Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower Import Preview

PSP Interview

Check out this developer interview about Vampire Chronicle.

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Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower is Capcom's 2D PSP brawler that revives the company's sorely missed Vampire franchise in portable form. We got our first look at the impressive fighter at this year's Tokyo Game Show and have been anxiously awaiting its Japanese release. The game is a compilation of the three entries in the series that are based, in part, on the limited edition, online-enabled Dreamcast game released in August of 2000. However, before you think this is just a quick-and-dirty port to the PSP, know that Vampire Chronicle features an impressive amount of extra content and Wi-Fi functionality. We've been tearing through the recently released import and are pleased to report that the game does a stellar job of pulling double duty as both a fine showcase for the PSP and an excellent compilation of the underrated 10-year-old fighting series.

You'll find five modes to explore in Vampire Chronicle, some of which should be familiar, including arcade, network, and training, and some of which should not be familiar, including tower and chronicle. First and foremost is the arcade mode, which re-creates the experiences from the excellent arcade entries in the series. Given the game's archival slant, you'll be able to choose fighters from any installment in the series, such as Vampire, Vampire Hunters, and Vampire Saviour, as well as any follow-ups to the titles that featured gameplay tweaks and balancing. Network is the game's multiplayer option. However, unlike the previous home versions of the franchise, you won't have to get a second controller to let your friend join in. Instead, you'll just have to enable Wi-Fi on your PSP before engaging in some wireless "versus action."

The network battles come in two varieties, versus and limit battle. Versus is your standard one-on-one fight, while limit battle randomly assigns a handicap to both fighters, such as no kicking or no punching, that forces you to get creative on your quest to victory. As with the arcade mode, you and your opponent can choose from any fighter across any iteration of the game. Training lets you hone your skills, with the character of your choosing, against a customizable computer opponent.

In addition to the aforementioned modes, which are par for the course in a Capcom fighter, Vampire Chronicle features two original modes, tower and chronicle. Both are fantastic additions to the already compelling package. Tower is a survival-style mode that lets you pick three characters from the game's roster of 18 fighters. As with the arcade mode, you'll be able to pick your fighters from the various games in the series--including Vampire, Vampire Hunter, Vampire Hunter 2, and Vampire Saviour--depending on which game's handling you prefer. The team of three will represent the champions you take on a journey to the top of a mysterious tower. Your ascent through each of the floors will revolve around defeating the enemies you encounter in one-on-one battles. Your route to the top will change dynamically based on your performance, and to progress to the next floor, you'll have to defeat a set number of opponents.

Vampire Chronicle is the ultimate Vampire game.

To add to the challenge, the fighting and/or winning conditions will change. So, for example, you may have to defeat a foe with a supermove or be forced to fight with kicks only. How you handle these challenges determines which route you'll take to the top. If you manage to clear certain conditions, you may find yourself in some interesting battles that you wouldn't ordinarily engage in. If this all sounds pretty challenging, that's because it is. If one of your fighters is defeated, he or she is out of the competition for good, forcing you to both fight carefully and pick a good team. The stress of doing such a thing is reduced slightly by the fact that the fighters you aren't currently using will regenerate health over time. Still, don't plan on blowing through the mode anytime soon, because even if you do manage to get to the top, odds are there are a few floors with alternate routes that you've missed.