Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
Unconfirmed packshot
Developer(s)ACE Team
Publisher(s)Nacon
Designer(s)Carlos Bordeu
Writer(s)Jonas Kyratzes
Composer(s)Patricio Meneses
SeriesZeno Clash
EngineUnreal Engine
Platform(s)
ReleaseMarch 9, 2023
Genre(s)Action-adventure, beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is a 2023 action-adventure video game developed by ACE Team and published by Nacon. The game is the third installment in the Zeno Clash series.

Plot

The story of Clash: Artifacts of Chaos takes place in Zenozoik, the fantasy setting of Zeno Clash and Zeno Clash 2. The protagonist is a martial artist named Pseudo who becomes the bodyguard of the Boy, a small creature with healing powers desired by the tyrant Gemini and her henchmen.[1]

Gameplay

Like the previous titles of the series, the gameplay of Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is centered on unarmed melee combat. While its two predecessors used exclusively a first-person perspective during gameplay sequences, the third installment plays mostly in third-person perspective. First person is limited to brief sequences which can lead to the execution of finisher attacks.

Combat against intelligent beings can be preceded by a round of the Ritual, a dice game that grants a tactical advantage to the winner from a range of options, such as an extra ally or a fog cloud opaque only to the adversary.[2]

For the first time in the series, the game features a character customization system including attributes to increase when leveling up and combat stances to unlock, such as the Spear stance which grants long reach attacks.[3]

Another innovation to the series is the maze-like world design: instead of maps divided by loading screens, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos takes place in a semi-open world inspired by Bloodborne.[4]

Development

The game was announced at the Nacon Connect online press conference in July 2021 with a release originally scheduled for June 2022,[5] but was postponed to November 2022, then February 9, 2023,[6] and later March 9, 2023.[7]

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos uses a unique cross-hatched rendering filter which gives it a hand-painted pencil style.[8]

After a first collaboration with ACE Team on SolSeraph and The Eternal Cylinder, The Talos Principle writer Jonas Kyratzes has been involved in the development of Clash: Artifacts of Chaos.[9]

A free demo was distributed at the Steam Next Fest of October 2022[10] and at the ID@Xbox Winter Game Demo Event.[11]

On release, Clash received only a 64% from PCGamer[12] and a 71% from Metacritic[13] but a 95% score on Steam.[14] Ace Team co-founder Carlos Bordeau said: "I don't think we ever had such a giant disconnect between the critic scores and the players. Clash stands at an incredible 95% Steam approval rating (highest for any of our titles) ...and the press reviews are mostly: "meh.""[15]

References

  1. ↑ L, Dominic (September 2, 2022). "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos Preview – a fantasy adventure that's doing everything differently". The Sixth Axis. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  2. ↑ Shah, Salik (March 24, 2022). "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos Reveals Gameplay with New Trailer". Gameshedge. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  3. ↑ Van der Biest, Lander (August 26, 2022). "Hands-on: Clash: Artifacts of Chaos - Gamescom 2022". Gaming Boulevard. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  4. ↑ Bordeu, Carlos (October 25, 2021). "Level Design in Clash: Artifacts of Chaos". Steam. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  5. ↑ Smith, Graham (July 6, 2021). "The world of Zeno Clash returns with Clash: Artifacts Of Chaos". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  6. ↑ Elmers, Robbie (July 7, 2022). "Fantasy melee action Clash: Artifacts of Chaos has been pushed back to next February". Tech News Space. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos delayed to March 9, 'Corwid Fight' gameplay trailer". Gematsu. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  8. ↑ L, Dominic (September 2, 2022). "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos Preview – a fantasy adventure that's doing everything differently". The Sixth Axis. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  9. ↑ Kyratzes, Jonas (3 March 2022). "Updating Soon". jonas-kyratzes.net.
  10. ↑ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos - Steam Fest Demo FAQ". Steam. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ Ronnell, Jessica (December 6, 2022). "ID@Xbox Winter Game Demo Event Showcases 22 Games". Xbox Wire. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  12. ↑ Jon Bailes (2023-03-10). "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos review". pcgamer. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  13. ↑ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  14. ↑ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  15. ↑ Bordeu, Carlos [@CarlosBordeu] (March 20, 2023). "@JonasKyratzes I don't think we ever had such a giant disconnect between the critic scores and the players. Clash stands at a incredible 95% Steam approval rating (highest for any of our titles) ...and the press reviews are mostly: "meh"" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
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