Being a fan of ACE Team's Zeno Clash games and the surreal world of Zenezoik, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is another very welcome addition to the series. While this addition takes a much different approach to the formula; it still brings the player very kinetic, beat 'em up gameplay, unique art direction and compelling storytelling and characters. It is also non-linear, levels are split up in segments and you can explore them however you see fit as long as you have the abilities and progression to do so. The game also alters the combat system, asserting you to dodge and parry to overcome the numerous battles ahead.

Clash also offers one very interesting feature that occurs just before said battles, should the player choose to; and that is The Ritual dice game. This is a pretty fun if a little simple dice game of chance and strategy where the ultimate goal is to have the higher value of rolled dice at the end. Should the player win, they can place a condition on the opponent/s of their choosing (this is chosen before the dice game actually begins), to gain an edge in the battle that follows. However, the vice-versa occurs if the player loses, so be careful.

There are a couple things in the game that may turn players away. The game world really doesn't navigate the player that well and places a lot of trust in them to do so themselves. Some players (even myself, at times) may get lost from time to time as they try to collect and encounter all that there is in the areas. The combat scenarios are not perfect, either, as some of the arenas generated can cause bottlenecks and other nuisances. The map provides some basic info on the world but still leaves a lot up to the player to figure out where they're going, or even supposed to be going. I can respect the developers for trusting the players to be able to navigate the world themselves and not need to be handheld every step of the way, but I do think some minor changes could be implemented just for the sake of making it a little less daunting. For example, when the player approaches a transition point to the next level, it basically says [RB to the next area] or something to that effect. I think specifying what that area actually is would be a simple fix but an appreciated one.

With all that said however, I can't recommend Clash: Artifacts of Chaos enough. A game that I can enjoy to the point where I can ignore its faults is definitely a game worth your time, and Clash achieves this very well.

EDIT: I realised I left out what really sets this game apart from others, and that's the art direction, story and characters. There are few games these days that put in this much creativity and thought into the game's world and the characters that inhabit it. My mind goes to series like Oddworld (with an air of Heavy Metal magazine) if I'm to find something to compare this to. Truly incredible work.