In this post I would like to reply to
Tanis’ article about Chronicle: Runescape Legends. I say article, because I think in terms of a review it does not deliver. While I share the enthusiasm of Tanis when it comes to RS Chronicle, I think it is important the imperfections of the game should also be expressed.
The article starts by discussing the graphics of the game. The in-game graphics look amazing and while Runescape and Chronicle are vastly different games, the similarities are easy to spot. However, it is also blatantly obvious that the graphics style is pretty much identical to the other big player in the genre: Hearthstone. From the menu transitions to the card style, from the UI to the in-game effects: they could probably be used interchangeably between the games.
This in general I think shows a major issue I am having with Chronicle as of right now: the game doesn’t distinguish itself sufficiently. Its concept -- building an adventure with cards -- is very original and the gameplay where both players do their move simultaneously (but in secret) also brings something new to the genre as far as I am aware. But then this is all put in a mix that makes it look very much like just another card game based on a major MMO franchise.
The next subject touched upon is the gameplay. As I mentioned before: I think the gameplay Jagex came up with has interesting and unique elements. The point in the article I disagree with on the other hand, is that the game is fast-paced. On the contrary, I think there are some major issues with the pacing: first, you have to rush getting your cards on the board, because when your opponent is finished placing theirs, you have mere seconds to finish placing your own. In combination with the severely limited UI (more on that in a bit), this makes it very easy to make mistakes because you have to rush things, and this has caused me some frustration. Luckily, this was fixed in the
2/12 patch by extending the time you have after your player finishes, and I think the new time limit gives you more than enough time, while not slowing down the game too much if your opponent is slow.
After this the game enters some sort of cinematic mode, where no interaction is possible and the chapter plays out. The animations are cute and represent an interesting table top style, but they are not interesting enough to keep you watching, so only the excitement about seeing the cards uncovered keeps the cinematics interesting. So, all in all, I think the game needs to balance out the pace a bit.
Another gameplay element I think the article fails to discuss is the different heroes. Of course the article was written shortly after the game came out, so I do not expect any in-depth discussion about tactics, but it was obvious to me that each of the heroes had a different gameplay focus. Where the Raptor and Linza focus on the final fight, Ariane and Ozan are all about killing the opponent before that. The Raptor is about building up attack damage, and to stay alive, he uses armour. On the other hand, Linza uses weapons for attack power, and uses those weapons to heal from killing monsters. Ariane’s special cards increase in power as the hand size increases, while for Ozan, gold is everything. Each hero has their own tactics, and during a game you have to use your own strengths, while also disturbing the tactic of the other. Maybe as the game continues on, interesting new ways to use the cards and heroes come up, but for now, their tactics are pretty predictable. The game is therefore also about knowing the heroes, how to use them, and what to expect from them. A nice touch of making the game more interesting than meets the eye.
I haven’t done a lot of deck building myself, so I will hold off on discussing that. In general though, I think the cards are balanced pretty well. There are some interesting
balance changes coming up, so hopefully these will improve the game further.
A final subject I want to mention is the in-game UI. Right know I find it still too bothersome to find out what cards do, which slows the game down unnecessarily. Maybe this will grow on players as they continue playing, but I think in general the UI could use some polish to make it just that bit easier to use, especially if mobile devices are going to get involved.
So let me wrap up by returning to the article. I may appear a bit negative about both the game and the article here, but I have found that the article is inadequate when it comes to giving a complete overview of the game. It calls itself a review, but fails to take an honest look at some of the game elements. In this post I just wanted to give some counterweight to the almost exclusive positive feedback from the article, and sketch a more complete image of where the game currently stands. People who know me a bit also probably know that I am really bothered by the ignorance that shows in purely negative flaming, but I think the same ignorance shows in feedback that is purely positive.
I think the article should be considered like a brief first impression. I hope that with this post, I have given a bit more even impression about the game. I also hope that in future articles we can get a more detailed and complete impression of their described subject. In either case, I am completely open to further discussion on this subject with the author of the article and others.
This article was written with the intention of constructive feedback, and also to share my personal opinion on the game, which was not in line with the Informer article. I should clarify that I am still in general positive about Chronicle, and I have confidence that if the points I raised in this points are addressed, Chronicle can become the product Jagex has needed for a long time, which can bring the company back into the picture when it comes to game development.
~ Cireon