Chain of Command is another shining example of "good idea, mediocre execution." Show of hands: who here likes Super Castlevania 4? Everyone? That's what I thought. Remember being able to make the whip go limp and flop it around all over the place? Wasn't that fun? Didn't you wish that part of the game was more effective? Well fear not, citizens: Chain of Command makes the flippy-floppy whip controls the center of the game. The only problem is that the whip is still about as effective as it was in Super Castlevania 4.
The biggest problem with this game by far is the hit detection. Other than that (and the sound direction, which I'll get to in a bit), this game is literally perfectly designed. Alas, the hit detection is so dreadful that the game is almost unenjoyable. The problem is that the whip has to be going a certain speed in order for it to do any damage to the zombies. That would be fine if the aforementioned speed wasn't so arbitrary. When I swing at a zombie, I have no idea whether I'm going to hit them or not. If the enemies behaved the way they did in Super Castlevania 4 and froze for a moment when hit with the whip, this game would actually be one of, if not my favorite, game on this list so far.
I have to talk about the sound for a bit. The music is kind of messy, but its an organic kind of "hey, at least they tried" messy. I can let it slide. What really grinds my gears is the chain sound effect. It's so loud! Any playtester should have picked up on that in the first moments of playing.
well anyway, aside from that this game is amazing. I love how the whip controls. You move your mouse to control your characters' arms, which in turn moves the whip around. It actually makes you feel like you're whipping zombies. I love the way movement feels, too. I swear, if the hit detection was better, this would be a contender for the best feeling sidescroller I've ever played. The game feel is that good.
Actually, now that I think about it, the level design could be better. I just didn't really notice because I was having too much fun killing zombies. Plus, there's really not much you can do with the levels given the control scheme.
This solid game gets my seal of approval, but with a little demerit on it for faulty hit detection. If you clean up your act, Chain of Command, you have a bright future ahead of you. As it stands, though, you're just another fun romp through zombieland.
Links
So close yet so far: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1417
