Chain Breaker Review

Chain Breaker is an endless runner in which players can’t directly control their character at all. Instead they have to rely on manipulating the environment by breaking chains and dropping platforms to make sure the knight can continue unhindered on his quest of saving a magical cow. The game presents itself with a modest amount of charm, humor, and novelty to keep it interesting, but for some players it might feel a little shallow.

Chain Breaker‘s gameplay style depends heavily upon the gimmick of being unable to control the main character. As this character runs along on his own, platforms held up by chains, log supports, crates, and other items appear, all of which can be manipulated in some way. Early into any given run, most of this environmental manipulation manifests itself in the form of dropping platforms so that the knight may cross over a pit without falling into it. However, deeper into these runs players will contend with dragons, multiple pathways, crossing water on floating platforms, and more.

Probably the best thing about Chain Breaker, beyond its simple pick-up-and-play nature, is the way it combines elements of the environment so that things get more complex, more difficult, and more rewarding the further players make it on a single run. Unlike some other runners, Chain Breaker doesn’t simply increase the difficulty by making things come out – although that is certainly part of it as well.

As things get more and more difficult, players can also spend coins they’ve earned while playing on upgrades and items that can help them avoid damage, lengthen the duration of power-ups, and more. Some of Chain Breaker‘s unlocks are one-time-use items that will have to be purchased again after being used, and the in-game currency can be paid for using real money. Additionally, if players hit an obstacle that ends a run prematurely they can also use potions as continues, which are also available for purchase (but only with real money).

The real bummer here is that since every run of Chain Breaker starts players at the very beginning, it can grow tiresome having to run through those easy initial sections to get to the more difficult and satisfying section, regardless of how much players are willing to pay.

Overall, Chain Breaker is pretty fun as a casual distraction – particularly for runner fans – but it’s almost too inconvenient to play. Because it takes so long to get to the really cool bits every time it’s launched, impatient players should probably steer clear. That being said, there’s a promise of quests built into the game menus that make things seem a little more tolerable. Until then, I’d wait.