Info about Chronos: Before the Ashes:

Official game description:
Chronos: Before the Ashes is an atmospheric RPG that chronicles a hero’s lifelong quest to save their homeland from a great evil. Grow wiser, stronger and more powerful as you explore the depths of the mysterious labyrinth. But beware, the labyrinth takes a heavy toll – each time your hero dies, they lose a year of their life!  
Adventure RPG - Refreshing combination of Adventure Game elements and RPG mechanics.  
Deep Combat – A variety of weapons, abilities and powers are available to the player in the pursuit of their quest.  
Unique Aging Mechanic – Every time the player dies they age one year. Players must adapt to their advancing age as they progress their character; starting the game young, nimble and quick, and ending wise and more attuned to magic.

Release date: 1 Dec, 2020

Categories: RPG, Single-player Story, Action RPG, Exploration, Real-time Combat, Puzzle Solving, Soulslike Combat, Character Progression


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Appealing and consistent visual design (weight 0.9): The game boasts a visually appealing aesthetic with detailed environments, impressive lighting, and a consistent art style. The graphics are often described as beautiful and fitting for the game's fairytale-ish narrative.
- Enjoyable and entertaining experience (weight 0.86): The game is generally enjoyable, fun, and addictive, providing a concise and entertaining experience. Reviewers appreciated its charm, interesting ideas, and moments where it shines, making it a worthwhile way to spend time.
- Well-designed, rewarding puzzle integration (weight 0.86): The game features well-designed and rewarding puzzles that require critical thinking and observation. These puzzles are integrated into the environment, offering a refreshing change of pace and a sense of accomplishment when solved.
- Balanced and accessible gameplay (weight 0.84): The game offers a balanced and accessible experience with manageable difficulty, fluid gameplay, and intuitive mechanics. It provides a fair challenge without being overly punishing, making it easy for players to get into and enjoy.
- Varied realms, unique boss mechanics (weight 0.77): The game includes varied realms with distinct visual styles and interesting bosses with unique attack patterns. Bosses have exploitable weaknesses, rewarding strategic play.
- Good story with captivating plot (weight 0.76): The game features a good and interesting story with a captivating plot and atmosphere. The narrative requires piecing things together, adding depth to the experience.
- Good soundtrack enhances atmosphere (weight 0.75): The game features a good soundtrack and sound design that complements the atmosphere and enhances the overall experience. The music is well-harmonized and adds to the immersion.
- Expands Remnant universe lore (weight 0.46): The game expands upon the lore of the Remnant universe, providing backstory and context to the events of Remnant: From the Ashes and Remnant II. It offers a unique perspective and fills in gaps for fans of the series.
- Unique aging mechanic impacts gameplay (weight 0.31): The game features a unique aging mechanic where the character ages upon death, gaining perks and changing stats. This system adds strategic depth to combat and character progression, influencing playstyle as the character grows older.
- Soulslike elements, forgiving combat (weight 0.14): The game incorporates Souls-like elements with challenging combat, environmental storytelling, and interconnected environments. However, the combat is often described as more forgiving and responsive than other Souls-like games.
- Varied, upgradeable weapons/shields (weight 0.11): The game features a variety of weapons and shields that can be upgraded, allowing players to customize their combat style. Upgrades are impactful, and switching between weapons can be fun due to their distinct characteristics.
- Satisfying perfect dodge mechanic (weight 0.05): The "perfect dodge" mechanic is a standout feature that can be satisfying to pull off multiple times in a row. Unlocking a power that boosts the first attack after a perfect dodge adds depth to combat. Investing 60 points into the skill stat grants a significant amount of invincibility frames during dodges.
- Nostalgic, retro gameplay experience (weight 0.05): The game provides a nostalgic, retro gameplay experience reminiscent of early 2000s games. Completing the game on Heroic difficulty and getting all achievements provides a satisfying old-school experience.

