Caligo Chaser for iPhone: Entertaining and Challenging Action RPG

Caligo Chaser

Caligo Chaser [rating: 4/5]

Earlier this year we presented a preview of Caligo Chaser where we reported that it was a challenging and engaging RPG, so with it’s full release how does it shape up now?

Com2Us have a range of quality titles to the name and Caligo Chaser is their latest title to add to their strong back catalogue. Caligo Chaser is based in the city of Emporion and you, in the roll of Zack, are tasked to save the city from the dark forces that frequent the city. Zack is just at the beginning of his journey as the game starts and as such the first few quests will train you in the techniques required to progress through the game.

Your first few quests are pretty much the same as all the quests. The quests come in the variety of find and/or fight, you will find these quests from the numerous characters that are spread around Emporion. You can walk up and talk to any of them however only certain ones will have tasks for you at any given time, they can be found easily though as they are high-lighted in a different color on the city map.

With the limited quest types the storyline and conversations between the characters are pretty two dimensional, that’s not to say that it’s not fun and enjoyable to play. The graphics are polished and you can customize your character with a variety of garments which not only increase his stats and make him stronger in battles but these changes also effect how he looks and you will end up with a unique looking character at the end. In addition to your clothes you can also update you stats, luck, strength, dexterity and intellect can all be increased each time you level up. I’m sure some people may wish to focus on one area more than the other although I found keeping a balance across all my stats worked best for me.

The controls are simple to pick up for both navigation of your character and the battle quests. The large virtual d-pad on the left of the screen controls the characters movement and while it’s responsive there is no diagonal movement available which does restrict movement options especially during battle sequences. On the right hand side of the screen there is are two action buttons that will vary depending on whether you are. They are all accessible and responsive and because there are so few of them you don’t find yourself hunting for the right option in the heat of battle.

Caligo Chaser_3

Heading off on your quests with your trusty sword will get you so far, however you will soon find that you can also equip a gauntlet which is your version of magic. Like all things there is a risk and reward to using your gauntlet. To use your gauntlet you have to hold down your second action button and charge it up. During this time you are vulnerable to attack and liable for the enemy to move out of range, used wisely though it can be a hugely damaging weapon.

In addition to these two standard method of attack are abilities that you can pick up to be used during battles and accessing them is very simple too as they can be assigned to 5 quick access buttons that appear at the bottom of the screen. More and more however I found myself reliant on my sword and the repeated button bashing that builds combo’s and ultimately devastating attacks. It’s not particularly clever but it is effective and can take out multiple enemies all at the same time.

While the focus of the game is on hunting and killing in battles you also get to collect many items that you can use throughout your journey. All of these items are available via your inventory and this is easily accessible via the navigation menus. Navigating these menu’s is not going to be to everyone’s taste as you need to use the d-pad and action button to navigate and select the option you want but with so many options I found this an accurate way to make my selections rather than using the touch screen.

The city of Emporion and the various other locations are very well drawn but are a little uninspiring with some of the animations appearing a little simplistic. The music and sound effects work well with the game though, enhancing the entertainment rather than taking away from it which is what music in any game should do.

There is a lot to do in Caligo Chaser however a lot of it is the same and therefore is a little repetitive. For new comers to the genre it will provide many hours of entertainment especially as you can return to many of the battles to try to improve on your previous scores. For others, Caligo Chaser will feel a little uninspired and will feel like they are treading a path well troden by other games before it with nothing new to add. At $2.99 though I think it’s been priced just about right.

The Good

  • Great amount of content providing hours of game play
  • Customize your character in your own image
  • Simple controls

The Not So Good

  • Repetitive Tasks
  • Uninspiring storyline
  • Old school graphics

Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Updated: Mar 18, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.1
Size: 16.3 MB
Language: English
Seller: Com2us USA, Inc.
© 2010 Com2uS
Rated 9+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

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