What does it take to create a "Gothic Opera?" How about a dash of action, a hint of RPG elements and a flood of stylized enemies just begging to be cut down to size?
Capcom dubbed their action game Chaos Legion a Gothic Opera, and it's easy to see why. Everything, from the huge castles and the protagonists' clothing, to the washed out feel of the environments, fits the dictionary definition of Gothic: grotesque, mysterious, and desolate. Of course, there are bound to be comparisons to Capcom's other "modern Medieval" franchise, Devil May Cry. While tossing out comparisons between the two hardly does either franchise justice, let's just say Chaos Legion's hero, Sieg Warheit, is every bit as cool as Devil May Cry's Dante, and though Sieg doesn't have the guns to go with his big ol' sword, there is a small portion of the game played through the eyes of a female character, Arcia, that lets you get your six gun fix.
Sieg's style isn't the only thing borrowed from the DMC series. The overall ebb and flow of Chaos Legion is very much like that of Capcom's best seller because you run through levels fighting hordes of enemies while pulling off combos that would make Mike Tyson jealous. And then, of course, at the end of each stage, there is the obligatory massive boss to take down. However, this is where the similarities end and where Chaos Legion steps out from the shadow of its devil brother.
The introduction of Legions and certain RPG elements help take Chaos Legion in a distinctly different direction. The Legions are summoned creatures that help you in battle by providing offensive assistance or protection. For instance, the swordsman legion, Guilt, will seek out enemies and tear them to pieces or stay close to you and only attack those enemies that get within a certain distance. His opposite is the archer legion, Malice, who will slay enemies from long range. There are a total of seven Legions in all and each one is effective against specific types of enemies, either organic or metallic. This adds a level of depth to the game since you are only allowed to equip two Legions at a time. Bring the wrong group along for the ride and you could be in for some tough times.
The RPG elements come in the form of experience points, which are accumulated as you defeat enemies. Let your Legion make the final hit on an enemy and you are given bonus experience points. These points can then be used to power up your Legions offensive and defensive stats, unlock special moves and abilities, and add to their numbers. Sieg can also collect powerups that increase his own health, power, and defense. For those of you who love to power level your characters, you'll be happy to hear that halfway through the game, you can return to previous stages for extra experience. There are certain areas in some maps that are unattainable the first time through but become accessible once you have acquired moves like the double jump (which you earn by powering up the Flawed Legion). As if all that wasn't enough, once you reach the thirteenth level, more powerful enemies replace all those found in the previous ones. While this may seem great for replay value, this feature made me notice how redundant some of the levels can be, and I became a bit reluctant to go back unless I absolutely needed to.
Graphically speaking, Chaos Legion is an absolutely beautiful game. It's quite a sight when a dozen or more enemies come at you from all angles with barely a hint of slowdown. A couple of the bosses are somewhat silly-looking - they reminded me of something you'd see in a B-movie but, overall, the character designs are original, unique and fit the theme of the game. Scenery consists of decaying castles and towns and, though they look amazing, they also look very similar to one another. By far the Chaos Legion's brightest visual spot has to be the Full Motion Video (FMV). They're some of the best I've seen on the PlayStation 2.
While the FMV does a great job of enhancing the story, it doesn't cover up the fact that the story is a bit lacking. The fact that you are chasing down a man named Victor DeLacroix should clue you in to the "creative" thinking that went into this script. I couldn't help but laugh every time someone tried to say "DeLacroix" in some menacing manner. Somehow, I was never quite as scared of him as the characters in the game were. Luckily, the voice acting is decent enough to pull off the somewhat cheesy storyline, and lend a bit of credibility to it. In the end, the story doesn't detract too much from the overall fun factor of Chaos Legion.
Fortunately for Capcom, most people don't look to their favorite button mashers when they want a good story. Chaos Legion is a better than average action game that requires a little strategy thanks to its RPG elements. I rate this one at least a rental, but would go as far as saying if you love your action in the Devil May Cry or Dynasty Warriors vein, run out and buy Chaos Legion today.
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