Millennium 2 - Take Me Higher
Millennium 2 - Take Me Higher
Game
Game2015
MASSIVE CHALICE
Developer Double Fine Productions
Massive Chalice is a turn-based tactics video game for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and Xbox One by Double Fine Productions, which was funded through Kickstarter. The project leader of the game was Brad Muir, who previously led the development of Iron Brigade. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
215 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Oct 24, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
77
LovedLoved
144 positive · 44 negative
95% range 70–82%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 144 | 44 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 14 | 1 | 11 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
1,133 of 1,575 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
77% recommend · 144 yes, 44 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 188 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (1,388 of 1,912 positive).
Players praise the unique bloodline and aging mechanics that make losing characters survivable and necessary. [1][2][3] Some find the game flawed, shallow, or unpolished but still enjoyable. [4][5][6] Several reviewers criticize the repetitive combat, limited classes, and tedious replacement of characters. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
The game I hate most in my Steam library, unfortunately. I Kickstarted this game in 2013 and followed the updates for years until release, I played the test demo, I played the final product, and after years of development and over a million dollars raised... it just sucks. Double Fine professed such high ambitions for this game, and the game they promised could have been something cool and original. Unfortunately, …
- [1]
Honestly, even years after having beat this game, it is still unique enough that I refer to it in game design talks. I feel it took most of what made X-COM Enemy Unknown great and fixed its one of its major shortfalls that it shares with the rest of the genre. In most games like this, if you lose a character (which you crafted and grew) you'd feel the need to reset and try again. If you didn't, your save was …
- [3]
Massive Chalice is such an underrated gem. The bloodline and aging mechanics are unique to the strategy genre and made the game stand out for me. Having one generation of heroes only as caberjacks with the reveler personality trait was hilarious and I love that the game could create such fun random moments like that. It's also not a long playthrough for a first run (I beat the game in less than 20 hours on normal …
- [2]
I played Massive Chalice close to when it first came out and then replayed it a few years ago. It's a solid strategy game with a balanced team dynamic. The most interesting part is probably the bloodline and the aging of characters. I still haven't seen anything quite like it to this day.
- [4]
a flawed, shallow, unpolished game that I love very very much.
Summarised from 34 of the 215 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked MASSIVE CHALICE talk about unique bloodline and aging mechanics; those who didn't talk about repetitive combat with only three classes. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Massive Chalice received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Destructoid gave the game a six out of ten, calling nation management "simple and sterile" while writing, "Massive Chalice is both beautiful and approachable, somewhat rare qualities in the genre...By mid-game, what was novel and enticing becomes a slog". Game Informer called the title "rough around the edges, but hard to put down", criticizing its graphics, lack of attention to detail, user interface, and lackluster soundtrack, while praising its compelling gameplay. Eurogamer recommending the game, writing, " your enjoyment of Massive Chalice will depend largely on your willingness to meet its…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 215 · most liked firstHappy 10th birthday to Massive Chalice!!! Just in case you waited ten years to play it, did you know it's up on Game Pass? Still fun, still massive!
positive · AI labelView post →112) Massive Chalice. An excellent hook - your heroes in a squad-based fantasy combat game age and die, and you have to marry them off to each other to have offspring to continue their work - let down by a mostly very average set of procedurally generated missions.
