Zorro The Chronicles | Xbox Review

Here’s a fun fact: the first Zorro adventure debuted all the way back in 1919. While it certainly isn’t the first swashbuckling action/adventure story written, its origins in pulp magazines became the precursor to what we consider to be the modern comic book superhero. In the century since his debut, the various adventures of Zorro have appeared in over 40 film features and serials, with the most famous starring Douglas Fairbanks and the most recent starring Antonio Banderas. There were also over ten television shows, dozens of radio dramas and comic strips. But amazingly, despite a hundred years worth of content, there have only been six video game adaptations. You’d think there would’ve been a tie-in game or two based on the Banderas films.

While these adaptations would often take various liberties with the source material, the general plot, settings and character backstories remain largely consistent. Developed by BKOM Studios, published by Nacom, and based on a short lived cartoon TV series, Zorro: The Chronicles heavily borrows and simplifies the mechanics of other critically acclaimed comic book games that’s sure to be enjoyed by both kids and kids-at-heart alike.

19th Century Fox

Here’s another fun fact: the word “zorro” is Spanish for “fox.” In the context of the overall lore, the name was given by the townspeople due to the character’s cunning and charm, like a fox. (Thanks, Wikipedia!) Zorro: The Chronicles takes place in the early 1800s in the Spanish territory of Alta California. More specifically a small seaside pueblo called, well… Los Angeles. You of course play as Zorro, the secret identity of Diego de la Vega, the son of the wealthiest landowner in the territory. But this time he’s not alone, fighting alongside him is Diego’s twin sister Ines, who also dons the title of Zorro. Together, they fight against the oppressive governor of Alta California.

In terms of an actual story, I’m sad to say there isn’t much of one and it’s the game’s biggest weakness. The plot I just described above is the generic template to the series as a whole. It completely relies on the player’s familiarity with Zorro, or to those who’ve watched the cartoon series this is based on. Apart from a brief description at the start of each level, there’s hardly any narrative being told here. The cutscenes are brief and are mostly seen at the end of a level, as it just shows the bad guy’s irritation of your handiwork. Oh, and there isn’t any spoken dialogue throughout the entire game.

I’m aware that pointing out a kids game lacking a rich narrative is a fool’s errand, but while playing this game I had no idea who’s who. I had to research the show to figure out that Ines was Zorro’s sister.

The Circle Is Now Complete

As I alluded to in the intro, the gameplay of Zorro: The Chronicles borrows heavily from other comic book games, specifically the Batman: Arkham series. Which is actually fitting since the character of Zorro heavily influenced Batman. Zorro: The Chronicles takes Arkham’s mechanics and simplifies them in a way that’s approachable for young kids, while also not being too rudimentary for experienced players. Combat is simplified to predominantly one attack button. There’s also a stun attack, a dodge roll, and a parry ability which is extremely forgiving in terms of timing.

The game has 18 levels in total, and you can choose to play as either Diego or Ines at the start of each. Other than one having more stamina and the other having more health, both Zorro’s are basically the same in how they handle combat. When starting a level, you can choose whether to start the stealthy way, or the combat way. The latter starts you in the middle of the action, and the former starts from a high vantage point. The tools at your disposal are Zorro’s signature rapier sword, a spyglass to mark enemies and objectives, and a bull whip which can be used to stun enemies or used as a grapple to get to high ledges.

Zorro Sum Game

The presentation of Zorro: The Chronicles follows in the footsteps of the TV show it’s based on. The graphics are cartoonish and reminiscent of mascot platformers from the early 2000s; they’re colorful and textured, but not highly detailed. Instead of gritty hard hitting violent action, it’s been replaced with humorous slapstick. Defeated enemies struggle to free themselves from hay bales, some will get knocked out with literal stars orbiting their heads, or they cower in fear after getting tagged with Zorro’s infamous “Z” marking. I did, however, have some problems with the camera controls. More often than not they’re slow to control and it’ll oftentimes collide with a wall or get stuck behind an object. When this happens, I can’t see my character which is most frustrating during combat, as it can make it hard to see enemies.

The sound design is also quite cartoonish, but it’s nothing to write home about. There’s the occasional slapstick sound effect, and I already mentioned the lack of spoken dialogue by the characters. The background music has that typical high energy you’d expect from an action western, intermixed with some Spanish Flamenco guitars. It fits the time period and the overall Zorro feel of it all.

The Curse of Capistrano

So to summarize, I actually truly enjoyed this game. Sure, it can be a little rough around the edges, but as far as indie games go, they did well despite the various restraints of indie development. For those of you who’ve played basically any stealth based adventure game in the past decade and a half, you will feel right at home. Zorro: The Chronicles has all the stealth trappings you’d expect from the genre. But again, it’s done in a way that’s simple and approachable for its target demographic, kids. I don’t know how the developers did it, but they simplified Batman: Arkham Asylum without sacrificing the quality of what made that series great. The graphics are by no means boundary pushing, but the cartoon antics actually got a chuckle or two out of me.

I still think it’s a bloody shame that there aren’t more Zorro video games on the market. With an IP as iconic and as old as Zorro, you’d think it’d be rife with game adaptations. But as it stands, Zorro: The Chronicles is a worthy addition to that small list. I had a fun time with it and if you’re looking for a fun adventure that won’t take you hundreds of hours to play, Zorro’s got your back!

This review is based on an Xbox copy of Zorro The Chronicles provided by HomeRun PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.