Chaos Rings
Mobile role-playing series with consistent gameplay and critical acclaim.
Chaos Rings is a role-playing video game series developed by Media.Vision and published by Square Enix, primarily released on mobile platforms. The eponymous first game was released for iOS in 2010 and later ported to Android, Windows Phone, PlayStation Mobile, and PlayStation Vita. The series comprises four titles, each using the same gameplay base, and has received positive reception, with one million downloads worldwide as of 2015.
- developer
- Media.Vision
- publisher
- Square Enix
- first_release
- 2010 (iOS)
- platforms
- iOS, Android, Windows Phone, PlayStation Mobile, PlayStation Vita
- number_of_titles
- 4
- creator
- Takehiro Ando
- composer
- Noriyasu Agematsu
Lore & Background
The Chaos Rings series was created by Takehiro Ando as a traditional role-playing game built within the constraints of mobile environments. The first game, Chaos Rings, follows five couples in a tournament called the Ark Arena, where the prize is immortality. It was released exclusively for iOS in April 2010, with voice acting added in 2011. A manga adaptation by Yukinori Kitajima was released in two volumes in 2012. The series expanded with Chaos Rings Omega, a prequel set 10,000 years earlier, and Chaos Rings II, which follows mercenary Darwin as he is chosen by the Creator to decide who must die to preserve the world. Chaos Rings III, the final entry, shifts to a lighter tone and follows Nasca on a quest to reach the planet Marble Blue.
Reader's Guide
The Chaos Rings series is significant as one of the more successful mobile role-playing series, achieving one million downloads worldwide by 2015. Its consistent gameplay—featuring 3D environments, touch controls, a break gauge combat system, and gene-based magic—helped define mobile RPG standards. The series garnered critical acclaim, with Metacritic scores ranging from 79/100 to 92/100. However, distribution of the first three games was ended on Google Play and Apple's App Store as of May 31, 2016, leaving Chaos Rings III as the only title available. The series' legacy includes its adaptation into manga and a cancelled multiplayer social game, Chaos Rings Sigma. Its technical challenges in incorporating 3D models on mobile devices were overcome by Media.Vision, and the series' music was composed by Noriyasu Agematsu throughout.
Did You Know?
- The original Chaos Rings generated 200,000 downloads worldwide within a year of its release.
- A multiplayer social game, Chaos Rings Sigma, was cancelled in 2015 for unspecified reasons.
- Chaos Rings III contained a bug that crashed the game during a certain boss event, fixed with a patch in February 2016.
- The series' music was handled throughout by Noriyasu Agematsu of Elements Garden.
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