Common complaints:
- Clunky, slow, unresponsive combat (weight 0.87): The combat system is frequently described as clunky, slow, and unresponsive, with issues in controls, hitboxes, and enemy reactions. Many reviewers found the combat frustrating and unsatisfying, citing poor lock-on, limited weapon variety, and exploitable mechanics.
- Inferior to Souls/Remnant games (weight 0.35): The game is often compared unfavorably to other Soulslike games and the Remnant series, with reviewers noting its simplicity, lack of depth, and clunky combat compared to these titles. Some felt it didn't live up to the Soulslike label or the standards set by Remnant: From the Ashes.
- Unobtainable achievements due to bugs (weight 0.18): Several achievements are unobtainable due to unimplemented features or bugs, preventing players from achieving 100% completion. This issue has persisted since the game's release, frustrating completionists.
- Limited character customization/progression (weight 0.17): The game offers very limited options for character customization and progression, with few choices beyond gender selection and a lack of meaningful impact on gameplay. Reviewers expressed disappointment with the superficial character building system and limited weapon variety.
- Aging mechanic is ineffective gimmick (weight 0.14): The aging mechanic, where the character ages with each death, is considered a gimmick that doesn't significantly impact gameplay. Reviewers found the stat changes and abilities gained through aging to be minor and largely ineffective.
- Slow, vulnerable healing mechanic (weight 0.13): The healing mechanic is slow and leaves the player vulnerable, often leading to interruptions and death. The lengthy animation and inability to cancel it make healing a risky and frustrating endeavor during combat.
- Unfair final boss mechanics (weight 0.09): The final boss has attacks that bypass i-frames and can't be parried or blocked. The final boss disables estus healing during the entire fight, making it a frustrating experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Focus on exploration and puzzles (weight 0.32): The game emphasizes exploration, environmental puzzle-solving, and item management, drawing comparisons to Zelda-like dungeons and Resident Evil-style item combination. While puzzles are frequent, many reviewers found them relatively simple to solve.
- Aging mechanic impacts gameplay (weight 0.28): A core mechanic involves character aging upon death, influencing stats and unlocking traits every ten years. This system adds depth to combat strategies, as aging affects stat upgrade costs and can shift the player's style, though some felt it wasn't fully utilized.
- Strategic, timing-based combat (weight 0.24): Combat emphasizes timed attacks, dodges, blocks, and parries. Stamina management is key, primarily for blocking, as attacking and dodging often don't consume stamina. Some players found opportunities to stun-lock enemies, potentially exploiting the combat system.
- Simple attribute-based leveling system (weight 0.11): The game features a simple level-up system where players allocate points to Strength, Agility, Arcane, and Vitality. The cost to upgrade stats changes depending on the character's age, with Arcane becoming cheaper and other stats more expensive as the character ages.
- Limited healing, deadly enemies (weight 0.08): Health restoration is limited, relying on scarce healing items or leveling up. Enemies are deadly, making careful play essential. Health refills upon death, adding a risk/reward element to combat.
- Limited use of Dragon Stones (weight 0.06): Dragon Stones provide powers like lifesteal and improved stun, but are mostly active when a meter is filled with kills, making them underwhelming. Weapons can be upgraded using Dragon Shards found as enemy drops, and Dragon Hearts replenish health but are only refilled upon respawning.
- Limited weapon variety (weight 0.06): The game has a limited number of weapon options. Players can choose between a sword and an axe at the start, and other weapons can be found in the game.
- Prequel to Remnant series (weight 0.06): The game is a prequel to Remnant: From the Ashes and plays as a simplified souls-like game, unlike Remnant which is a looter shooter.
- No classes, limited character customization (weight 0.05): The game lacks a class system or armor. Leveling up is automatic, and there is no XP loss on death. Players choose between a male or female character and a weapon type: Sword (agility-based with dodging) or Axe (strength-based with blocking).
- Checkpoints don't restore health (weight 0.04): Crystals serve as checkpoints, but unlike Dark Souls, they don't restore health or healing items.

Performance notes:
- Motion sickness from camera (weight 0.15): Some players have reported experiencing motion sickness due to camera control issues. This is a specific issue that detracts from the game's immersion.
- Problematic camera and lock-on (weight 0.04): Several players have reported issues with the camera, particularly with rotation and the lock-on system. The camera can also get stuck behind objects, obstructing the player's view and hindering gameplay.
- Enemy and boss fight bugs (weight 0.04): Some players have encountered bugs with enemies and bosses, including instances where bosses ignore i-frames during specific phases. These bugs can negatively impact the combat experience.
- Skybox visible through textures (weight 0.02): Some players have reported seeing the skybox through the textures of the map in certain locations. This is a specific visual bug that detracts from the game's immersion.
- Ultra-wide resolution support (weight 0.02): The game supports ultra-wide resolutions, which is a positive feature for players with ultra-wide monitors.

Recommendations:
- Wait for a significant sale (weight 0.67): Many reviewers suggest waiting for a significant sale before purchasing, with some recommending a price point below $10.  They feel the full price is too high for the content offered. Some reviewers even suggest watching a playthrough instead of buying the game at full price.
- Not recommended due to flaws (weight 0.64): Many reviewers do not recommend the game due to various issues, including technical problems, design flaws, and a generic feel. Some describe it as unbalanced and poorly designed, while others simply state there are better games available.
- Mixed, average scores overall (weight 0.52): The game receives mixed scores, with many reviewers giving it a 6/10 or 7/10. This indicates that while the game has some redeeming qualities, it ultimately falls short of being a truly great experience.
- Good for Remnant fans (weight 0.43): The game is frequently recommended for fans of the Remnant series, as it expands on the lore and provides a 'missing link' in the story. However, it's generally not recommended as a starting point for newcomers to the franchise.
- Unique time-manipulation mechanics (weight 0.04): The game incorporates time-manipulation mechanics and challenging puzzles into its action RPG gameplay. This unique combination helps to keep players engaged with the world and its mechanics.
- Gamepad is highly recommended (weight 0.02): Several reviews mention issues with the Mouse and Keyboard controls, recommending the use of a gamepad for a better experience. This suggests that the game was not well-optimized for PC controls.

Other player notes:
- Expands Remnant universe lore (weight 0.33): The game's story expands the Remnant universe, blending fantasy and sci-fi elements. Lore is delivered through environmental details and journals, with a plot involving a dragon, a mysterious labyrinth, and a secret government program. The story may be complex and vague, lacking traditional resolution.
- Prequel VR title re-released (weight 0.33): Chronos: Before the Ashes is a prequel to Remnant: From the Ashes, originally developed as a VR title. Its origins as a VR game may explain certain design choices and its re-release was spurred by the success of Remnant.
- Customizable settings, limited remapping (weight 0.06): The game offers a range of graphics and sound settings for customization. Input settings allow rebinding keyboard keys, but controller binds cannot be remapped.
- Impossible achievements present (weight 0.06): The game has unobtainable achievements related to 'new game plus' content that does not exist. This is likely due to a mistake by the developers when adding achievements.
- Limited weapon and armor variety (weight 0.05): The game has a limited selection of weapons (8) and shields (3), and lacks variety in armor sets. This restricts player customization and progression options.

Emotions:
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