Chronicles of the Wolf | Switch Review

I missed out on Castlevania. I gave the original a try on the good ole NES, but it felt more difficult than enjoyable. As for Metroid, the concept of gear-gated progression just didn’t click with me. I was a Mario guy through and through. I preferred straightforward gameplay with no tricks, no backtracking, and no skill gates.

Fast forward to last year, when Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown became my Game of the Year. Between the fluid gameplay, satisfying platforming, and skill-based progression, I was hooked. It finally clicked, and I found myself lamenting all the “Metroidvania”-style games I had stubbornly skipped during my earlier gaming years.

So when the opportunity to review Chronicles of the Wolf came along, with its nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic and familiar genre stylings, I saw a chance to make up for lost time. What I found was a mix of satisfying progression, standout design elements, and frustratingly punishing combat. While my overall impressions lean positive, I definitely have some things to get off my chest. Let’s dive in.

Story Through Gameplay

In Chronicles of the Wolf, you step into the role of Mateo Lombardo, the last surviving apprentice of the secretive Rose Cross Order. Following the brutal massacre of your brethren, you embark on a harrowing quest to uncover the truth behind the legendary Beast of Gévaudan, a monstrous creature that stalks the French countryside. Set in the 18th century and steeped in historical myth and occult overtones, the story blends folklore with dark fantasy, inviting players to unravel secrets buried in blood-soaked ruins, cryptic texts, and haunted landscapes.

The narration in Chronicles of the Wolf is one of its brightest spots: well acted, mysterious, and delivered with a tone that fits the world beautifully. But as good as it is, it is also scarce. Long stretches of gameplay pass without any narrative touchstones. I fully admit that this might have been due to my lack of skill in playing this style of game. A player who breezes through bosses and enemies might find the story beats hitting at just the right momentum. For me, it made the game feel directionless. When I wasn’t dying repeatedly, I often found myself wandering for extended periods, unsure if I was making progress or simply circling dead ends.

However, when I did make progress, the story was compelling. I wanted to learn more about the villages affected by this violent beast, even if I was exhausted from the battle I had finally survived after trying for more than an hour.

Grit, Grind, and Gateways

Combat in Chronicles of the Wolf demands patience and adaptability. My initial instinct to melee everything led to a quick and punishing death. The game teaches you, harshly, that timing and understanding enemy movement are essential. Unfortunately, weapon aiming feels imprecise. Using the analog stick often didn’t register the direction I was trying to aim for, so I tried the D-pad instead. It was more successful, but a terror on my fingertips. Meanwhile, swapping between weapons is clunky. You need to pause the game, go to the Equip screen, select the weapon, and then hit “B” (or whatever your Back button is assigned to) three times to return to gameplay.

Boss battles are relentless. I did eventually adjust to each boss’s movements and timing. By the time I reached my twentieth (or higher) attempt against a boss, that hard-won victory on what felt like my hundred and first attempt felt phenomenal. It often resulted in access to a room or cave containing a new weapon or movement option in classic gear- or ability-gated style. At that point, I wanted to explore the entire map again and see what had been hiding in that out-of-reach area the whole time. It was deeply satisfying to finally get that win and even more rewarding to unlock the new areas.

The game offers no autosave, which caught me off guard at first. Saving and healing both rely on standing in front of special statues and pressing “up.” Imagine my dismay after not noticing that detail in the opening stage. I died on the first boss and had to replay the entire level three times before it finally clicked that the healing statue also acted as a save point, but only if you interacted with it manually. Once I figured that out, the experience improved until I hit another wall.

One of the most frustrating aspects is the poor placement of those save points. In some areas, you’ll walk a good distance from a statue only to get instantly slaughtered again and again. This isn’t just challenging, it is exhausting. Repeating that same stretch of landscape twenty times drains the excitement and replaces it with fatigue. I respect difficulty, but when the punishment is just time wasted walking back to die again, it starts to feel like the game is actively working against my enjoyment.

The map is large and interconnected, and the inclusion of warp gates is quite helpful, cutting down on some of the worst backtracking. But make no mistake, this game doesn’t hold your hand. With little to no guidance on where to go next, progression often felt like guesswork. I found myself manually taking notes just to remember locked paths or unreachable areas I needed to return to later.

Beautiful Sound and Graphics

Audio is a clear highlight here. The soundtrack is beautifully crafted, delivering mood and tension where the story leaves gaps. Environmental sound design helps sell the world, while narration (when it appears) is a welcome boost to immersion.

If you’ve ever played a classic Castlevania title, especially Symphony of the Night, the audio here will feel like a loving homage. The voice work is led by Robert Belgrade, who voiced Alucard. From the wonderful stage music to the sharp crescendos during boss fights, the soundtrack evokes that same gothic atmosphere that made Castlevania so unforgettable. It is not just good background music, it pulls you into the world.

The nostalgic pixel-art graphics create a cozy first impression. It is disarming in the best way. The visuals suggest a simple retro-inspired adventure, but they hide something much deeper and much more punishing. That dissonance between look and feel creates a clever kind of bait-and-switch, though some players might wish the game communicated its difficulty curve more transparently.

It is a deliberate trick: the visual language of the 16-bit era cues comfort, but what you get is anything but casual. This contrast is likely intentional, a nod to a time when games looked charming but demanded precision, patience, and grit. The developers seem to understand that challenge is part of the aesthetic. But for modern players, it might come across as jarring. It is smart design wrapped in retro skin. Just be ready for what lies beneath the pixels.

As previously mentioned, the game features a surprisingly large and interconnected map. This is a huge plus for Metroidvania fans. There is a clear effort in world-building, not just in the visual layers, but in how areas link back into each other through clever shortcuts, warp gates, and newly unlocked paths.

Final Verdict: Chronicles of the Wolf

Chronicles of the Wolf has been a journey. It started with curiosity, grew into challenge, flirted with mastery, and ended with burnout. I respect what the game sets out to do. Its reverence for the genre is clear, and its presentation is often fantastic. But I can’t ignore how much it wore me down. The extreme difficulty, the unclear progression, and the grueling repeat-death loops far from save points all took a toll. Still, there were moments of triumph, and I’m proud of the progress I made.

For all its flaws, I genuinely enjoyed large stretches of this game. When it clicked, it really clicked. I could feel the passion behind the design. From its soundtrack to its gothic world-building, there is something special lurking beneath the surface.

Metroidvania and gear-gated fans, take note: if you love old-school trial-and-error, exploration-driven progress, and don’t mind a bit of pain along the way, there is real treasure to be found here. Chronicles of the Wolf rewards tenacity, but it demands a lot in return.

To hear me talk more about Chronicles of the Wolf, be sure to listen to the June 18th, 2025 episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 58:16 time stamp.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Chronicles of the Wolf provided by PQube for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.