Chaos Chain

Getting a no for now for being mostly a mess and for having the front page of its discussion forum locked down, which is a bad sign. Here's what I was going to post there and now you get it in a "No" review instead: It would be better to just bite the bullet and generate AI portraits that actually resemble the available character models. I know the new online outrage thing is to gesticulate wildly while posturing about how bad AI art is but most normal people don't actually care and it would be better than having so many totally unrelated portraits of so much varying quality that don't even remotely resemble any of the available character options. You can however import your own character portrait, allowing you to take this task upon yourself if you decide to.

I've been playing Corrosive games off and on for years now, and this one is a natural progression (and improvement upon) the usual. Adjustable difficulty, mature and well thought out world. Good immersive stuff. Fun gameplay with some different builds to experiment with. I was particularly impressed when encountering a crash. I talked to the dev on discord and he had a fix out within minutes. Crashes happen, but being available to chat with and working that fast is a rare thing. Pretty amazing.

This is a great start to a game. It reminds me of shadow run on genesis. I hope they make tons and tons of content for it.

Chaos Chain is a harsh, atmospheric cyberpunk RPG that fully embraces the complexity and unforgiving design philosophy of classic computer role-playing games. Developed and published by Corrosive Studios LLC, the game drops players into the decaying streets of Slade City, a dystopian urban nightmare ruled by corruption, gangs, corporate greed, and constant desperation. Rather than chasing cinematic spectacle or streamlined accessibility, Chaos Chain focuses heavily on player freedom, tactical decision-making, deep role-playing systems, and survival inside a dangerous world where every mistake can carry serious consequences. The result is a demanding but highly immersive experience that feels like a throwback to older CRPGs while still maintaining a distinct identity of its own. The setting immediately stands out as one of the game’s strongest elements. Slade City feels oppressive, violent, and believable in a way many cyberpunk worlds fail to achieve. The city is filled with crumbling infrastructure, neon-lit alleyways, desperate civilians, criminal organizations, and corporations exploiting anyone weak enough to become disposable. Instead of glamorizing the cyberpunk genre through flashy visuals and nonstop action, Chaos Chain presents a much grimmer version of the future where survival itself feels exhausting. Every district has its own atmosphere and social tension, helping the world feel layered and genuinely lived-in. Character creation is impressively detailed and establishes the game’s role-playing focus immediately. Players choose backgrounds, traits, languages, skills, and personal specialties that directly affect dialogue options, quest outcomes, faction relationships, and gameplay opportunities throughout the story. The game encourages players to create an actual role rather than simply building an optimized combat machine. A skilled hacker experiences the world differently than a street mercenary or smooth-talking negotiator, and many situations can be approached through entirely different methods depending on the character build. The amount of player freedom is one of the game’s greatest strengths. Chaos Chain rarely forces players into a single solution, instead offering multiple ways to handle conversations, missions, and conflicts. Some players may rely on hacking and diplomacy while others focus on brute force, stealth, scavenging, or faction manipulation. This flexibility makes the world feel reactive because decisions genuinely influence how characters and organizations respond over time. The game constantly rewards experimentation and role-playing rather than punishing players for deviating from expected solutions. Combat follows a tactical turn-based structure heavily inspired by classic CRPGs and tabletop systems. Battles are dangerous, methodical, and often brutally punishing, especially during the early stages when equipment and resources are limited. Positioning, status effects, weapon choice, and preparation all matter significantly, and rushing into encounters carelessly almost always leads to failure. The combat system can initially feel intimidating, but once players understand its mechanics, battles become highly satisfying because victories genuinely feel earned through planning and strategy. The RPG systems themselves are remarkably ambitious for an indie project. Hacking, crafting, scavenging, survival mechanics, faction reputation, inventory management, and dialogue systems all interact with each other in meaningful ways. Hacking in particular helps reinforce the cyberpunk atmosphere because it opens alternate routes and solutions beyond combat. The game constantly encourages players to think creatively about how they interact with the world rather than relying solely on direct violence. Visually, Chaos Chain uses a retro-inspired pixel art style that fits the game’s tone perfectly. The environments are dark, grimy, and filled with industrial decay, flickering neon signs, ruined streets, and claustrophobic interiors that constantly reinforce the oppressive atmosphere. Although the graphics are technically simple compared to modern AAA RPGs, the art direction succeeds because it prioritizes mood and immersion above visual realism. Fans of old-school isometric RPGs will likely appreciate how strongly the game commits to that classic aesthetic. The soundtrack and sound design also contribute heavily to the experience. Ambient electronic tracks, industrial noise, and tense combat music create a constant feeling of unease throughout exploration and combat. The audio rarely becomes overly dramatic, instead focusing on maintaining a bleak and uncomfortable atmosphere that perfectly matches the game’s dystopian world. However, Chaos Chain is definitely not an accessible RPG. Its old-school design philosophy creates a steep learning curve that may frustrate many modern players. The interface can feel clunky, menus are dense with information, and the game often explains mechanics poorly or not at all. New players unfamiliar with classic CRPG systems may initially feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of interconnected mechanics and the lack of direct guidance. The pacing is also deliberately slow and methodical. Large portions of the game revolve around reading dialogue, exploring environments, managing resources, and carefully planning progression rather than engaging in nonstop combat. Players looking for fast-paced action or heavily cinematic storytelling may find the experience tedious during quieter stretches. Chaos Chain expects patience and attention from its audience, and it makes very few compromises to simplify its systems. Combat balancing can occasionally feel uneven as well. Certain encounters become brutally difficult without much warning, especially if players accidentally wander into dangerous areas too early or build characters inefficiently. While the harsh difficulty fits the game’s survival-focused atmosphere, there are moments where progression feels punishing in ways that may discourage less experienced players. The game also still shows occasional rough edges in polish despite its impressive ambition. Some systems feel more refined than others, animations remain fairly basic, and the overall presentation occasionally reveals the limitations of a smaller indie development team. Still, the sheer depth and commitment to role-playing freedom help outweigh many of these technical shortcomings. Despite these flaws, Chaos Chain succeeds because it fully commits to delivering a dense, immersive cyberpunk RPG experience without sacrificing complexity for broader appeal. The game trusts players to experiment, fail, adapt, and shape their own stories within its dangerous world. Every faction interaction, skill investment, and difficult choice feels meaningful because the systems consistently react to player decisions. For fans of classic CRPGs, cyberpunk settings, and heavily role-play-driven experiences, Chaos Chain is one of the more ambitious indie RPGs available on Steam. Its combination of tactical combat, oppressive atmosphere, meaningful player choice, and deep progression systems creates an experience that feels rewarding precisely because it refuses to hold the player’s hand. Chaos Chain ultimately captures the spirit of old-school role-playing games remarkably well. It is complex, unforgiving, immersive, and occasionally frustrating, but for players willing to embrace its rough edges and demanding systems, it delivers a deeply satisfying cyberpunk adventure filled with freedom and atmosphere. Rating: 8/10

