I tried playing 'Chrono Ark,' a roguelike x deck-building x party-based RPG that incorporates all the fun elements.
'Chrono Ark' is a single-player RPG that combines three elements: roguelike, deck-building, and party-based RPG. 'A game that combines three interesting elements can't possibly be boring!' So, I decided to play it and see for myself.
Chronoark Deluxe Edition | Game | PLAYISM Official Website
Launch the game. Select 'Start Game' right away.
The story begins with the protagonist, who had been lying down, getting up.
As you move to the right on the map, you'll see your 'true self' and your party having a conversation. They appear to be reminiscing about past memories. It's also revealed that the protagonist's name is 'Lucy.'
As the scene progressed, the party from earlier was wiped out.
'This is not the end. This is a new beginning.'
Then I woke up in my bed at home.
When I went outside, Hazard, the man from the party earlier, spoke to me. He recommended I do the tutorial, so I chose 'Train in combat.'
The battle screen looks like this. Mana and your hand of cards are displayed on the left side of the screen. The goal is to defeat the enemies displayed in the center of the screen while making good use of the mana that recovers each turn.
After the combat tutorial, I was taken to the character selection screen. There are a total of 20 character slots, but most are locked, so I could only choose from 6 at the time. This time, I selected the attacker 'Hein' and the supporter 'Pressel'.
Stage 1 begins with a two-person party.
Exploring the area. The minimap shows the locations of enemies and events. Enemies are also displayed as a black mist on the exploration screen if you look closely, but they are so subtle that it's best to explore while looking at the minimap.
When you reach the enemy's location, the battle begins. You now have four attack cards in your hand. As this is a party-based game, each card displays a character's face. There's a mechanic where 'the mana cost of other cards of the character who used the card increases by 1 for the rest of the turn,' so it's best to use cards of multiple characters.
Additionally, an hourglass icon is displayed below the enemy's HP bar. The game doesn't strictly divide into 'your turn' and 'the enemy's turn'; each time you play a card, the hourglass countdown progresses, and when it reaches zero, the enemy takes action. A 'Wait' command is also available at any time, allowing you to intentionally let the enemy act first.
When you take damage, the first time, the portion of your HP bar that has been damaged will be displayed in green. In this state, you can heal using a 'heal' card, or your HP will automatically recover at the end of the battle. However, if you take further damage while there is still a green portion of your HP bar, the HP bar will turn black, and you will no longer be able to heal easily, so be careful.
You receive rewards when the battle ends. I received 'Bread,' an item that restores the black portion of the HP bar, gold, and two 'Soul Stones.'
You can use Soul Stones to level up your characters.
When you level up, your overall stats increase, and you can unlock passive skills or learn new skills.
Skills are essentially 'cards,' and you acquire one by choosing from three. Initially, each character has a deck of six cards, and by default, each time you acquire a new card, a card from the initial deck is automatically removed. During battle, all characters' decks are shuffled together and used as a single deck.
You can also strengthen Lucy, the main character who doesn't participate in combat. You can increase the maximum mana you can use each turn, or add draw-type cards to your deck.
When I entered the event square, I was able to get equipment items from a treasure chest.
Let's try equipping them right away. Each character has two equipment slots, and you can equip them in any combination you like.
On the minimap, the squares that are purple indicate that the boss of that area is waiting.
The first boss was Cerberus.
The 'Endless Fury' card obtained along the way is a card that allows you to attack multiple times in a single turn. Cards like this one, whose mana color is 'blue' instead of the usual 'purple,' are called 'swift cards.' They are special cards that do not affect the cost of other cards of the same character when played, nor do they advance the enemy's turn.
While 'Endless Rage' has the drawback of inflicting a certain amount of 'pain damage' with each attack, pain damage, unlike normal damage, does not reduce the green gauge. In other words, if you can finish off the enemy before your HP is depleted, there is no drawback.
Here's what it's like to use 'Finishing Blow.' As the name suggests, if you have enough mana, you can take down an opponent with a lot of HP all the way down to zero.
I managed to get lots of loot.
I'll try to get Lucy's draw skill with the soul stones I obtained. Overall, the cards I got seem to be good at improving the deck's rotation.
