Chaos Domain Review

As a games enthusiast I generally tend to find things I like in even the most uninspired games, but Chaos Domain is one of those rare titles from which I am unable to draw any enjoyment whatsoever. This side-scrolling, Contra-inspired shoot-em'-up is one of the most dull, unimaginative and flatout unlikeable games I’ve played.

Chaos Domain sees you playing as some space marine version of the Egyptian god Anubis - don’t ask why - as you run through a ship destroying any alien in your path and collect ankhs which give you money - again, it’s better not to apply logic. Going on what I’ve gleaned from its Steam store page since there’s no context given in the game, the enemies are cultists who are out to kill you for... some reason. The focus in Chaos Domain is decidedly on the gameplay, which would be alright if the combat was any fun.

The game’s first problem is its controls; it uses the traditional ‘WASD’ layout for movement, and the space button makes sense for jumping, but shooting and item usage are awkwardly assigned to the ‘K’ and ‘M’ buttons respectively. This is presumably done to make room for a second pair of hands on the keyboard using the drop-in/drop-out co-op, but it doesn’t even achieve this as anyone with hands bigger than a one-year-old will cover most of player two’s buttons. Thankfully the configuration can be changed, but it adds to the growing list of questionable design choices.

The issues with the controls extend beyond the placement of buttons though. Running and jumping has a floaty feel that makes that makes playing with any sort of precision impossible, and is the cause of many frustrating deaths. As the movement buttons are also used for aiming, you are unable to shoot in one direction while walking in the other. This adds to the difficulty since the movement controls simply don’t provide the precision required by many sections of the game.

Chaos Domain’s Contra influence is clear from minute one; from the instakill enemies, to the three-lives health system (the UI for your number of lives even looks similar), to the eight-directional shooting mechanics, everything is straight out of Konami's arcade classic. What the developers forgot to borrow from Contra was responsive controls, interesting level design, and engaging bosses. Not only that, but the AI behaviour in Chaos Domain is more simple than a game that came out thirty years ago.

The next problem is its difficulty; beyond the frustrating one-hit-deaths, there are the boss fights which are nigh on impossible without a second player. It seems that the developers have attempted to make up for these difficult sections with the addition of an 'easy mode' (which only offers you one extra continue per level) and buyable power-ups, but these aren't nearly enough to make completing levels straightforward.

Running on the versatile Unreal Engine, perhaps the game's one saving grace is its 2.5D visuals. While the particle effects are weak, the bullets travel through platforms as if they don't exist and characters are animated pretty poorly, the models themselves look good and the backgrounds are quite detailed. Things go back to the low standard with the audio though; levels are accompanied by repetitive techno music and the sound effects are dull.

There’s probably the potential for a decent side-scrolling shooter in Chaos Domain. Perhaps with mouse-controlled, 360-degree shooting á la Trine or Shadow Complex the combat would be at least bearable. As it stands, the game is marred by terrible controls, boring levels and questionable design decisions at almost every turn. This one is best avoided by anyone other than the most hardened run-and-gun fans.