Chain Chronicle

Did You Know?

• The first volume of the manga Chain Chronicle Crimson included a code to obtain the character Caz in the game, voiced by Daisuke Namikawa.
• The opening theme for the film trilogy is 'Chain the World' by Nao Tōyama, while the ending theme is 'PARAISO' by Nano.

Gameplay

Chain Chronicle combines tower defense, traditional role-playing, and card trading via Arcanas. The role-playing elements drive the story, letting players make decisions, visit towns, and participate in events. The map system shows towns and areas; players tap from one town to another but must clear enemies to proceed. Battle resembles a tower defense game: each player commands a team of four Arcanas, plus two sub-party extras and a guest unit. Each Arcana belongs to one of five classes, and units are weak to specific classes. The second version introduced Fighters and Gunners. The goal is to clear each stage without enemies reaching the player's safe zone; tapping a unit onto an enemy initiates an attack. If an enemy reaches the safe zone, the game ends. Each unit has a skill that can counter enemies. Clearing stages rewards money, special arcana, and Arcana Coins. Players summon allies using Prysma or Arcana Coins earned in gameplay. Each unit has its own story, completable for Prysma or skill unlocks. Events offer special items and Arcanas.

Characters

Yuri, also known as Hero, is the main character, a Warrior-Class Swordsman and leader of the Volunteer Army. Guided by the sprite Pirika, he protects Phoena from the Black Army and uncovers mysteries behind her book. Phoena, a Chronicler-Class Cleric and main heroine, carries the Chronicle, a book holding the world's history. She has retrograde amnesia and cannot remember her identity until Yuri saves her; she is later revealed to be the daughter of the Black King. Pirika is a unique Elf Sprite who guides Yuri and Phoena, having saved Yuri when he was chosen to form the Volunteer Army. Kain, a former farmer, joins as a Knight; his shield becomes a defining battle asset. Michidia, a former Ranger's Guild member, is calm and rational. Marina, a Cleric from the Guild Alliance, is serious, forthright, humorless, and clumsy but excels in healing. Aram is the main character of The Light of Haecceitas anime, a thief involved in the battle between the Volunteer Army and the Black Army. Other characters include Eirenus, the Black King (age 16), Juliana, Burckhardt, Einslot, Shuza, and the Lord of the First Territory, who aims to take over Yggdra.

Media

The game launched on iOS on July 26, 2013, and on Android on August 1, 2013. A PlayStation Vita port, Chain Chronicle V, was released on July 16, 2014. The global version launched on December 8, 2014, and shut down on February 29, 2016. A sequel, Chain Chronicle 3, was released on November 24, 2016. A manga adaptation, Chain Chronicle Crimson, ran in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from July 2014 to August 2015, collected in three tankōbon volumes. An original video animation by Jūmonji and Sotsu was screened theatrically on September 6, 2014, and released on DVD on December 18, 2014. The film trilogy Chain Chronicle: The Light of Haecceitas premiered on December 3, 2016, January 14, 2017, and February 11, 2017. The television version began airing in January 2017 after the first film. Crunchyroll licensed the series in North America.

Reception

The game received positive reviews upon its first month of launch. Gamezebo praised its grid-based combat, number of characters, and extensive story, but criticized the serialized female character designs as stuck in the past, though it concluded the gameplay is fun and rewarding. 148Apps praised the gameplay and fair free-to-play system, calling it an easy-to-learn RPG that successfully combines tower defense, strategy, and action.