Empire Chronicles
- September 21, 2023
- Cris Litvin
- 150h median play time
Get on Steam"Empire Chronicles" is an expansive RPG set in a vast world on the brink of destruction. With over 100 hours of gameplay and 18 playable characters, each with their own story arc, players will face challenging enemies and uncover deep secrets in their quest to protect the empire. The game features a complex stats and combat system, ensuring a challenging and engaging experience.
Reviews
- The game offers a massive amount of content, with over 150 hours of gameplay and a large world to explore.
- The combat system is engaging and features a deep skill tree, allowing for diverse character builds and strategies.
- The writing is above average, with well-developed characters and humorous interactions that enhance the overall experience.
- The game can feel bloated with numerous optional systems that may overwhelm players, detracting from the core experience.
- Some players have reported bugs and issues, particularly with the game's introductory chapter and UI, which can be confusing.
- Exploration can become tedious due to frequent enemy encounters, making it difficult to enjoy the journey without constant fighting.
- story36 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story is presented through the perspectives of three distinct parties, each with their own characters and narratives, allowing players to choose the order of chapters while ensuring a cohesive plot that ties together well. While the main storyline is straightforward and well-written, some players find the side quests and character interactions lacking depth. Overall, the game features a rich world with ongoing updates that enhance the narrative experience, making it appealing for RPG fans.
“The story is told from the perspective of three different parties, each with its own characters, story, and inventory.”
“The story is pretty straightforward and yet very well written; even though you get to play with three different parties in different areas and time frames, you don't get lost in the story, and it all ties up very nicely at the end.”
“There are so many characters woven into an intricate storyline that make you laugh, cry, and get immersed in their world.”
“The story is generic.”
“I was never even sure I was heading in the right direction to move the story forward.”
“However, I feel like they could use a bit more interaction while doing side quests for me to feel more attached to them.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Empire Chronicles features standard JRPG gameplay with overworld exploration and ATB-based combat, offering around 150 hours of play through four interconnected storylines. While the energy and food mechanics feel unnecessary and can be ignored, the overall gameplay experience is enhanced by engaging conversation mechanics and impressive graphics, making it a must-play for genre enthusiasts.
“Easily 150 hours of gameplay, in the form of four intertwining plotlines.”
“This RPG is a must-play for fans of the genre, with a mesmerizing storyline and engaging gameplay that will keep you hooked.”
“Empire Chronicles is a fairly standard JRPG in its basic gameplay, with overworld exploration coupled with ATB-based combat.”
“The energy mechanic seems pointless since you have automatic eating and get hundreds of food really early on.”
“To me, the energy mechanic and food, which only provides energy, should just disappear.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find that while the game offers numerous optional systems like crafting and fishing, many of these elements feel bloated and grindy, detracting from the overall experience. Although some aspects, such as combat and character development, are engaging enough to keep players invested for long hours, the grinding nature of the optional content can become tedious. Ultimately, players can choose to ignore these systems if they prefer a more streamlined experience.
“It becomes tedious rather than fun.”
“The game does have a lot of optional systems like affection with NPCs, various types of crafting, building a village, fishing, etc. I feel like most of these just bloat the game rather than adding anything of substance (most of these are also rather grindy), but they can be completely ignored if you don't care about them.”
“There are a lot of systems that end up being unnecessary (I didn't bother with fishing at all), and the first chapter gives the impression that this started out as a Harvest Moon type farming game.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are notably high quality for a low-budget production, featuring diverse in-combat sprites and impressive skill animations that enhance the gameplay experience. Characters are well-designed and contribute to the overall appeal, making the combat visually engaging and immersive.
“Combat graphics are pretty high quality, with most characters having different in-combat sprites depending on the type of weapon they're using, and some pretty cool skill animations.”
“The quality of gameplay and graphics punch well above their own weight.”
“The characters are pretty lovable, graphics are surprisingly good for these low-budget productions, and the combat seems rather involved.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the diverse and enjoyable character personalities, leading to amusing interactions, particularly among a group of siblings. NPCs also contribute to the comedic elements, such as a shopkeeper who naively sets up a store in a monster-infested area, providing a humorous twist on his failed business venture. Overall, the game's humor is characterized by clever dialogue and situational comedy.
“The characters are enjoyable; their personalities are really different, and you get to see a few funny interactions between them.”
“Even some NPCs have some really funny twists or comments. For example, there's a guy who builds a shop in the middle of nowhere, in a place infested with monsters. When you chat with him, he says he thought he saw a 'business opportunity' and believed he would get rich since his shop is the only one there. But after he built it, he realized all the monsters were around, and no one traveled there due to the danger. Now he can't leave because he's pretty much bankrupt! XD”
“The characters are awesome and hilarious, like a group of siblings.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game maintains good stability, with minor glitches that are quickly addressed through updates. Players have not experienced any major or game-breaking issues, and it runs smoothly on platforms like the Steam Deck.
“Definitely worth it if you are a fan of games like Octopath; it runs great on Steam Deck.”
“The game maintains a smooth performance throughout, ensuring a stable experience.”
“I've experienced no crashes or bugs, which makes for a very stable gameplay environment.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I've experienced several major bugs that completely disrupt gameplay.”
“The stability issues are frustrating; I often find myself having to restart the game.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development and party system in the game are highly engaging, compelling players to invest significant time in exploring the plot, despite other elements like farming and side quests being limited or less relevant.
“The character development and party system compelled me to spend over 200 hours exploring the plot of this game to the end.”
“The combat system is very interesting, but it's the character development that truly keeps me engaged.”
“While the farming, reputation, side quests, and calendar features felt limited, the depth of character development made the experience worthwhile.”
