Developed by BKOM Studios and published by NACON, Zorro The Chronicles is a new action stealth game based on the iconic masked avenger Zorro. Instead of the classic movies, Zorro the Chronicles is rather based on the animated series of the same name and takes a lot of its inspiration from modern action games such as the early Arkham titles and more. Set in 19th century Spanish California, Zorro the Chronicles allows you to wear the mask of Zorro, get on top of your horse and become the stealthy avenger that you always wanted to be. This is our review of the PS5 version of Zorro The Chronicles in which we whiplash some enemies and land some sweet sword combos.
At the start of the game, you can pick between two difficulties to begin your adventure. You can either go for the Normal mode or the Hard mode if you want to toughen up the combat in the game. After the initial intro, you are then given the choice of playing as either Diego or Ines for each mission. There are eighteen missions to complete in the game and some of them can be played without completing the previous ones as well. While each mission is marked with a number, some of the missions are unlocked simultaneously so you can play them before the others. For example, after completing the first mission, you can directly jump to the fourth or fifth mission instead of the second or the third mission. While the missions are meant to be played in their chronological order, you can jump ahead as well. Complete enough missions and you will continue moving ahead in the story.
Each mission has its own set of objectives and while completing these objectives, there are different bonus missions that you can complete as well. These bonus missions range from environment takedowns to more and are specific to each fight area. You can complete these bonus missions to earn some extra coins which are later used for unlocking new skills. You have a skill tree in the game as well from where you can spend all of the coins earned in missions to unlock new skills that can be used in the missions later. You can replay any mission in the game to try out the new skills or simply for completing any missed out bonus missions or painting the bonus posters found on each level. For completionists, several replays are a must for completing all bonus missions, unlocking all of the skills, and finding that last missing poster from your list.
While the missions all have different objectives, your playthrough pattern for most of the missions is fairly simple and straightforward. Sticking true to most stealth titles, you can survey the map for enemies, mark them and then plan your route for the current objective. Once your route is set, you can stick to stealth and take out the enemies by luring them away from others and taking them out or simply jump in between all of them and start all-out warfare. Success is guaranteed in both scenarios as the game is not really tough. You use your sword to fight your enemies and you can press the Circle key at the right time to parry incoming attacks or dodge them using the X key. There is a decent variety of enemies and you must get to the back of shielded enemies in order to take them out. If your health is depleted, you will respawn at the start of the mission and you must replay it all.
Depending on your playstyle, you can choose different entry points for each mission of the game as well. Some entry points give a stealth bonus while some are more combat-oriented so you can take your pick of starting points. Skills play an important role in the game as they give you additional attacks, defense maneuvers, or combat mechanics to use in combat or in stealth. Unlocking all of the skills does require a little bit of grinding but you can easily play and complete the main story without unlocking all of the skills in the skill tree. However, some of the skills are really cool and you can always grind older levels for coins for unlocking them all.
There are small details in combat that are really neat. While most of the time, the enemies will surround you and you will need a good balance of offense and defense to complete the combat sections but if you end up with a single enemy, attacking them will suppress them and they will begin covering in front of you, instead of fighting back. This gives you the opportunity to keep attacking them until they are done. For ensuring that the game is not too brutal or bloody, the finishing moves are all deadly but filled with humor.
None of the enemies actually die or get knocked out in the game. They simply lose their weapons and they sit around when you defeat them making this a perfect game for children and families to play together. There are multiple finishing animations and Zorro fully uses his surroundings as well for these animations which is a really good touch. You can knock them down from ledges, throw them in the pool or even stick them inside hay stacks. If there is something around you, chances are that you can land a funny or cool finisher using that item or location.
Visually, Zorro The Chronicles is not going to win any awards and the soundtrack is just decent as well. It fits with the overall theme of the game and the game surely has its moments. If you are looking for something serious, this game is not for you. If you are looking for something along the lines of early Batman titles along with the open-level design of the early PS1 titles such as Spyro the Dragon or Ratchet & Clank, then you can certainly go for Zorro The Chronicles. I am jumping in the game a little late and it seems to be running pretty well on the PS5 system without any bugs and glitches. I do not remember any sort of issues or glitches with the game during my playthrough. You have to remember that this title takes its inspiration from the recent animation series of the same name rather than the earlier, more serious movies of the franchise.
While I can’t say that Zorro the Chronicles is a glorious return to the franchise, it is still a decent game and highly enjoyable if the right demographics get their hands on it. My wife really liked the game and she completed the game as well with a big smile on her face. For me, the game reminded me more of the early PS1 titles such as Ratchet & Clank with their simple big open-world levels and the early Batman titles when it came to gameplay. With combat limited to special sections of each map, the rest of the map provides you with enough space to play around and bonus missions give you enough opportunities to earn some gold if you do not like exploring each and every nook and cranny of the map in order to find and break barrels. The visuals are what you would expect from an early 2000s title but what I like about the game is that everything sticks together to deliver a package that does not stand out in any way. The gameplay, visuals, and soundtrack, everything syncs together perfectly to deliver a fairly decent stealthy gameplay experience.
Final Verdict:
Zorro The Chronicles is a throwback to the classic open-world stealth action games when games were starting to incorporate large areas to mission areas and giving players an open approach to solving the different objectives. Stealth and open combat is a choice that you can make in the game depending on your mood and however the end result of each approach is mostly the same. The environments look decent and the gameplay mechanics are good enough for the game as well. The game surely has its hiccups and does not look anything like the modern power-hungry action games but on its own, there is enough in the game to make it an overall enjoyable experience. While most may argue that Zorro the Chronicles is solely for the kids, there is some fun for the grownups in the game as well if you are looking for a super casual stealth game set under the umbrella of an iconic franchise.
Final Score: 7.5/10