Chaos Chain is an absolute gem! The world-building is top-notch, and the lore really pulls you in. There’s a bunch of small details that make the world feel alive, from the atmosphere to the storytelling to the art style. It all comes together really well. The systems in place are solid, the writing is good, and the main story arc keeps you hooked while the side quests are varied and interesting. There is a pretty deep skills & perk system. All of this combined with lots of guns, cyberware & lashing of dystopia means that if you enjoyed something like Shadowrun, this is right up your alley. One of the best things? The dev is awesome! I reported a minor bug (buried in a completely optional menu), and within five minutes, they asked me some questions and dropped a patch the same day. That kind of responsiveness is rare, especially for a bug so small. For the price, it’s great value, too. You’re getting a lot of quality content here for what you pay. If you’re into cyberpunk crpg's, I’d definitely recommend giving Chaos Chain a go.

Don't know what I expected going in and I'm a piss poor speaker, but this game is fun as ♥♥♥♥. The character creation had a lot of options, though it was hard to find portraits matching the face. After that you're thrown head first into a pretty bleak situation, resources are limited and each cred spent feels important. Characters weren't overblown or dull they hit a good middle ground. Combat is pretty fair even on the hardest difficulty. For every instance you can just mow people down you can equally get your ♥♥♥♥ rocked by a sudden crit. Hopefully more chapters come later and for the love of God, gamble as much as you can. It's easy and you'll always be itching for dosh.

Great game, lots of support and updates. My one complaint, as always, wish it used mouse to move.

Upon launching, error window appears: System\RGSS301.dll is not a valid Win32 application. After several attempts, I still couldn't launch the game. Refunding for now.

Great game. Waiting for new updates.

Fun lil in-progress JRPG. Has a very lethal combat system fitting of the genre, and a good chunk of content even in EA.