Clash: Artifacts of Chaos

 PC
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. New Game Network
    Mar 15, 2023
    72
    Clash: Artifacts of Chaos offers a beautiful new rendition of Zenozoik with suitable fisticuffs against whacky creatures, offset by awfully circuitous traversal and repetitive gameplay.
  2. COGconnected
    Mar 10, 2023
    70
    A spiritual successor to the Zeno Clash franchise, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos preserves and extends those games’ trademark weirdness. Clash: Artifacts of Chaos takes some chances and adds some interesting mechanics to the action game formula. Not everything works, unfortunately, and the game can be striking, engrossing, and frustrating in equal measure. I loved the game’s singular art direction, day/night mechanic, and more, but the combat is a mixed bag. Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is almost, but not quite, worth playing for its art alone.
  3. SECTOR.sk
    Mar 10, 2023
    70
    Beautifully different action game. It's not perfect and there are some things that could be improved, but you will find original elements and interesting moments that are worth it. It's a shame that the various distractions make the game less enjoyable and can be frustrating. However, if you want an unusual combat and action experience, you will definitely get it here.
  5. PC Gamer
    Mar 10, 2023
    64
    Clash’s brilliantly surreal world is hampered by uncompromising combat and level design.
  6. Gaming Age
    Apr 13, 2023
    58
    As funny as setting enemies against each other is, however, it doesn’t make Clash: Artifacts of Chaos’ combat any more enjoyable – which makes it pretty similar to the rest of the game. It’s awkward, it’s clunky, it never fully explains itself, and I strongly suspect that that’s the case whether you’ve played older Zeno Clash games or not.
  7. PlaySense
    Apr 7, 2023
    50
    Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is a somewhat unique game. Especially thanks to its visual style, which gives it its own identity. The voice-acting is also very strong and the combat can be called interesting, but it stops there. Indeed, the elaboration of this is not good and the interface is a disaster. Then you have the poorly mixed-up music and the artefact based combat gameplay leans a little too much on luck, which starts to annoy pretty quickly. Bottom line: the concept is cool, the execution leaves much to be desired.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 4 out of 15
  1. Asxpot
    Mar 18, 2023
    8
    As a Zeno Clash fan, the game was an instant buy. I can't just buy ZC1 and ZC2 for the third time.
    But, all in all, Clash:AoC turned out    As a Zeno Clash fan, the game was an instant buy. I can't just buy ZC1 and ZC2 for the third time.
    But, all in all, Clash:AoC turned out surprisingly good. The combat is good, the Ritual game adds flavor, and the visuals are as weird and good as ever. It's different from 14-year-old Zeno Clash, but it's still pretty good, and the shift towards 3rd person view is done surprisingly well.
    It's not without its flaws, though, I got a difficulty spike in a certain moment, and according to Steam discussions, I was supposed to visit locations in a different order, and it's relatively easy to get lost in some levels.    … Full Review »
  2. GandalfCzarny
    Mar 19, 2023
    8
    This is a game that will have so many followers as much as opponents. Personally I really like this game - I love this wacky and surrealThis is a game that will have so many followers as much as opponents. Personally I really like this game - I love this wacky and surreal world, because it's nothing I saw before in any other game (except ZC 1 and ZC2). I really like Pseudo and the Boy as main characters and their relationship. Also I think that combat system is really, really great because it's simple to play but hard to master, and it have this stiffness that is sometimes need in a games. Overall I think that this is very good game, but I can't recommend it for everyone. But if you like other ACE Team works then this one is definitely for you… Full Review »
  3. OnurK
    Sep 8, 2023
    10
    As a Zeno Clash lover at first I was sceptical when this game came out. The art style was completely different and the game did not feelAs a Zeno Clash lover at first I was sceptical when this game came out. The art style was completely different and the game did not feel surreal as it was in the first two game. But the more I played the more I started thinking that this game is much much better, of course Zeno Clash series and this game has their own uniqueness and they are good in their own way. But this game is a level up. I've known ACE Team since my childhood, Zeno Clash was my first introduction of their work. I've never thought that there would be another game of Zeno and seeing this game makes me happy.

    Gameplay and other technicalities:
    - Combat is definitely different than one Zeno has but this doesn't mean it is bad. The combat was really enjoyable because of the smoothness and variations of combos. Dd not feel repetitive at all. The cartoonish sound effects didn't feel right at first but it is actually fitting to the new style and is fun.

    Story and other designs:
    -The story is quite touching, it gets you more emotional the more you hear about the characters, you feel connected to the characters very quickly. Map design is top notch work and the colors are magnificent. I don't remember how many times I have stopped to watch the view and inspect the details. The dialogues weren't perfect as it was a bit lacking in depth, the characters stay very flat when their story telling ends shortly but the voice acting is just perfect especially for main character Pseudo. Pseudo's design and voicing couldn't be more perfect, his voice fits the character like a glove.

    Music:
    -My favorite of this game is... the AMAZING music! Even most of the AAA games can't get it right. Patricio Meneses is a legend for this. Sometimes the melodies sooth you and tell you stories and sometimes amazes you and gives you chills with it's epicness. The whole album is gonna be on my list to listen to. Words aren't enough to describe the music. Masterpiece!

    Issues of the game in case developers read:
    1 - The game doesn't tell you what exactly the night body sequence is, who are they? What are they? I would say it doesn't make any sense, but we don't even have any information about them besides The Boy's explanation towards the end of the game. I was a little disappointed at the end when I learnt nothing about it.
    2 - Cutscenes sometimes feel lacking due to some reasons: Low ambiance support, weak and short dialogue.
    3 - Sometimes the music doesn't play for several minutes and you are being left with empty running/walking. I'm guessing its a bug, it wasn't a big deal but it was definitely noticable.
    4 - The UI is a little weak and bland. You can't save recipies, you have to keep trying combinations to get it right which leads to loss of ingredients. You can't access stat information through inventory (only possible at the camp feature)    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »