Parents' Guide to Massive Chalice

Massive Chalice turns the turn-based strategy formula on its head by drawing the actions out over the course of hundreds of years. Your heroes will live out their entire lives in the blink of an eye. Some will die on the battlefield, while others will simply succumb to the passage of time. It's the bloodlines of these heroes, though, and the game's handling of their legacies that bring a fresh change. By pairing up heroes with strong qualities, the hope is that their children and their children's children will inherit those traits to help in future battles. Even the weapons of heroes can be passed down throughout the ages, gaining a strength of their own as bloodline relics.

Massive Chalice is a gorgeous piece of art, with visuals that have an almost watercolor feel and an epic orchestral score. Gameplay can be deceptively overwhelming, though. At first, with only three main classes to differentiate your heroes' roles, things might seem fairly basic. But when you factor in the micromanagement of things such as traits and personalities, you'll soon realize there's a lot more to each hero than his or her class. Much like in real life, a trait might skip a generation, meaning you might be deep into the campaign before you realize a choice you made a few generations back has come back to haunt you. It can be a frustrating realization, but thankfully Massive Chalice has enough depth to keep you coming back for more.