Curses 'N Chaos

55%
Game Brain Score Based on 91 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • music
Curses 'N Chaos Game Cover
A teeth grinding, pulse racing arena-brawler, Curses ‘N Chaos is the relentlessly difficult 8-bit creation by Tribute Games.
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In "Curses 'N Chaos," Lea and Leo must fight to lift a curse by the Wizard King and create the Elixir of Life. They can craft potions, summon beings, and utilize elemental powers to defeat monsters and undead knights. The game supports local co-op for even more chaotic battles.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

55%
Audience ScoreBased on 91 reviews
graphics19 positive mentions
grinding12 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful pixel art and animations, creating an engaging visual experience.
  • Curses 'n Chaos offers a challenging gameplay loop that rewards skill and timing, making it enjoyable for fans of difficult arcade-style games.
  • The item mixing and crafting system adds depth to the gameplay, allowing for strategic choices during combat.
  • The game suffers from frustrating hitbox issues and clunky controls, making combat feel unresponsive and punishing.
  • The difficulty spikes significantly, especially in single-player mode, which can lead to a frustrating experience for players not familiar with the mechanics.
  • There is a lack of guidance on controls and gameplay mechanics, making it difficult for new players to understand how to effectively play the game.
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of "Curses 'n Chaos" receive a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising the charming retro pixel art style, detailed backgrounds, and dynamic animations. While some users note issues like low-resolution graphics and a few design choices that detract from the overall aesthetic, the game's visuals are often highlighted as a key attraction, complementing its gameplay and music effectively. Overall, the art style is described as beautiful and nostalgic, appealing to fans of classic arcade games.

    • “👍 the graphics are fantastic, backgrounds are super detailed and they look amazing, the sprites and animations are super dynamic and it's overall so good looking.”
    • “Beautiful, retro art style, with lush details.”
    • “The level of detail present in the characters and backgrounds while still adhering to the pixel art aesthetic is quite remarkable.”
    • “Bad art style for an arcade game; someone decided that it's a good idea to put pixelated text in italic.”
    • “Terrible low-res pixel graphics.”
    • “The charming retro graphics cannot save the awful, repetitive, single-screen gameplay, and the difficulty (caused mostly by janky hit-boxes) makes me want to throw my time at better games.”
  • gameplay35 mentions

    Gameplay is characterized by a blend of memorization, skillful execution, and strategic item use, with a focus on fast-paced, arcade-style action. While many players appreciate the tight controls, beautiful graphics, and engaging mechanics, others criticize the repetitive nature and difficulty spikes, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. The game encourages skill over grinding, but some find the limited move set and punishing mechanics detract from enjoyment.

    • “Every choice matters in the moment-to-moment gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is superb, but I refuse to recommend!”
    • “Beautiful pixel art, top quality animations, gorgeous backdrops, and tight, responsive gameplay.”
    • “Boring grindy gameplay, where you collect money to buy and sell things.”
    • “The charming retro graphics cannot save the awful, repetitive, single-screen gameplay, and the difficulty (caused mostly by janky hit-boxes) makes me want to throw my time at better games.”
    • “The gameplay itself simply does not appeal to me, as the things you can purchase in the shop appear to be temporary power-ups as opposed to equipment like long-term weapons or character upgrades, and there isn't much in the way of story after the intro to keep me intrigued.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread praise for its catchy chiptune style, which complements the energetic gameplay and vibrant visuals. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its memorable tracks and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, despite some criticism of the gameplay mechanics. Overall, the music is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The music is pretty good chiptune and goes well with the energy.”
    • “The music is brilliant with memorable tracks.”
    • “Much like the graphics, both the soundtrack and sound effects nail the atmosphere perfectly.”
    • “The music is decent, but I love the art style.”
    • “It's got some great graphics and music, but I found the gameplay lacking.”
    • “The music works well with the environments, and the sound design stays very true to retro games like Castlevania.”
  • grinding12 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring them to replay levels for items and currency. While some appreciate the crafting system, many feel that the grind detracts from the overall enjoyment, with rewards often being underwhelming and the gameplay becoming a chore rather than a challenge. Despite these criticisms, some players acknowledge that skillful play can mitigate the grind to an extent.

    • “The final item in the grimoire, the one you spend the majority of your playtime grinding and saving up for, unlocks something deeply disappointing: a second phase of the final boss, and a 'new' level populated entirely by enemies the player has already encountered.”
    • “This game drags on and the grinding for items to mix hides away the better part of the game.”
    • “The crafting is an interesting mechanic but ends up relying on boring grinding.”
  • story5 mentions

    The game features a unique story concept that involves players working with an animal companion and managing limited inventory to progress through missions. However, the narrative lacks depth beyond the initial introduction, leading to a sense of disinterest as gameplay mechanics overshadow story development. The presence of a minor antagonist, the grim reaper, adds a lighthearted element but does not significantly enhance the overall storyline.

    • “Cool story idea.”
    • “These items are mixed to whip up new items to meet requirements for story progression.”
    • “If you do, you advance to the next wave, and if you don't, death itself (grim reaper rascal) spawns and starts chasing you around the screen (though he's pretty easily avoidable; more of a minor annoyance and storyline element than anything).”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game offers a fair amount of replay value, particularly for fans of beat 'em up genres, though some players feel it lacks in this area overall. While it may take seven to eight hours to complete, the challenge may deter some from replaying.

    • “Lacks replayability, but you’ll have a hard time completing it anyway.”
    • “Offers a fair amount of replay value for the price tag.”
    • “I would guess that the game would take at least seven to eight hours to complete, and if you like beat 'em up games, I think the game could have quite a bit of replayability.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is praised for its appealing designs and animations, particularly highlighting the charm of the bosses and the ghosts, which contribute to an overall delightful visual experience.

    • “The character designs on paper are fantastic.”
    • “The graphics are really cute, and the two bosses I've encountered so far have delightful animations. Overall, the character design is great, and the ghosts are my favorites so far.”
    • “The character designs on paper are gold.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
    • “I found the characters to be one-dimensional and unrelatable.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express frustration with the game's controls, particularly the inconsistency of jump-kicks, which can lead to unintended damage and negatively impact their emotional experience. This mechanical issue detracts from the overall enjoyment and immersion, highlighting the importance of responsive gameplay in fostering a positive emotional connection with the game.

  • optimization1 mentions

    Users have reported significant performance issues, including inconsistent speeds and glitchy endings, despite some improvements made in a September 2015 patch. Overall, optimization remains a concern for many players.

    • “Many users have reported performance issues ranging from running too slow to running far too fast. While some of these problems were fixed via a patch from September 2015, the endings remain glitchy.”
    • “The optimization in this game is severely lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
    • “Despite the game's potential, the poor optimization results in a frustrating experience, with long loading times and inconsistent performance across different hardware.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere is highly praised for its effective combination of stunning graphics and an immersive soundtrack, with sound effects that enhance the overall experience.

    • “Much like the graphics, both the soundtrack and sound effects nail the atmosphere perfectly.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

67% average critic score

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