Chronicles of Elyria

Chronicles of Elyria for PC is a MMORPG set in a fantasy world that resembles the Middle Ages. The game features elements of strategy and survival genres, but what truly stands out here – or rather brings innovation – is that the player-controlled characters age and die eventually, passing their heritages on to other members of their families. The game was created by Soulbound – an American developer. The team of experienced game makers, who worked for studios such as Microsoft Game Studios, Sony Online Entertainment, Bungie Software, Pandemic Studios, Monolith and many others. The developers received support on the Kickstarter crowd funding platform.

Mechanics

The mechanics in Chronicles of Elyria combine elements present in the classics of the genre (above all, the legendary Ultima Online) with a myriad of innovative features. Although the game is set in the extensive lands of the titular Elyria, no storyline was included here. Instead, Chronicles of Elyria delivers the players with a life-simulation kind of experience. Apart from elements typical for MMORPGs, such as completing subsequent quests, the player is required to cater to the basic needs of their character – one has to provide their avatar with food, drink, a place to rest, and a shelter from cold and heat. Also, the player manages their estate, which is part of the family heritage. Furthermore, the character can get married and have children in this game.

What is especially characteristic about Chronicles of Elyria for {PLAT], is the fact that the player-controlled character ages over time and eventually dies – on average, a character lives here for from 10 to 14 real-time months. Interestingly, one's character gets older when the player is not logged in to the game as well. However, all of this does not mean that the player loses what they have achieved when their character dies – at the very beginning, when the player is creating their character, they become part of a larger family and once the character passes away, their soul incarnates in another family member (with all the consequences brought by this fact). A deceased character's estate, reputation, titles or money – all of this gets inherited by the next incarnate.

Chronicles of Elyria for PC offers a character development system based entirely on skills learned alongside progression. Depending on the player's preferences, their character can improve on plenty of different skills, such as combat, gathering, crafting or survival. Over time, one's character can become a respectable king, a popular bard or a socially condemned deviant for example. Noteworthy is the combat system which is complex and demanding – the player launches strikes, as well as performs parries and dodges by linking the moves together into combos.

Interestingly, the game does not feature a map, which is a common element of many RPGs. Although, the player meets cartographers that help in getting to know about the surroundings, maps they offer are related exclusively to particular quests (finding a hidden treasure for instance). What is connected to this element of the game, is that quests can be received both from NPCs and other players, which ends the list of innovations worthy of highlighting. A player who gives a quest can be in a need of particular items required for development of their own business for example. The game world is dynamic – it poses different challenges, as reflected by non-repetitive missions.

Game modes

Similar to the majority of present-day MMORPGs, Chronicles of Elyria offers both the PvE and PvP components. In the former, the player develops their character and completes different quests; in the latter, the player faces others who are logged into the same server. Obviously, the game also features elements typical for the genre, such as founding guilds and making alliances.

Technical aspects

In terms of technicalities, Chronicles of Elyria offers high-quality, 3D visuals reaching far beyond the genre's general mediocrity in these areas. The game is powered by the advanced Unreal Engine 4 – this alone guarantees high visual fidelity. However, the game has an additional support in the form of the proprietary Soulbound Engine, which covers a series of technical aspects that are not related directly to the game's visuals. It is also worth noticing, that the original soundtrack was created by Sean Beeson – a creator of music for documentaries and short films, who received an Oscar for his work.

Misc.

Chronicles of Elyria for PC uses a rather peculiar and novel distribution model: once bought, the player receives the so-called Spark of Life, which suffices for 10-14 months, i.e. more or less the average life span of an in-game character. Since one's soul never dies in Chronicles of Elyria, buying another Spark of Life allows the player to continue their adventure in the body of the deceased's relative.

Last updated on January 17, 2017