| 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 |
| Series | Zeno Clash |
| Engine | Unreal Engine |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | March 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ Shah, Salik (March 24, 2022). "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos Reveals Gameplay with New Trailer". Gameshedge. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Van der Biest, Lander (August 26, 2022). "Hands-on: Clash: Artifacts of Chaos - Gamescom 2022". Gaming Boulevard. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Bordeu, Carlos (October 25, 2021). "Level Design in Clash: Artifacts of Chaos". Steam. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Graham (July 6, 2021). "The world of Zeno Clash returns with Clash: Artifacts Of Chaos". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos delayed to March 9, 'Corwid Fight' gameplay trailer". Gematsu. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kyratzes, Jonas (3 March 2022). "Updating Soon". jonas-kyratzes.net.
- ^ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos - Steam Fest Demo FAQ". Steam. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Ronnell, Jessica (December 6, 2022). "ID@Xbox Winter Game Demo Event Showcases 22 Games". Xbox Wire. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ Jon Bailes (2023-03-10). "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos review". pcgamer. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Clash: Artifacts of Chaos on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ 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.
External links
This page was last edited on 16 December 2023, at 11:02