Chronos Before the Ashes | Review

Initial release date: December 1, 2020

Publisher: THQ Nordic

Series: Gunfire games’ Chronos

Engine: Unreal Engine 4

Developers: Gunfire Games, THQ Nordic

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows

Genres: Role-playing video game, Action game, Adventure game, Fighting game, Adventure

Presentation: After some mild customizing of the 18 year old hero protagonist and some combat gameplay as predicted this game has low budget “Souls” written all over it. It’s definitely trying to channel the DNA from games like Dark Souls just with a tiny budget and tons of jank.

Gameplay: Most of what I played was in a dungeon-like labyrinth setting. You have a sword and shield. You can block, parry, light and heavy attack as you slice through Krell. You can quickstep and roll but not jump. Enemies I encountered were called Krell with versions ranging from knife, shield and cannon.

Combat was easier than any Miyazaki game I played with save points and World Crystals aka bonfires scattered about. Combat is janky but kinda fun if that makes sense. I used my shield to block and parry but much like all of the combat in Chronos it felt janky as hell.

Sound/Atmosphere: No Music! What? After making ten gameplay videos of this game it dawned on me there was no actual music in this game. However the little ambient sounds like footsteps, combat, enemies, torches and rain somehow added a decent atmosphere into its gameplay.

Biggest Takeaway: For what seems like a small budget “Souls-Like” Chronos: Before the Ashes Is polished and kinda fun with janky gameplay. However I hated the fact their was no real music during my time. What I enjoyed was the simple exploration elements. Oh yeah there are NPCs and travel points in this game. Thanks for Reading – Jason