neutral · AI labelView post →Honestly, even years after having beat this game, it is still unique enough that I refer to it in game design talks. I feel it took most of what made X-COM Enemy Unknown great and fixed its one of its major shortfalls that it shares with the rest of the genre. In most games like this, if you lose a character (which you crafted and grew) you'd feel the need to reset and try again. If you didn't, your save was basically ruined. In this, not only is losing characters survivable, it is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game I hate most in my Steam library, unfortunately. I Kickstarted this game in 2013 and followed the updates for years until release, I played the test demo, I played the final product, and after years of development and over a million dollars raised... it just sucks. Double Fine professed such high ambitions for this game, and the game they promised could have been something cool and original. Unfortunately, what they ultimately produced is the dullest, most cliche, cheap-feeling, and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I started off really liking Massive Chalice but slowly lost the appeal. It's turnbased combat with continuing a lineage of different kingdoms, which sounds cool as hell! But the truth is the combat is fine but there are only three classes with each having 3 or 4 sub classes. Which is fine, but it's not enough to keep it interesting. And building a lineage is interesting at first. But after the first third of the game all you'll be doing is getting pop ups after pop ups about someone died. So…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played Massive Chalice close to when it first came out and then replayed it a few years ago. It's a solid strategy game with a balanced team dynamic. The most interesting part is probably the bloodline and the aging of characters. I still haven't seen anything quite like it to this day.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun for one playthrough. Unfortunately, the inability to design or customize bloodlines and heroes ruins a lot of it. Especially when you consider that the feature was deliberately NOT included in order to encourage pre-release purchases/donations. As it is, you'll often find yourself stuck with some of the stupidest battle cries ever, just because some edgelord online thought it was cool. And get used to it, because you'll be seeing the same thing through the WHOLE GAME, if you randomly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a flawed, shallow, unpolished game that I love very very much.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's just too much shooting you in the foot at every turn. Terrible (as in they affect your kingdom in negative ways) random events that you can't affect meaningfully, hero attrition from every enemy trying to ruin your day (be it by blowing up in your face, doing awful AoEs or deleting your hero's EXP), low birth rates, enemy encounter difficulty climbing way too fast, negative quirk overload, the list just goes on. I really struggle to see how this is supposed to be enjoyable except for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR: Buy it on sale. So much wasted potential! I've spent a lot of hours on this game, partially because the fights take forever and partially because I really enjoy the concept and some of the bloodline mechanics. I've made it through brutal difficulty, which is a real challenge. But in the end the game feels like an early access release. There is so much more fleshing out that could be done to the world, so many more interesting traits and bloodlines that could be added. Most of the random…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I miss this game. so much potential
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →KAMGUSTA's mini Review I'll keep it short: it's a simplified XCOM clone in a fantasy / medieval world with a twist, you can mate crew members to produce new members, somewhat merging the parents' abilities. Sounds interesting? The harsh truth is that is not fun. The gameplay is under par, waiting for (the few) things to complete / evolve is boring and there is a costant sense of randominess in everything you do. Did I mention you'll always fight the same enemies in the same maps? There are way…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game takes place over the span of 300 years. Every time an important person dies, you have to replace them. Over and over and over again. It's not a fast process, and it gets extremely tedious after the 150 year mark. It's slow. This game looks neat, has a unique story; but holy crap was it executed in the worst way. There's no way to speed up animations, and the most frustrating parts of the game play involve waiting to click on a new person to fill a seat over and over and over again.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I keep coming back to this game for the challenge it presents. It's not that there are very complicated mechanics, the odds are just stacked against you in such a way that it's nearly a guaranteed loss at the highest difficulty. So being that it's an apocalyptic setting, it not only is difficult, but every step you take is a gamble on another day to come or death to the whole civilization you were building. You can feel the impending doom.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My niece threw an explosive flask at my head and ended our bloodline.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's basically XCOM in a different setting but very lackluster. I can only describe this game as a pizza with no toppings, it has the foundation of the genre but nothing else. It feels like it is still in early-access, I'd say that it has a lot of potential but it has had no updates for a decade.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Massive Chalice is such an underrated gem. The bloodline and aging mechanics are unique to the strategy genre and made the game stand out for me. Having one generation of heroes only as caberjacks with the reveler personality trait was hilarious and I love that the game could create such fun random moments like that. It's also not a long playthrough for a first run (I beat the game in less than 20 hours on normal with only 3 reloaded saves). Highly recommend it if you like turn based strategy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Slow, repetitive and unfair even on Easy mode.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Summary : the game is fun and relatively addictive. It takes about 15h to beat. 8-8.5/10 Type of game : the gameplay is similar to Fire Emblem games + a management/survival game. You choose what building to build on what region and then you appoint Kings and Queens to make children (your future fighters/heroes ). You also get to choose different types of upgrades and random events occur where you must make choices. There are a few pretty cool items/weapons and abilities that you can choose.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played through this game myriad times, using all difficulty settings, all themes, randomized beginning families, chosen beginning families, all save options, balanced start classes, random start classes... and damn, after 636 hours, I'm still not bored because every playthrough is unique. I wish that Double Fine would make a part 2, but, from what I've read, that will never happen. Which sucks alot, because a sequel could be simply amazing. Improvements, imo, would have to be: create…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a hard game to review. Parts of it really clicked with me, yet there are aspects that are really grating and after finishing the game once, on normal difficulty I might add, I really have no real wish to go back to it for another go.. So let's dive into what in the end will be a weak recommendation based on the following facts. The game takes place in a kingdom on the brink of disaster where a bunch of noble houses are battling an unrelenting scourge known simply as the Cadance. As a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me tell you the story of Bear of The Legend who was a Chalice-attuned hero discovered at the age of 18. He fought his first battle a few months after being recruited and witnessed the death of three of the most seasoned heroes in the realm, including his 81 year old "young at heart" idol who sacrificed himself to save him and her vanguard companion from a Rupture explosion. This battle marked the start of the real legend of Bear, the vanguards natural leader who survived a Twitcher's hit,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9 new games coming to Xbox Game Pass Essential • Blinx: The Time Sweeper • Jetpac Refuelled • Perfect Dark Zero • Kameo: Elements of Power • Stacking • Iron Brigade • Massive Chalice • Neon Abyss • Max: The Curse of Brotherhood via: True Achievements www.trueachievements.com/news/xbox-ga...
