impact the narrative and gameplay. While some players appreciate the engaging mechanics and strategic elements, others criticize the outdated RPG Maker roots, linear pacing, and balance issues, leading to a mixed reception overall. The game is noted for its intriguing story and cyberpunk aesthetic, but opinions vary on its ability to fully captivate players.
- “The dark sci-fi setting, compelling narrative, non-linear gameplay, and wonderful turn-based strategic combat come together to create quite the exciting adventure.”
- “Until now, among all the games of the same kind, this was the most satisfying because it has an accurate, serious, mature, although quite simple plot, with a varied gameplay that allows the player to think up every move before performing an action, which can be crucial for the plot or in the turn-based tactical combat scenes.”
- “Gameplay consists of completing tasks (quests) such as rescuing other prisoners or disabling defenses to gain skill points and advance the story.”
- “That does nothing to fix the awful gameplay endemic to RPG Maker; it's designed specifically for making low effort, low quality clones of Final Fantasy.”
- “Pretending this isn't RPG Maker trash, reviewing the game on its merits, ugly retro pixel graphics, fixed resolution, massively outdated gameplay mechanisms, mediocre story, and terrible balance all cement this as a low quality, overrated game.”
- “It's mechanics are sound, its combat works, but it just doesn't do anything to really hook you in.”
graphics
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
73%
16%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising its unique cyberpunk aesthetic and custom artwork, while others criticize the outdated RPG Maker-style visuals and low interactivity. Despite the rudimentary graphics, many players find the overall design and atmosphere engaging, suggesting that the visuals, while not cutting-edge, contribute positively to the game's narrative and gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a blend of retro charm and functional design, appealing to those who appreciate the genre's stylistic choices.
- “The graphics are superior to most games of this genre, and this, along with a nice overall flow, makes this an above average RPG Maker title.”
- “Graphically, the title is absolutely fantastic and is also without a doubt the best looking RPG Maker game out there, hands down.”
- “In summary, the sleek graphical style and wonderful audio really complement the great combat and excellent narrative in this title.”
- “Pretending this isn't RPG Maker trash, reviewing the game on its merits, ugly retro pixel graphics, fixed resolution, massively outdated gameplay mechanisms, mediocre story, and terrible balance all cement this as a low quality, overrated game.”
- “The graphics look like they've been run through a third-party Sega Saturn game filter, and the major characters are all matched with awful kludgy 3D portrait art.”
- “The graphics are in an old school 90's poop-and-vomit color palette.”
music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
43%
5%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its variety and how it complements the game's atmosphere, particularly its dark and cyberpunk themes. While some find the combat music simplistic and repetitive over time, others enjoy the engaging and diverse tracks that enhance different stages and situations. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its quality and ability to set the mood, making it a significant aspect of the gaming experience.
- “In just a short time, I have fallen in love with this soundtrack as it is really good.”
- “The soundtrack is very nice and varied.”
- “Good techno-style space-age music really sets the mood.”
- “For example, I found the combat music really basic, and it wasn't that pleasant to listen to for very long.”
- “My only gripe with it was the music became extremely repetitive in the long run (can be forgiven).”
- “The artwork and music all lend to an inhospitable place.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
Players appreciate that the game eliminates traditional grinding by awarding skill points for exploration and completing objectives rather than combat. This design choice leads to a more engaging experience, as it avoids the tediousness often associated with grinding for experience points and loot, while still providing a tight narrative and meaningful side quests. Overall, the game is recommended for those who prefer a more streamlined approach to progression without the grind.
- “There's no grinding for experience: you get points as you complete portions of the game and spend them on abilities you desire.”
- “As skill points are awarded for completing objectives rather than combat, there is no grinding to be done.”
- “It does not offer up that much loot and astronomical grinding for XP.”
- “It does things I wish every RPG would do, like having fixed encounters which are actually different instead of just endless filler chaff, and awarding skill points for exploration/progression instead of grinding.”
- “Where it is short, it maintains a tight story with just enough freedom and side quests to keep you hunting without it seeming like the tedious slog of many AAA games.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its somber tone and fitting music, effectively complementing its sci-fi and gritty themes. Players appreciate the realistic visuals and well-crafted environment, which enhance the overall experience, making it a standout aspect of the game. The balance between story, music, and gameplay further contributes to a captivating atmosphere that resonates with fans of the genre.
- “If you enjoy the ideas from the sci-fi genre, or gritty themes, this game has the perfect atmosphere for both.”
- “Finally, no more enemies that appear from nowhere, no more fantasy world with magic and other stuff... the atmosphere is great, the drawings and light are realistic; I really couldn't find anything wrong with this beauty of a game.”
- “Keeping in mind the somber tone of the setting, the music is well-suited for this atmosphere, though I don't know how strongly it feels like sci-fi tunes.”
- “The battle gameplay itself is familiar turn-based territory, while the music fits the sci-fi/futuristic atmosphere.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game offers significant replayability due to its impactful decision-making, which leads to different paths and scenes based on player choices. With a playtime of 6-8 hours for the first run, the inclusion of three difficulty modes and a variety of weapons and skills further enhances its replay value, making it a well-crafted experience worth revisiting.
- “The decisions you make are very important and bring a lot of replayability to the game, thanks to different paths or scenes depending on which choices you make.”
- “The game has a good replayability value, in addition to its length of 6-8 hours for the first playthrough.”
- “There are three difficulty modes—casual, hardy, dystopia—and given the number of weapons and skills to select for your team, as well as the many decisions to be made throughout the story, the replay value of this game is quite high.”
- “Worth noting that the decisions you make are very important and bring a lot of replayability to the game, thanks to different paths or scenes depending on which choices you make.”
- “There are three difficulty modes - casual, hardy, dystopia, and given the number of weapons and skills to select for your team, as well as the many decisions to be made throughout the story, the replay value of this game is quite high.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features a more realistic visual style in character design, setting it apart from typical RPG Maker titles, which enhances the memorability of its characters. Additionally, the mechanics of character development are well-executed, contributing to a solid overall experience.
- “The mechanics of character development are equally solid.”
- “+memorable character designs”
- “I believe the main difference, at least to me, is that this title doesn't have the 'anime' or 'cartoony' look of your average RPG Maker title and has opted for a more realistic visual style, especially when it comes to character design.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The optimization of "Serve No Master" has been praised for its impressive performance, with players highlighting the game's ability to deliver a smooth and engaging experience. Overall, it appears to effectively balance graphics and gameplay, contributing to its breakout success.
- “Serve no master is the correct term to end this review into bragging rights on beating this breakout performance game!”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is noted for its darker tone compared to typical astronomical games, yet it retains the developer's signature style and character types, offering a unique blend of wit and edginess.
- “And, yes, it is way darker than usual astronomical games, but it still has its signature humor and character types.”

Buy City of Chains

9h Median play time

8h Average play time

6-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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City of Chains

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