After the boss battle, a campfire is set up. It is said that using recovery items such as bread at the campfire will give you a more advantageous effect than usual.
Additionally, you can request support to add one more person to your party. From this point on, it's a three-person party.
At the blacksmith, you can combine and reroll leftover artifact items and equipment.
Additionally, on the Bonds of Friendship screen, you can give gift items you've obtained along the way to your party members.
Giving a gift will unlock a short, personalized story with the character.
Apparently, when your bond reaches the third stage, the card options expand when you level up for the first time. This doesn't seem to be relevant during your first playthrough.
There was a save point when I left the campfire.
Next door is an artifact exhibition hall. If you pick up an 'artifact' item along the way, you can place it here to gain a passive effect.
As you progress through the game, you'll encounter more and more situations where you're in danger. Even if your HP drops below zero, you'll survive once in a 'critical condition.' However, if you take any damage while in this 'critical condition,' you'll be incapacitated.
The idea is that if you restore your HP from a negative value to a positive value, you can remove the near-death state.
There have been quite a few dangerous moments lately, but by prioritizing recovery with our supporter Pressel and shielding with our newly acquired defender Ironheart, we've been able to progress surprisingly steadily.
The 'shields' you grant to each character only protect them from attacks directed at them, but if you build a 'barrier' with Ironheart cards, it will protect your entire team. That's reassuring.
Furthermore, a fourth member joined us along the way. Ultimately, we proceeded as a four-person party.
We've arrived at the clock tower area.
However, Phoenix is blocking their path.
I was told, 'Sorry, but there's nothing we can do! This is the end for today!'
Sudden game over.
The scene shifts to the protagonist lying unconscious with amnesia. It feels strangely familiar.
I've returned to town. There's an exclamation mark on the building right next to my house.
This building was 'Raelin's Laboratory.' You can use the 'credits' you've earned in past adventures to purchase upgrades that affect the entire game. The items displayed here are 'unlockable,' meaning that once you spend credits to unlock them, they will appear in subsequent adventures.
I bought everything I could afford.
However, after talking to some characters in town, an event occurred where I had to spend credits to obtain a skill book. Unfortunately, I had used up all my credits, so I couldn't proceed with the event.
Go to the far right of town to begin your next adventure.
In addition to the standard 'Normal' mode, there's also a 'Hope' mode, which is essentially a 'support mode' where your party revives with increased health and attack power after being wiped out. So, even those who just want to enjoy the story can do so.
It seems I met the unlock conditions during my first adventure, as I was now able to select two new characters.
Since this was my second time playing, I focused on creating combos. I built my strategy around the attacker Hazard, using the 0-cost, turn-only generation card 'Phantom Blade' to create combos.
Hazard also has a card that distributes Phantom Blades to allies, so it's fun to build and play your deck considering the characteristics of each character, such as 'having Trisha, an attacker specializing in critical hits, attack instead.'
'Ascension Slash' is a card that doubles the number of Phantom Blades in your hand. It's the trump card of this deck.
I'll increase the number of illusory blades and press my attack.
I was able to finish off the boss in one go. It feels great when the deck works exactly as planned.
After actually playing 'Chrono Ark,' I was impressed by how well it combines three elements: roguelike, deck-building, and party-based RPG.
What I found particularly interesting was the system where each character learns their own independent skills, but in battle, all of their skills are treated as a single deck. On my first playthrough, I was able to enjoy just choosing powerful skills as I progressed, but on my second playthrough, I had the余裕 (leeway/opportunity) to think, 'Wouldn't it be strong if I combined this character's ability with another character's skills?' and I was able to experience the satisfaction of successfully executing a planned combo.
Furthermore, a game over doesn't mean the end of everything; there's a system in place to unlock new items and skills at your base, leading you on to your next adventure. The story gradually unfolds with each playthrough, making you want to try again and again, thinking, 'Next time, I'll try building a deck with a different character.' I started playing thinking, 'A game that combines three interesting elements can't be anything but fun!', and it certainly lived up to my expectations, being a highly engaging game where each element complements the others.
For editors who are somewhat familiar with deck-building roguelikes, the first playthrough took approximately 3 to 4 hours while reading the story.
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