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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a massive amount of content with over 150 hours of gameplay and a variety of playable characters, each with unique skills and personalities.
- The combat system is engaging and strategic, featuring high-quality graphics and a deep skill tree that allows for extensive character customization.
- The developers are responsive to player feedback, quickly addressing bugs and adding new content through regular updates.
- The game can feel bloated and overwhelming due to the numerous optional systems and mechanics, which may detract from the core gameplay experience.
- Some players have reported issues with the game's introductory chapter being confusing and not well-explained, leading to frustration early on.
- There are occasional bugs and glitches, and the user interface can be somewhat fiddly, which may hinder the overall experience.
- story72 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 90 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is intricately woven through the perspectives of three distinct parties, each with their own characters and narratives, allowing players to choose the order in which they experience the chapters. While the main storyline is straightforward and well-written, it is complemented by a variety of side quests and exploration opportunities, keeping players engaged. Despite some critiques of generic elements and limited side quest interactions, the overall narrative is praised for its depth and character development, making it a compelling experience 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.”
“I was never even sure I was heading in the right direction to move the story forward.”
“Story is generic.”
“However, I feel like they could use a bit more interaction while doing side quests for me to feel more attached to them.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Empire Chronicles features standard JRPG gameplay with overworld exploration and ATB-based combat, offering around 150 hours of playtime through four interconnected storylines. While the energy and food mechanics are seen as unnecessary, they do not detract significantly from the experience. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging gameplay and captivating storyline, making it a recommended title for genre enthusiasts.
“Empire Chronicles is a fairly standard JRPG in its basic gameplay, with overworld exploration coupled with ATB-based combat.”
“-- 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.”
“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.”
“As it is, you can simply ignore the mechanic, which makes it a neutral instead of a con for me.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features numerous optional systems such as crafting, fishing, and NPC affection, which many players find to be overly grindy and lacking in substance, leading to a tedious experience. While these elements can be ignored, they contribute to a sense of bloat, overshadowing the more engaging aspects like combat and character development that keep players invested for long hours. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as a drawback rather than a meaningful addition to the gameplay.
“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.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % 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. Players find the characters charming, and the overall visual presentation exceeds expectations, contributing to an engaging combat system.
“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 its own weight.”
“The characters are pretty lovable, graphics are surprisingly good for these low-budget productions and the combat seems rather involved.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the diverse and entertaining personalities of the characters, particularly the amusing interactions among them. Notably, some NPCs provide comedic moments, such as a shopkeeper who naively sets up a store in a monster-infested area, only to realize his business venture has left him bankrupt and trapped. Overall, the game's humor is characterized by clever writing and relatable, funny scenarios.
“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, like 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 thought he was going to be rich since his shop is the only one there. But after he built it, he saw all the monsters, and no one traveled there due to the danger. Now he can't leave because he is pretty much bankrupt! XD”
“The characters are awesome and hilarious, like a group of siblings.”
- stability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is commendable, with users reporting quick fixes for minor glitches and no significant game-breaking issues. It runs smoothly, particularly on the Steam Deck, making it a solid choice for fans of similar titles.
“Definitely worth it if you are a fan of games like Octopath; it runs great on Steam Deck.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highly engaging, with a compelling party system that encourages players to invest significant time in exploring the plot, despite other gameplay elements like farming and side quests being perceived as limited or irrelevant. This depth in character interaction and growth has led some players to dedicate over 200 hours to the game.
“The character development and party system compelled me to spend over 200 hours while exploring the plot of this game to the end.”
“The character development in this game is incredibly engaging, making me invested in each character's journey.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of character development, which added layers to the overall narrative.”
