Kowloon High-School Chronicle

Kowloon High-School Chronicle is a curious RPG that experiments with its format in many ways. Despite an unfair system of choices based on emotions, this is a unique work within the genre and worth checking out.

Kowloon High-School Chronicle is a very fun RPG filled with good ideas, that deserved to have its chance in the West after so long. It has memorable characters, addresses several interesting subjects about Japanese mythology and real-world mysteries, and has a very interesting first person dungeon crawler combat system. However, several of its mechanics are extremely dated and/or very punishing, causing several moments of frustration throughout a campaign that becomes extremely difficult to finish in the last steps due to a lot of activities that the player has to manage in a limited time that the game fails to explain how it is all connected and important for you to be able to beat the game.

Overall I found that Kowloon High School is a great combination of genres rolled up in a nostalgic Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider style package. Yes it might be a little dated looking, and it may be a little clunky and awkward here and there, but it has a real charm that just can't be denied. Everything from combat, to ruin exploration, to puzzle solving has that right feeling to it that kept me coming back for more. I seriously suggest picking this up if you are any sort of fan of dungeon crawlers or puzzle solving games with combat mechanics, because this was a really great adventure that felt exactly like that: an adventure.

Kowloon High-School Chronicle, a story about hunting for lost relics, is a relic in its own right. The comparisons to both older and modern Persona games are inevitable, but there is much more here under the surface. Kowloon High-School Chronicle is certainly a historical oddity, but its zany storytelling and confluence of disparate genres makes this trip back to high school worth it.

I can best recommend it to fans of gaming history or dungeon crawlers.

Kowloon High-School Chronicle is a hard game to recommend. It’s old in a way that makes it unpleasant at times, but the core concept is rock solid. Once you get past that initial wall of text, you’re in the clear. That being said, there are much better dungeon crawlers out there, and Kowloon is not good enough to recommend over them. What it has in spades, however, is a theme that is quirky, endearing, outlandish and totally unique. I would wait for a sale before you pick this up, and even then, only if you really appreciate Japanese-Indiana Jones-Anime-Horror-Comedies.

Kowloon High-School Chronicle is a really fun old-school dungeon crawler that fans of niche JRPGs will enjoy. I personally had a lot of fun with it and I really love how the game leans into the episodic anime presentation and vibe. I can definitely say that this game is a cult-classic in my opinion!