neutral · AI labelView post →Simple, too vague in parts and could use QoL changes and additions, but solid XCOM+CK game I always need more of. It's been 11 years, make more, thanks.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Massive Chalice is a rare kind of strategy game—one that thinks in centuries rather than seasons—and that long-view design philosophy defines nearly every system Double Fine Productions built into it. Set in a fantasy kingdom slowly being consumed by an encroaching supernatural force known as the Cadence, the premise places you not just as a battlefield commander, but as an immortal ruler responsible for safeguarding the realm over 300 years. The titular Massive Chalice, a sentient artifact…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A pretty good eugenics simulator, I regret nothing. After spending a couple of hundred years selectively breeding exclusively for highest fertility, much to my delight I saw my very own nation of Idiocracy forming. TLDR : Go away, batin !
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unpolished gem is still a gem
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rebooted this old game, it's still so fantastic in its game loop. Wish somebody went out to create Massive Chalice 2.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would suggest this game only with a major warning: It's a save scum game. There is no way to just straight win without scumming. Well maybe on normal difficulty it might be doable. I will attempt that next for the iron achievement. Iron on Brutal would be an exercise in futility. Its an okayish xcom type game. I actually got sucked into it's unique family system spanning 300 years. Managing traits, bloodlines, experience gains from one generation to the next as well as leveling your relic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As I played this game my thoughts towards it kept changing, so allow me to break down my experience into quarters. The first quarter of this game is average. Nothing amazing, but still fun enough. It's confusing how exactly I should assign everything and what the smaller details have to do in the bigger picture. The second quarter I decided that the smaller details don't really matter. I'm ignoring stats and choosing the first option in each list of heroes to assign to different roles. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an okay game, the mechanics are just not fleshed out enough for it to be that enjoyable though. I'd play other tactical RPG's before picking this up.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am a super casual gamer. I can't fully articulate why, but: I. Love. This. Game. The battle system is standard, but its characters unique. The story is minimal, but gripping. The art seems simple, but it's gorgeous and distinctive. The soundtrack is fantastic and immersive. This game has a story hook with mechanics that have me playing again and again. I've only ever played one other game that has made me want to write fan-fiction set in its universe... but with every random event that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a huge strategy fan, I have to say that this is in my top 10 all-time favourite games. The turn-based battles ramp up at the perfect pace, and the heroic types and subtypes are fun to mess around with and find which you like best. The Bloodline mechanic is both simple and detailed at the same time with tons of traits to breed in and out, and watching the lives of your Heroes and the progression of Relics really attaches you to the characters you're nurturing. My only real disappointment with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a great game. Nothing amazing or spectacular, but it is unlike any I've ever played and that's why I keep coming back to it. The turn based strategy mingled with the overarching generational improvement is the perfect balance for me. I never feel fully in control (except for the battles), I often just make the best with what I've got. Bad choices or bad luck lead to some desperate moments and many restarts. It's also full of some funny, weird, and cool things (some with massive benefits).…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the most underrated XCOM-style tactical roguelike I have ever found, and it deeeply saddens me that there has never been a sequel, DLC, nor even a modding community. The game has a great sense of whimsical humour, and a very fun gameplay loop.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think this game is a blast. Clever mechanics, gorgeous artwork. Would love to see more in this space
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty fun, felt kinda sad when the story ended. I don't think I'll be doing a second run anytime soon, but I greatly in enjoyed the one I did and wish there was a longer version of the story, game and something more in depths.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, let me say that the game play of Massive Chalice is really fun. I like the X-com-esque style of strategy game, creating family trees of strong heroes was very enjoyable to me. This game is by no means bad and someone else might really enjoy it! I, unfortunately, could not stand the narrators. I found them long-winded, plain, and having a very "standard adventure story" humor. Nothing particularly inspired or interesting with what they say. They over-explain things that I'd already figured…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Couldn't get any of them but I think I deserve a Steam key for having just recommended Massive Chalice as a game more people should play bsky.app/profile/tuba...
