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Chain Chronicle is a mobile anime MMORPG with tower defense elements that features a unique line defense combat system that allows for more strategic gameplay than a typical turn-based RPG. Party members attack units in front of them and must be switched around during combat to respond to danger appropriately to keep their back line defended. The game also features fantastic, unique artwork and voice acting by famous Japanese artists such as toi8 (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Akira Ishida (Neon Genesis Evangelion.)
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Publisher: Gumi Playerbase: High Type: Mobile MMORPG Release Date: December 8, 2014 (NA/EU) Shut down Date: February 28, 2016 Pros: +Beginner friendly. +Excellent production value. +Unique gameplay. +Gorgeous anime art. Cons: -Stamina system restricts gameplay. -Pay-to-win elements. |
The Global Version of Chain Chronicle has Shut Down
Chain Chronicle Overview
Chain Chronicle is a mobile MMORPG that combines tower defense elements with a more traditional RPG experience, including individual character stories and a grand storyline. The gameplay consists of composing a party of characters gained from Arcana, which are collected and combined in a manner similar to mobile card collecting games. With this party, players react to and fight enemies that come down three lines, which is similar to the combat in Summoner’s Legion. Each character has unique, role-specific abilities that can be activated once they have the required mana, making it paramount to experiment with team compositions to kill the enemies and bosses efficiently for extra bonuses. It also features a storyline about the main character recruiting a volunteer army to defend Yggdra against evil invaders, leading to some story-heavy cutscenes and unique character personalities.
Chain Chronicle Key Features:
- Tactical Combat – defend your base with your party, moving across lanes to counter enemies and do the most damage quickly.
- Character Classes – recruit Knights, Clerics, Archers, Soldiers and Wizards to your team to create the ultimate party.
- Recruitable Characters – recruit over 150 allies through the game’s Arcana system, using less useful allies or duplicates to enhance your favorites.
- Great Visuals and Audio – incredible artwork and audio created by famous Japanese artists and voice actors.
- Strong Story – story-heavy cutscenes and unique character personalities.
Chain Chronicle Screenshots
Chain Chronicle Featured Video
Chain Chronicle Review
By Joanne P.
Chain Chronicle is a free-to-play mobile RPG developed by Sega Networks and published by Gumi Inc. The game was initially released in Japan for iOS and Android on July 26, 2013. The launch was extremely successful and it was then translated and released in English on December 8, 2014. Since its initial release in Japan, Chain Chronicle boasts over 5 million downloads worldwide. The game itself is very easy to pick up for new gamers due to its simple, but unique style of play that combines tower defense elements with RTS (Real-Time Strategy) combat. From gorgeous artwork to character voicing by Japanese artists, Chain Chronicle is a game full of rich detail and content.
Here’s Some Background
Unlike many mobile games, the story in Chain Chronicle is one of its key features. The story begins with the main character (you) and a spirit/fairy named Pirika who make up the Volunteer Army in the land of Yggdra. Yggdra was originally a land of peace and harmony, led by the “Holy King” in the Holy Capital. One day, however, the Black Army and its soldiers appeared and took over the Holy Capital. The Holy King united the armies of many countries and tried to retaliate, but his efforts were in vain. He died, allegedly, in battle against the “Black King.” After his death, the allied forces were no more and darkness threatened to take over. Thus, the Volunteer Army was created to fight the evil forces of the Black Army. The story starts with the player encountering Phoena, a girl with a mysterious past who wishes to recover her memories. She joins the army and the group sets off on their journey to fight the Black Army and save the land from destruction. The storytelling throughout is quite decent and well worth reading.
After the initial story scenes, players are prompted to name the main character. The game's story is delivered through the eyes of this character in traditional JRPG fashion. The game even features dialogue choices at times which don't actually impact the story but adds flavor to the game. There are many JRPG elements throughout the game; characters in combat are shown as Chibis (mini versions of their original selves, usually cute with disproportionately large heads) and much of the artwork is very similar to anime. However, unlike most MMORPGs, players do not have a customized avatar that they would control to navigate the map and interact with other players. Instead, they follow the story through the eyes of the main character.
The Gameplay
Like other mobile RPGs, the gameplay in Chain Chronicles is split between the main menu and various dungeons/stages. The main menu serves as a hub for selecting a stage, recruiting new heroes, upgrading, and more. Clearing dungeons reward players with special card drops that can be used to enhance their heroes and unlock new ones.
The combat system in Chain Chronicle is a unique RTS line defense. The player’s party is positioned on a gridded 3 by 3 field to the right, with another 3 by 3 field on the left side for enemies. Only four player characters can be positioned on the battlefield at once, but two extra characters can be placed in a player’s sub party to replace any fallen allies as the battle rages on. A helper character can be chosen to assist a player’s party as well by adding friends (other players) and their character leaders. Enemies appear in waves and have different characteristics depending on the stage and current quest. The combat is strategic in nature and surprisingly addictive. Those looking to grind through Chain Chronicles in only a few sessions will be a bit disappointed though, as the game utilizes a stamina system, which requires players to take breaks often.
