Just when the Justice League find some time to finally relax in Justice League Cosmic Chaos and enjoy themselves in Happy Harbour, that dastardly inter-dimensional prankster that can’t get enough of messing with Superman, Mister Mxyzptlk, shows up to turn ex-JL member Snapper Carr’s mayoral campaign into a farce. With their barbecue ruined and awful fish monsters overrunning Happy Harbour, and with Mxy as self-elected mayor, it’s up to the League to stop Mxy’s machinations and, essentially, turn that frowny day upside down.
Developed by PHL Collective, Justice League: Cosmic Chaos is a humorous, kid-friendly superhero dungeon crawler. Despite the cute, family-friendly, primary-coloured visuals, Justice League Cosmic Chaos manages to balance that deft line of being primarily aimed at tykes with a love for DC’s superheroes while still appealing to grown-ups who also love those same superheroes. It’s a win-win for both ends of the spectrum.
Justice League Cosmic Chaos takes a deep dive into DC Comics’ superhero history, featuring jokes and Easter Eggs from across the franchise’s rich and interesting history. From knowing who Snapper Carr is, to how Happy Harbour fits into the JL’s early does, to name drops for The Brave and The Bold, Justice League Cosmic Chaos is awash in DC legacy, making Easter egg hunts just another aspect of the game design to enjoy.
Viewed from an isometric perspective, Justice League Cosmic Chaos puts you in control of DC’s Trinity: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, with attack support provided by three other League Members. You can switch between heroes at the tap of a button and each one plays differently enough that you’ll probably find one hero to be your favourite. However, the game design makes certain that you will have to play with each character. There are differences in combos and special attacks between each character that makes them distinct in combat. Batman makes use of an arsenal of gadgets, Superman provide powerhouse attacks while Wonder Woman throws out faster combos and knockback attacks.
It’s not an in-depth system but it is an effective one. Keeping the fighting simplified lets the game fall into the pick-up-and-play category. Special attacks are unlocked as you level up and each one is also upgradeable with the damage they deal or whether or not they also provide elemental damage. Furthering character customisation, you can pick up character Relics such as Jay Allen’s Flash Hat or Vibe’s glasses for added effects. And if that isn’t enough for you, each character has extra costumes to unlock by picking up comics scattered across the world and in treasure chests. Booster Gold will gladly take those comics off your hands in exchange for those extra outfits.
Happy Harbours map is quite large and combines a range of environments. Coupled with the main campaign are side quests for you to discover, which are either full of Easter Eggs, character upgrades or relics as rewards. Optional dungeons also litter the game, usually introducing characters that require extensive knowledge of a certain League member’s history to know.
Justice League Cosmic Chaos also sports some great writing and fully voice-acted dialogue, featuring voice artists from across the franchise’s various animated incarnations. Our heroes’ personalities have also been slightly altered for the game, which is one area that I found to be hit or miss.
Superman is like a big kid who needs less sugar in his diet and even fewer awful puns in his repertoire, while Batman’s grumpiness is a standard for the character but his beef with Snapper Carr feels out of place. The voice acting is, overall, of a pretty high calibre and helps to sell the fun aspects of the game. Listening to Superman making laser noises while firing his Heat Burst special always brought a smile to my face.
Oddly though, Justice League Cosmic Chaos is, on its default setting, rather challenging for a game aimed primarily at kids. Boss fights tend to be quite difficult, especially with ads deployed at the same time. More than once I made it through a fight by the tatters of my cape, having to spam supers to take down the boss and the extra enemies. Thankfully there are a bunch of different difficulty settings to customise your experience with, but I would have expected the game’s default setting to be easier concerning the target market.
Visually Justice League Cosmic Chaos is a bright, cheery game, featuring a variety of primary coloured locations. The various settings, coupled with the viewpoint, give the game a very toy design look and feel that is incredibly charming. Whether you’re flying over the suburbs or visiting the shops along a boardwalk, Happy Harbour’s design is incredibly cute.
Justice League Cosmic Chaos also runs quite well on the Switch, though I did notice a dynamic resolution at play with a lack of anti-aliasing in heavier moments when there’s a lot happening on screen.
Justice League Cosmic Chaos’s light combat system and pick-up-and-play nature means you spend more time having fun than remembering move sets or ability shortcuts. Throw in the bright, cheery visuals and joke-filled story and Justice League Cosmic Chaos becomes a charming and fun dungeon crawler that will appeal to gamers and superhero fans of all ages.
Justice League Cosmic Chaos Trailer
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
Grab your copy here https://outrightgames.com/games/dcs-justice-league-cosmic-chaos/
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