Chariot Review

Truly cooperative video games are few and far between these days, so when a game like Chariot comes along, there is always a high level of anticipation among those of us who love the genre. Thankfully, Chariot lives up to the expectation with a unique concept that delivers high quality co-operative play that’s as fun as it is challenging.

The story in Chariot is essentially a setup for its main gameplay mechanic, but it’s still entertaining nonetheless. The king is dead and, with his coffin placed on the titular chariot, it is up to his daughter and her fiance to seek out his final resting place. This may seem like a rather mournful scenario, but Chariot instead plays it out as a light-hearted and humorous tale, with the ill-tempered king himself constantly spewing out comical remarks as his ghostly form is still bound to his coffin. The theatrical voice-work, adorable art-style and enchanting musical tracks are all commendable and play their part in creating a game that’s very easy to like and engage with.

But it’s the gameplay of Chariot that is the real draw. It’s essentially a platformer with a twist; you and your friend must constantly be keeping an eye on the chariot, pulling and pushing it along with you throughout your adventure. If it stays out of sight for too long, it’s game over. The game provides you with a number of gadgets to help you with your quest, most importantly a grappling rope which allows you to pull the chariot upwards or climb towards it; a tool which allows the potential for a huge variety of interesting ways in which you and your friend can transport the chariot and each other. You can also upgrade your chariot by, for example, pimping it with some tougher wheels that can traverse across any snowy terrain.

The game does a great job of constantly ensuring communication and co-operation between players, not just by entrusting both of them with a shared responsibility in protecting the Chariot, but also in the great level design. There are always a huge number of diverging paths in every stage and each route promises a number of collectibles to discover. The puzzles found throughout the environments are also always inventive and challenging without being unfair or too frustrating. The variety of enemies (and the one-button combat system to take them out), however, does feel a little limited. You are constantly being attacked by bat-like creatures, and the act of repeatedly tapping the same attack button just to clear the screen can become tiresome.

For all its whimsical appeal however, Chariot does suffer from some practical shortcomings. The progression system can feel a little disjointed at times; although each stage does bring with it some new mechanics and challenges, the trivial act of pushing and pulling the chariot up platforms can get tiresome and repetitive, whilst the speed at which you get new tools to play with depends on how many blueprints you’ve been able to find in each stage. The lack of online multiplayer and an AI system that isn't nearly as easy to work with as a real player also means that Chariot only reaches its true potential when played split-screen with a friend on the couch.