As I sit obsessed with Vampire Survivors and Rogue Legacy 2, about to start up Hades, I thought, why not add another Rogue-like to my plate? I can’t get enough of this style of game, as the replay value is through the roof and the creativity is endless. So, I decided to give my attention to Chenso Club, a cute-looking Rogue-like from the minds of Pixadome who only have one other game to their name, Hayfever. So, does this young studio nail the concept?

The first thing that threw me off about Chenso Club is its disturbing contrast in presentation. The pixel aesthetic is awesome, and the comic presentation for its cutscenes is oozing with charisma. Unfortunately, the cute-looking enemies are gibbed so as their gore spreads all across the screen. I’m trying to wrap my head around why these two styles clashed, as it isn’t on-the-nose like Happy Tree Friends, but it is a mesh of two completely-different presentations. Either make the enemies gross-looking or remove the nasty-blood seeping from the adorable baddies.

Past Chenso Club‘s presentation, its gameplay leaves a lot to be desired as well. Starting off with Blue (the first playable character), you’re equipped with a simple hack-and-slash combo and two special moves with your secondary button. Beyond that, your attacks are quite limited unless you manage to get lucky enough to get to the shop where you can exchange some of your health for buffs, boomerangs, and other things I would have preferred to acquire in the middle of the stage progression instead.

As is the case with most Rogue-likes, Chenso Club has a tough-as-nails boss that you’ll have to dominate with fervor to progress. The problem is, for the very first boss, you’re locked into playing one character, and seeing some of the same screens along the way. While Chenso Club has difficulty levels, something unheard of in most Rogue-likes, this boss will have its way with you even on the easiest difficulty unless you’re fully equipped with the best gear you could have. Even then, hard-to-predict movements and huge damage output from the boss make it a frustrating point for those wanting to progress.

Where Rogue-likes flourish and keep gamers locked in is their ability to warrant “one more run,” and Chenso Club simply doesn’t have this aspect going for it. Struggling through its floaty controls and one-note combat garners no sense of reward to the player, giving them no reason to keep grinding away. The only thing that kept me going was the sleek style and the incredible soundtrack, shockingly not available for purchase as is the case with most indie games.

Chenso Club could be a hit with a friend in couch-co-op, though it is sorely missing an online option. Past that, with so many tight-controlling Rogue-likes on the market that give players a reason to come back, it’s hard to suggest Chenso Club to anyone that has several other options to sift through. If Chenso Club fine-tuned its presentation, loosened up its floaty nature, and flattened out its difficulty curve, it could be an easy recommendation, but at this time, is not.

A PS4 review copy of Chenso Club was provided by Curve Games for the purposes of this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Chenso Club

$14.99

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• Banging Soundtrack
• Neat Pixel Graphics

Cons

• Rough Controls
• Boring Combat
• Small Variety For A Roguelike