A Zoro video game was not on my 2022 bingo card; and yet here we are. Zoro The Chronicles seems like a very out of place title in the current gaming landscape but it’s actually based on some children’s cartoon of the same name. I have no idea where you can watch Zoro The Chronicles. I think its some collaboration with a French channel meaning its probably on Netflix here in the States. That said, Zoro The Chronicles isn’t what you might expect for a licensed children’s property. It’s not terrible. Now, I’m not saying it’s a good game, but it does a lot of things right.
I’m always of the opinion that if you are working on a licensed game most of your money probably went on acquiring that license and that you need to cut corners wherever you can. In order to do that you either try something new and focus on one singular mechanic, or you copy existing mechanics from better games that you can emulate easily. Zoro The Chronicles is a copycat game that pulls from other major titles making it not very unique but easy to jump into and understand.
Zoro The Chronicles plays like Batman Arkham Asylum but very watered down, almost like its Batman lite. You attack enemies and dodge attacks as well as counter attacks over an over again. It’s nice and simple and clearly designed for children. It really simple to counter attacks and combat boils down to two buttons. You stab and counter, except that countering gives you ages to input making the game a breeze. When you beat enough enemies you’ll charge your super meter and can then unleash these flourish instant finishers. They are varied and pretty funny a lot of the times.
Combat is simple but there is also the same stealth element from Batman Arkham Asylum to help mix things up. You can whip up to ledges and drop down on enemies for instant kills as well as to get away from crowds of enemies. There are also bells that enemies can ring to call more guards to try and take you down, aping from the Assassin’s Creed series. Along the way you’ll earn Zoro coins that you can also spend on powerups giving the game a slight RPG feel. These give you new abilities and buffs and open up combat, even if only a little.
Fighting is also really simple in that the world helps you out quite a lot. You can slice enemies until they pass out leaving for some funny moments (enemies don’t die because this is a kids game) or you can use the world to do it for you. Push them into boxes and they die, push them into a wall and they die, a fire pit, a pond, a cactus, a tree, it’s all the same. Even when you are inundated with enemies there is always a way out and taking out enemies is easy if you do a little thinking. I think I only died once in my entire playthrough because my cat jumped on my keyboard in the middle of a fight. Even then you only pop some smoke and run away letting you restart. Remember, this is a kids game.
The story itself is simple and has you playing the typical Zoro story but without any voice work or dialouge. The only difference is that there are two playable characters in Zoro and his Gal Friday. Both play the same as far as I can tell which is a strange touch. You see, you can approach each level in two different ways. You can take a stealth route or a combat route. Each path is a little different but the idea is the same. You aren’t forced to keep hidden in the stealth route and aren’t forced to fight everyone in the combat paths. It’s a weird choice as the both play the same way.
I would have split the two characters into roles, or at least alternate them. Guy Zoro might be really tough and brutish, while lady Zoro is faster and more sneaky. In the end both paths are the same as both force combat and neither allow for much stealth as you will still need to kill people. It feels a lot like they wanted to do more with this mechanic, but in the end it’s just two separate paths that mostly play the same way. I played a bunch of the level in the combat path thinking I would go back to play the game again and check the stealth path but it would have made no difference.
None of this is a gamebreaker, especially if you are a fan of the show or a Zoro fan in general. Still, there are signs that this is a cheaper game with a number of bugs and issues and apparently zero marketing budget. I had to restart stages on a couple of occasions because an enemy would freeze in place and refuse to die (see above). Another time a pickup would not drop when it should and forced yet another restart. Enemies, especially in larger groups have a real tendency to lock up and clip all over the place and the camera can oftentimes not be your friend. It’s a shame because a few more weeks in the oven might have really helped polish the overall experience.
Graphics are incredibly simplistic and from looking at the show match up pretty well. Still, it does feel like something that would have been a late PS2 release because it lacks any depth in the textures and, while the world is nice, it tends to feel empty, especially with a lack of any voice acting or story. At least later stages do look better so they didn’t frontload the experience. Since there is no audio everything is told with looks and Sims-like emotions. This is a little strange as it would have been a no-brainer to simply pull voice clips from the show, unless the show is also about mute heroes. The only voice-work I remember if the main baddie yelling Zoro like he’s Captain Kirk in Star Trek II.
In the end Zoro The Chronicles is a decent little adventure that pulls from bigger and better games. The problem is that is doesn’t do anything new while having too many bugs to justify that price point of $30. Maybe that’s okay for a physical version (I’m on the fence on that point) but certainly not for a digital release on PC. Even the most ardent Zoro fans will feel there isn’t quite enough here to truly enjoy, but if you do have a young kid who really loves the show then wait for this one to go on sale and pick it up then. Chances are this one will drop a few bucks soon enough considering only about a dozen people even know it released.
Pros:
+ Simple Kid-Friendly Combat
+ Lighthearted Adventure
Cons:
– Short
– Combat Lacks Depth
– Glitches & Bugs
– Price Point
Final Score:
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