Browser based, free-to-play, and littered with in-game purchases. All these things describe Eternal Chaos, a standard fantasy MMORPG developed by Playwebgames. For me, these three things are a trifecta of doom. These three qualities combined together are often a portent of disaster. Of course, there are a few stellar games out there that manage to break out of this stereotype, however, Eternal Chaos is littered with too many issues to ever truly become a shining star of the browser universe.
Like most MMOs, Eternal Chaos starts out by prompting the player to create their very own character. Three basic archetype character classes are available to choose from; the Berserker, the Assassin, and the Mage. Each class possesses a different set of abilities and comes in both male and female gender choices. Nothing special to see here, however, the character creation process is simple and streamlined and also gives players their first inkling of the amazing visuals this browser game provides.
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Then everything goes terribly wrong. From the character creation screen players are dumped into a world that simply doesn’t make sense. Supposedly a game designed to take you to different realms, including those of infamous characters like Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, and King Arthur; the beginning of the game does little to paint this picture. Unceremoniously dumped into the universe and instructed to defeat the Red Dragon Knight, there is little to no story development and an overpowering general sense of confusion.
Defeating the Dragon Knight only makes things worse. Not only will you likely find yourself still mildly confused as to what is happening in this game, you will also get your first taste of perhaps the most embarrassing element of the game; the appallingly poor English translation. Littered with spelling errors and grammar and sentence instructor that would make your high school English teacher cry, the poor translation only heightens the sense of confusion during gameplay.
You are quite literally dumped in each of the various realms with little instruction and no idea why you are there. Your only consolation is some bad text and possibly a cut scene that more often than not leave you feeling, if possible, even less satisfied than before.
With all that being said, it probably doesn’t matter if you are confused in this game. The questing element of Eternal Chaos is totally and utterly automated. Walking from quest to quest, turning in, picking up, even attacking and defeating the correct mobs and collected the needed items; all automated. I quite literally was able to walk away from my PC for around 10 minutes while my character continued to happily quest away. Look Ma! No hands!
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You must be wondering at this point if Eternal Chaos has any redeeming qualities and the fact of the matter is; it does. The PvP in this game is entertaining and fun, allowing combat to ensue across servers. Players can fight their way up the ranked PvP ladder or take on some good old-fashioned world PvP just because.
The game also allows for some unique ways to power up of your character. Refine your equipment by trading out stats on your gear or enhance it totally by adding Emblems, giving the item a significant boost. Invest Chrono Points to infuse your skills with added oomph or upgrade your character’s zodiac. Also don’t forget to check on your trusty mount, which can be upgraded via Mount Stones. All of which increase your character’s battle rating, your method of easily seeing how powerful you are in game.
Interestingly, you’ll also get a trusty beast companion to take along with you on your travels, no matter which class you have picked. Beast pets in this game can be leveled up and have their skills enhanced just like your character. Uniquely, your beast companion also helps to bump up the power of your character simply by advancing your beast’s level or activating the Beast Merge Mode which allows you and your companion to meld together for a short time.
Besides the cool features above, Eternal Chaos is boasting some seriously amazing 3D visuals. If you can manage to get around the flaws of the game and simply focus on how it looks, this is by far more than your typical browser-based game. With a Diablo-esque feel, this game could easily compete in looks with some of the non-browser MMOs on the market today.
Overall Eternal Chaos has some real potential. With stunning good looks and more than a few interesting features, all this game is really lacking is some serious polish. Cleaning up the constant barrage of bad grammar and adding a little more needed player interaction into the gameplay could make this game something special. As it stands, the game currently isn’t anything life changing. However, considering its free-to-play status it is one to check out, if for no other reason than to see the abysmal English dialog combined with the amazing graphics for yourself.
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Gameplay: 5 | The gameplay here is questionable. The poor translations, misplaced cut scenes, and overall lack of direction make gameplay here less than engaging. Add to the fact that this game doesn’t even require you to play and the fun factor drops significantly over time.
Visuals and Sound: 7 | For a browser game, Eternal Chaos is beautifully done. From the characters to the environment, this game is visually pleasing and honestly rather impressive for a game in this category. The sound in this game is also well done, with a musical score suited to the game. However, the music can feel a bit repetitive and tends to be overly loud even after turning it down.
Polish: 4 | Bad grammar, a storyline that doesn’t flow, and cut scenes that feel out of place and underwhelming all taint the polish of this game. Any real feeling of polish found in the PvP or visuals of this game is quickly undone by the sloppy feel of the overall game.
Longevity: 5 | While this game could be fun in small doses, Eternal Chaos will likely be unable to maintain the players interest. While playing a game that is too difficult is not fun, neither is playing one that is so easy you don’t have to even be at your keyboard to play.
Value: 6 | You can’t complain too much about a free-to-play game, even when it is full of flaws. With that being said, Eternal Chaos is littered with in-game purchases that are constantly being shoved in your face via various sources and the pay-to-win factor is very high.