positive · AI labelView post →I personally found this game frustratingly challenging. Not challenging in a "huh thats cool" kinda way but in a "i think i'm not gonna play this anymore" kinda way. The movement speed is oppressively slow, the number of unique troop traits is a little too large, enemies can easily decimate you out of nowhere as early as level 2, the event decisions feel universally punishing with no chance for good outcomes, and no indicator good outcomes are even possible. I gave it a solid 2 hours, realized…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My recovery is coming along, I’ve been playing the game Massive Chalice (on gamepass). I’m very entertained, gameplay can be slow or fast as you want. Ofc I do spend a lot of time trying to matchmake my heroes. I literally just have the ladies as the head of the keep 👸🏼
positive · AI labelView post →Similar to xcom, but you command dynasties. Your soldiers age, must retire and produce offspring to become your new soldiers, mixing traits from their parents. Game mechanics play well of each other
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Massive Chalice isnt like a stupendous turn based tactical game but it's not bad. Different mix of factors to juggle than most games, which is neat. Only tactical game from Double Fine, which is kinda cool. On sale for $8. store.steampowered.com/app/246110/M...
neutral · AI labelView post →Who else remembers Massive Chalice? That was a fun game, you could save the world with a bloodline of anemic nearsighted coward heroes if you played it wrong
positive · AI labelView post →A great little thing of a game. It has X-COM's turn-based grid-combat but simplified. The combat works fine and is a lot of fun. For me, the core of the game is the century-spanning "Realm-Management". You build keeps that house your bloodlines which produce new heroes. In contrast to X-COM your Heroes will not be present for the whole game, since humans only live so long. That means you might be fighting a battle with one of your heroes but in the next he will be dead and you might have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The top review as of this posting put what I feel into a sentence: After about 100 years, it all becomes repetitive. But it takes some time and tactics to get through the first 100 years which is quite fun. The basic premise of the game is it's a squad-based tactics game in the same vein as X-COM, but instead you're in a fantasy universe. The other part that makes it unique is you're an immortal being overwatching a kingdom as people are born and grow up into their various roles and die, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →excellent fagame. hoped for expansions.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a hard recommendation. While the game is mechanically solid, you are technically breeding people. Other than that, solid game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Massive Chalice is an incredibly fun and engaging turn-based strategy game that offers a unique and refreshing approach to the genre. The game's premise is simple: you play as an immortal ruler of a medieval kingdom, tasked with defending your lands against invading enemies and ensuring that your dynasty endures across generations. One of the most impressive aspects of Massive Chalice is its deep and complex gameplay mechanics. With a variety of different unit types, each with their own…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sound the Horn of Reviewing! *Horn sounds* A fun, lightweight strategy game that borrows a lot from XCOM. Very much an "easy to learn, difficult to master" kind of game where a casual player can breeze through the game while only interacting with the bloodline mechanics as needed, while an advanced player derives replayability from the same mechanics' considerable depth. The story is mostly there as a framing device, but the writing is, as per Double Fine standards, both compelling and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars received: 3.6/10 _ Note: v.5 [0.0 to 1] = personal impressions [0.6] Controls & Training & Help [0.4] Menu & Settings [0.3] Sound & Music [0.5] Graphics [0.4] Game Design [0.5] Game Story [0.4] Game Content [0.3] Completion time (level/game)? [0.2] is it Enjoyable & Fun? Could it hold a spot in Favorites? (& if the Game can be repeatedly played again) BONUS point: Multi-Player related BONUS point: Review for VR - if Registration is required with providing PII Game description…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Massive Chalice is a very strange and unique game. The game mixes the basic strategic elements of a 4x with the combat mechanics of the XCOM series (the most recent ones). The game also features a compelling plot and an interesting apocalyptic setting. Essentially, you are an inmortal emperor who has to save the civilization from the invasion of some strange plague creatures that are eating up the entire world. This being said, this game isn't for everyone. You may end up with an unwinable…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its good... but it hurts... one wrong move can take a 10hr+ run and make it a fruitless run... but you brush yourself off... and try again...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this game been coming back to it for years, the themes the gameplay and the difficulty.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Double Fine games are generally not known for difficulty, other than an occasional spike in late-stage missions. In contrast, in Massive Chalice early choices determine how difficult the later game will become. I have yet to finish a successful campaign, but enjoy the process of getting closer each time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Underrated game. Should be "very positive".
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →original backer to this dogwater product.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When i miss 5x 80% chance attacks in a row game is absolute trash no point playing any more
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →good game but needs updates, as well as modding
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Give it a try if you like XCOM but want fantasy instead. It also has bloodline gameplay like Crusader Kings, except it's not yours; you're just the matchmaker. Very good game and scratched that XCOM itch for me 👍🏻
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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