Character Classes
Character cards in Chain Chronicle come with a pre-determined class that ties in with their background story. There are 5 main character classes: Soldier, Knight, Archer, Wizard and Cleric. Their strengths and weaknesses follow a Rock-Paper-Scissors system (Soldiers > Knights > Archers and Wizards > Soldiers). Deploying the right characters in the correct formations is key to victory. There are hundreds of characters across the game's five classes with rarity levels between 1-5 stars, with the rarer cards also being more powerful.
Gotta Recruit ‘Em All!
Character recruiting and collecting plays a huge role in Chain Chronicle. As the game progresses, players are given opportunities to recruit new and powerful allies to their team. This can be done by running a variety of dungeons and getting Arcana from drops. Arcana is a term used in Chain Chronicle to refer to the large variety of cards; character cards, enhancement cards and equipment cards are all referred to as Arcana. Character cards can also be obtained at random by either using the in-game currency called “Arcana coins” or the premium cash shop currency “Prysma.” Summoning a new Arcana is similar to getting a new monster in Puzzle and Dragons or Brave Frontier. Players receive a random Arcana with rarity ranging from 1 – 5 stars. Both Arcana coins and Prysma can be obtained simply by clearing quests, but Prysma is much more difficult to obtain freely. Players willing to purchase Prysma are at a huge advantage over free-to-play users, as Arcana summoned with Prysma are guaranteed to be at least 3 stars or better. Even though players can pay to unlock new characters, it's not exactly “unfair” because there isn't any PvP in the game.
When players recruit new characters, a new area on the map becomes available for them to explore. This also unlocks new quests which, upon completion, reward players with Prysma and bonus skills. Each quest also includes a side story with more in-depth interaction with the new characters. This system provides a large amount of extra game content that players can enjoy even after completing the main storyline. If players get bored of grinding the storyline quests, they can play these quests as a distraction (with bonus skills as a reward).
One Plus One Equals A Better One
Chain Chronicle features an upgrade and enchantment system that allows players to enhance their Arcana. Arcana enhancements cost in-game currency (gold). Alternatively, players can simply feed any card to another (including other character cards) in order to upgrade a character’s level. Special enhancements are also available. For example, a character's level cap can be raised by combining it with a duplicate character card. Characters’ weapons can also be upgraded through this system.
Money, Money, Money!
There are quite a few different currencies used in Chain Chronicle: Gold, Prysma, Arcana coins and Fortune Rings. All four can be received through completion of various quests throughout the game. Gold is spent on character card enhancement and can be obtained by selling character cards. Arcana coins are used solely for the basic recruits. Fortune Rings are an interesting currency; they are obtainable by selling Arcana of 3 star rarity or higher and can be used to buy a variety of items from the Ring Exchange Shop. There are a number of 5 star rarity cards only available through the Ring Exchange at the rate of 70 rings per card. Lastly, Prysma is the premium currency in the game, available through in-game purchases and events (can be used for refilling in-game stamina, rare recruits, etc.).
Visuals
The card collecting aspect of Chain Chronicles is enriched with it's amazing anime inspired artwork. Characters have unique backgrounds and say a phrase when they are recruited (can be replayed from the character’s information screen). The phrases are voiced by Japanese voice actors, including big names in the anime scene such as Jun Fukuyama, Akira Ishida and Maaya Uchida. Aside from using them in combat, completionists can also collect character cards simply for fun.
Final Verdict - Great
With an engaging storyline and lots of extra in-game content, Chain Chronicle is a game that new and veteran players can both enjoy. The main problem players might run into would be the low rate of stamina replenishment. Quest stamina costs can become quite large and at one stamina per 10 minutes of real time, regaining a player’s stamina back to full takes quite some time at higher levels. Still, despite its problems, Chain Chronicle is a solid RPG that's well worth checking out.
Chain Chronicle Screenshots
Chain Chronicle Videos
Chain Chronicle Links
Chain Chronicle Official Site
Chain Chronicle Official Wiki (Database / Guides)
Chain Chronicle Google Play Store
Chain Chronicle Apple Store
Chain Chronicle Wikia (Database/Guides)
Chain Chronicle Facebook Page
Chain Chronicle System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Android 2.3.3 or later, iOS 6.0 or later
Chain Chronicle Music & Soundtrack
Chain Chronicle Additional Information
Developer: Sega Networks
Publisher: Gumi
Platforms: Android, iOS
Release Date: December 8, 2014
Chain Chronicle was published by Southeast Asia based Gumi Inc. - the same mobile game developer behind Brave Frontier, Puzzle Trooper, Wakfu Raiders, and several other games. Gumi is based in Singapore but has operations in numerous countries in Southeast Asia. The game itself was developed by the Japanese based game developer Sega.
The global version of Chain Chronicle announced its intention to shut down on January 18, 2016. The game's servers are officially shutting down on February 28, 2016.
