Chrome Wars 2 Arena – Turn-based robot battles with some commendable style
A Healthy Fear of Cylons
After filling many tension-filled hours of my life to Battlestar Galactica (aka probably the best TV show that has ever existed, currently exist, or is likely to ever exist in the future), I now have what appears to many as an unhealthy (but to me is just common sense) suspicion of robots and robot-like beings. Besides from the fact that artificially-sentient robots of today are slowly blurring the line between artificial and actual, neuron-based intelligence, robots are particularly intimidating creations, plus look at what happened in Terminator 2: not a pretty sight, was it? Ok, so ruling out a full-scale war between humans and machines, I could maybe come around to the idea of some violent robot-on-robot combat, and it is exactly this pastime that Chrome Wars 2 Arena from Jaludo Games allows you to experience. Laying the absolute smack down on your fellow robots as you battle through 49 opponents in a flash-animated (flanimated for short) arena is the general procedure here, and it’s fun. Damned fun, actually.
Straight to the Fun
Chrome Wars 2 Arena has some gameplay that is refreshingly simple. Instead of messing about with a ridiculously elaborate storyline and introductory sequence, you are instead encouraged to simply get stuck in to the action. At the outset of the game, you are asked to choose a colour of robot and a name for your automaton (though I prefer not to humanise my machines, thank you very much), and off you go into the arena for battle. Each battle you enter into consists of you and your opponent being situated opposite each other in a small arena where you must take it in turns to perform attack by clicking the icons on the screen. Attacks of various strength are available, as are certain tactical moves like healing or using other items; upgrades are part and parcel of this whole experience, as is the purchasing of weapons and armour for your robot.
Armed and Armoured
Victories against other robots will earn your skill points that you can apply to your robot’s various attributes such as agility, speed, and strength. Skill points can be dished out to whichever attribute you feel is necessary, so the development of your robot is truly in your hands. Weapons such as blade cutters and eventually powerful electrical wire attachments can be purchased after winning enough battles to muster up the cash, and armour/special unlockable items can also be purchased in order to make your robot more clad with iron and accessories than a transformer.
No Messing Around
The above paragraphs are all that is necessary to explain the game to you, and do you know why? Because it really is that simple. There’s no time for distractions here, just choose a robot and fight with it in order to add skills points and purchase weapons and items for it in order to be better next time. Too simple for you? Then go play another game, because Chrome Wars 2 Arena is all that you need in a turn-based battle game, and the exceptional visual polish on the whole thing makes it an absolute pleasure to play. The eerie music occasionally seems out of place a little, but I think that’s just there to remind us to remain cautious of the dangers of robots, particularly ones that perform the functions of humans. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but please do say that I did inform you (of the general gist of the game as well as its level of worthiness to take up 10 minutes of your precious time).
86/100