Ntreev’s Grand Chase is one born from a novel idea: ’Let’s not charge people for playing, but based on how they want to play.’ You could potentially go through the entire game without ever digging into your pockets. It will be that much harder to survive, but if you’re up to the task, you won’t need to spend anything but your time. The hours I spent playing Grand Chase were hours well spent.
"Each character offers a very different way to play."
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A sort of mish-mash between a beat-em-up and a side-scrolling platformer, Grand Chase entertains with cutesy lightheartedness, addictive co-op and lightning fast Player vs. Player matches. A given level sees the player defeating baddies and earning items and experience on the way to the area’s boss. While consecutive visits to a cleared dungeon warrant new quests like finding a certain item or defeating a certain amount of enemies, which in turn award new equipment or even more quests.
The game stars three heroines, with more characters unlockable. Each one offers a very different way to play. For users who want a well-balanced fighter, Elesis and her mastery with swords and dodging might be the right ticket; while defensive players may find Lire and her long-range ballistics to be the better pick. Those who successfully hide behind their pets will find Arme’s wide-area spells effective; while those who want to give their opponents the most decisive defeats will choose Ryan, with his heavy armors and great axes, but they’ll have to unlock him first. There are others and more being added regularly. While characters can be switched at any time, they are leveled separately.
Naturally, a good mix between the different classes will make for a stronger team where multiplayer is concerned. Grand Chase encourages teamwork over competition, even going so far as to reward more experience points to users who group-up. Teams of four can take on a stage together and divide the spoils evenly, or opt for a first-come-first-serve basis. In this way higher levels can help lowers without interfering with the drops.
Players don’t have to worry about fighting other users unless they want to. So, for the less cooperative, or who want bragging rights, the game offers a brilliantly executed PVP. Taking you from the slower-paced, room-scattered main quest, Chase’s PVP plays more like an all-out Smash Bros. round. The user can join or create a room, specify a desired level range and as soon as everyone is equipped and ready, it’s on! Grand Chase’s PVP is a ferocious, bombastic, anything-goes blast. Fighters can play on opposing teams of three, or go all out in survival mode. Either way, it’s easily the strongest entertainment you’ll find in the game. Players’ win-loss ratios are tracked at the end of the match, directly affecting their grade, and that’s something room hosts and players looking to meet keep an eye on.
"Grand Chase’s PVP is an all out, bombastic blast. "
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While there’s no real character generation, there is a healthy selection of equipment to deck out your preset protagonists with. From cute froggy hats to menacing spiky armors, there are many unique visual touches you can give your fighter. The more interesting customization though comes from accessorizing with necklaces and rings. These can directly affect the way you play by altering the likes of skill bar restore rates, timed health boosts or just specializing your stats even more. Specific sets of armor can be bought in pieces, but there’s a cool option to buy the whole outfit at once: a godsend for those players not wanting to fuss with outfitting. Finally, certain equipment can be enhanced by imbuing them with special rare crystals.
That said, while the items are certainly effective and look nice, I would have liked to see more than, on average, two sets per level range (usually one dark themed armor and one light; with no difference in stats between them). But, again, there’s more stuff being added all the time.
Characters also have a job circle they specialize in, and can advance in ranks by acquiring the sacred relic tied with a given promotion. A player even has the option to demote should they need the former job’s abilities. The job hierarchy increases the arsenal of combos, specials and spells at your disposal.
Grand Chase plays solid enough, but isn’t without its discrepancies. While it takes getting used to controlling a beat-em-up with the keyboard, the simplicity of the main attacks is what keeps the action streamlined... to the point that it occasionally feels repetitive. Slashing a room full of skeletons is fun enough; especially when they start having stat-boosting spells cast on them by nearby warlocks, but by the tenth room in, you feel like you’re just repeating the same tactics to survive, against the same, albeit ever tougher, monsters. This casualty is no stranger to most online games, but Chase is no exception. That’s why the game encourages teamwork, as mixing skills with other classes makes the fight more exciting, and it will ultimately be necessary at some point. And you always have that PVP button when you’re tired of questing, I can’t stress that enough.
Finally there are some platforming segments that usually end with your fighter at the bottom of an abyss, due to some awkward jump mechanics. They feel forced. Getting around normal levels’ platforms can be a lesson in patience, but when you’ve no choice but to cross an entire chasm based on this jump system, it can simply become a chore. I’ve lost all my lives this way midway through a dungeon. Though you may learn to compensate for the odd timing, it never feels quite right.
Holding down the attack button will execute a super, and it’s power changes based on how long you depress it. Hold and release to execute supers from tier one; hold it three times longer to activate tier three. The supers vary dynamically between characters; usually playing off of their already unique styles. Ryan can blaze into a flurry of strikes, while Arme can fill the entire screen with deadly meteor showers. Later you can switch between sets of supers on the go, allowing further strategy. My only gripe here would be the special sometimes interferes with normal attacks. Especially with Lire: Her manual-aiming capabilities are hit-or-miss since you have to hold down the special button to move her bow. All too often I would accidentally waste a super just because I was trying to aim her weapon. Supers can truly be a sight to see, and, when timed in conjunction with your pet’s strikes, can prove a very effective way to quickly down a boss.
"It’s hard not to recommend something that’s both free and fun."
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Pets can be bought from the store just like other items. Though they naturally gain experience alongside you, you’ll want to invest in skill books to reap their full rewards. Pet attacks offer just another layer of combo opportunities and defense, but I would have liked to see more selection. There is only a handful of base creature types available, even though, like Poke’mon, they can be evolved into different more deadly forms. Also, if you want a good one, you’re going to have to spend some cash to get it. But it’s your choice.
Choice... That word probably sums up best what Grand Chase stands for. The interface is totally open – all from a menu, the game rarely forces you into anything, there’s a handful of different ways to play and you don’t even have to pay if you so choose. Furthermore, it’s a very refreshing take on the MMO genre. The PVP at the very least warrants the price of admission – but... wait – what admission? It’s hard not to recommend something where the user won’t expect an exchange of good or service in return. So my simple question is this: what do you have to lose? You can join Grand Chase for free, you can play it for free, and it can be a lot of fun.
