Chrono Ark

Item: Chrono Ark
Rating: 91
Author: VaporLens

Last updated: 2025-05-11

Summary

Unique characters and strategic combat system shine.
Excellent music, art, and designs create atmosphere.
Compelling story with a unique narrative.
Addictive, challenging, and rewarding gameplay loop.
Repetitive gameplay and lack of variety.
Long runs without saving can be frustrating.

Reviews (sample size): 2000
Helpful reviews: 75%
Unhelpful reviews: 24%
Protest reviews: 1%

91%
Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
9%
Helpful reviews with negative sentiment

Positive points: 3891
Negative points: 1662
Gameplay points: 750
Perf. points: 39
Rec. points: 968
Misc points: 179

Point	Description	Importance
Unique characters, strategic combat Description The game features unique, well-balanced characters with diverse abilities and synergies, encouraging experimentation with team compositions and builds. Bosses have unique mechanics that require strategic adaptation, and the game blends JRPG and roguelike elements effectively. Importance 96%	The game features unique, well-balanced characters with diverse abilities and synergies, encouraging experimentation with team compositions and builds. Bosses have unique mechanics that require strategic adaptation, and the game blends JRPG and roguelike elements effectively.	96%
Excellent music, art, and designs Description The game features a high-quality soundtrack with unique boss themes, anime-inspired visuals, and appealing character/enemy designs. The combat system is engaging, requiring strategic thinking, and the game offers high replay value due to character variety and unlockables. Importance 88%	The game features a high-quality soundtrack with unique boss themes, anime-inspired visuals, and appealing character/enemy designs. The combat system is engaging, requiring strategic thinking, and the game offers high replay value due to character variety and unlockables.	88%
Compelling story, unique narrative Description The game features a compelling story, which is unusual for the roguelike genre, with plot twists and well-developed characters. The story is integrated with the gameplay, and the time loop mechanic is used as a plot device. Importance 61%	The game features a compelling story, which is unusual for the roguelike genre, with plot twists and well-developed characters. The story is integrated with the gameplay, and the time loop mechanic is used as a plot device.	61%
Addictive, challenging, and rewarding Description The game is highly addictive and enjoyable, with a lot of content and depth. It is challenging but fun, requiring players to take risks and maneuver options for optimal plays. Importance 25%	The game is highly addictive and enjoyable, with a lot of content and depth. It is challenging but fun, requiring players to take risks and maneuver options for optimal plays.	25%
Meaningful choices, high replayability Description The game offers a lot of choices and player agency, with randomized maps and events, and hidden chests that provide synergy upgrades or rare items. The game features diverse playstyles, including standard damage, DoT, tanking, and healing, alongside unique playstyles. Importance 23%	The game offers a lot of choices and player agency, with randomized maps and events, and hidden chests that provide synergy upgrades or rare items. The game features diverse playstyles, including standard damage, DoT, tanking, and healing, alongside unique playstyles.	23%
Accessible, deep gameplay mechanics Description The game has a clean UI, interesting mechanics, and is easy to learn but hard to master. The difficulty is manageable, requiring strategic thinking, and the game is surprisingly well-balanced. Importance 22%	The game has a clean UI, interesting mechanics, and is easy to learn but hard to master. The difficulty is manageable, requiring strategic thinking, and the game is surprisingly well-balanced.	22%
Customizable difficulty, mod support Description The game features a wide range of difficulty modes and extensive mod support via the workshop. There are plenty of unlockable characters and items, and the game allows for creative unit combos. Importance 15%	The game features a wide range of difficulty modes and extensive mod support via the workshop. There are plenty of unlockable characters and items, and the game allows for creative unit combos.	15%
Deep, philosophical story themes Description The story explores unique and deeper philosophical topics, such as existentialism, the ends justifying the means, and egoism. The story is more interesting than expected, presented as a puzzle with different ending options. Importance 10%	The story explores unique and deeper philosophical topics, such as existentialism, the ends justifying the means, and egoism. The story is more interesting than expected, presented as a puzzle with different ending options.	10%
Similar to Slay the Spire Description The game is often compared to Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon, with some reviewers finding it to be superior. These comparisons are made to give context to the gameplay and mechanics. Importance 9%	The game is often compared to Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon, with some reviewers finding it to be superior. These comparisons are made to give context to the gameplay and mechanics.	9%
Enjoyable card game experience Description The card gameplay is enjoyable and the card designs are excellent. The game is highly recommended even for people who have never played card games before. Importance 7%	The card gameplay is enjoyable and the card designs are excellent. The game is highly recommended even for people who have never played card games before.	7%
Excellent, well-designed mechanics Description The game is very well done and has a lot of different mechanics that work very well together. The reviewer considers the game to be the best game in the world, especially with the release of the DLC. Importance 5%	The game is very well done and has a lot of different mechanics that work very well together. The reviewer considers the game to be the best game in the world, especially with the release of the DLC.	5%