Review: Getting Old With CHRONOS: BEFORE THE ASHES
Any good action-RPG requires a number of core elements; entertaining action, engaging story plots, and fulfilling progression. Chronos: Before the Ashes does a number of those things, but not well enough to make it stand above other games. While its mysteries and overall atmosphere create an engaging world to discover, the actual RPG elements are lackluster and the puzzles feel like a big game of hiding and seek instead of genuine challenges.
This game looks and feels really great. The simple design and tone create a sense of wonder and depth. The different areas that you visit, cool monster design, and minimalist audio bring players into the world initially. However, the areas start to become stale and quite confusing because they look so much alike. The game feels both fresh and overplayed at the same time. Its unique aesthetic is quite pleasing at first, but the core gameplay ultimately boils down to very similar action RPG’s that we’ve played over the last 10 years.
The puzzles in this game are tedious at best. They are almost all based around finding an object in a room behind a bunch of enemies and then backtracking with that object to a door or mechanic to lead you into a new area where you do the exact same thing. Yes, some puzzles can be more interesting and require much more brainpower, but I found it to be mostly like a slog to go back-and-forth through various rooms looking for any small shiny object to use for the next puzzle.
As I mentioned above, the combat is mostly easy and can feel almost too simple, especially for those who are used to Souls-like games. However, it also feels unfairly brutal when your character is staggered and the enemy will continue to hit you, enemies will do an odd/glitched move or the perry doesn’t connect as it normally does result in the player dying. And oddly the enemies are extremely easy but are sometimes awkwardly extremely punishing. As for the weapons and magic, I wish there were a lot more tools for destruction. More weapons, unique weapon upgrades or choices, and the magic felt more impactful could have gone a long way. Gaining magic that makes you stronger and faster for ten seconds, and it being the only type of magic for a while, isn’t that exciting or interesting.
One of the best parts of this game is its age mechanic. As a character dies, they take a year to heal, and certain stats are limited as characters get older. This is a great idea to force players to make every moment of their gameplay count because their deaths limit them to some degree. However, dying doesn’t feel as consequential as maybe it should, because as you age you do unlock extremely powerful perks and upgrades. To be honest, if I played it again, I would have just killed my character a few times in order to unlock a specific perk to make my playthrough much easier. I think that better balancing in this is needed. Also, if a player does finish the game and not die very often, they could easily go through most of the game not experiencing the more unique perks and upgrades that are only unlocked at an older age. This means that players are more or less rewarded for dying more often.
Chronos: Before the Ashes’ story and atmosphere can give players a good reason to play through its short campaign, but the actual moment to moment gameplay is not super engaging or intriguing at all. There are a plethora of other games that do what this game does, but better. If you’re itching for something to do for the next couple of days or week, have some extra cash, and love Souls style games, then this is a fine experience. Otherwise, it is not something you should worry about missing.
