Chronos: Before The Ashes Reviews
Fans of Remnant that want to experience more of the universe may enjoy Chronos: Before the Ashes, but it ultimately falls short of Remnant’s excellence.
Chronos: Before the Ashes will draw comparisons to the Souls series, but its unique aging concept Is one area where it stands out. Unfortunately there are other areas such as combat, where the comparison is less favorable. It doesn’t quite measure up to its successor, Remnant: Before the Ashes – but the connected plot points were certainly welcome.
The four-year VR exclusivity period only made Chronos: Before the Ashes a better game. It might not be 2020’s top dungeon crawler, but it shows how much Gunfire Games grew in the last gen from Chronos until Remnants:From the Ashes. A very fun romp.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Although the technical part did not show any performance issues, the bugs we encountered made our lives a bit difficult and although it does not seem to be a widespread problem, we must mention it.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a "lukewarm" experience and unfortunately, too much effort was made for the port on consoles and PC, it still clearly bears the stamp of the VR title. It is overall very easy, since one can also choose the difficulty, so that it is quite more accessible to all players.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Gunfire Games decided to rework their pre-Remnant VR game to work without VR goggles and mark it as a Remnant’s prequel, giving us Chronos: Before the Ashes – quite a unique souls-like title. Dark Souls veterans will find it rather unappealing due to its low difficulty level and lack of playstyle variety. However, for the very same reason Chronos is a perfect game for those who always thought souls-likes might be fun but were driven away by their ‘only for hardcores’ label.
Review in Polish | Read full review
There's a lot to like about Chronos: Before the Ashes and there were moments where I was fully enveloped in the mystery of this world and the combat, which does offer a sense of accomplishment once you figure out the most efficient way to take down an enemy. The narrative parts of the game were incredibly strong and the uniqueness of the aging concept and its impact on your hero is definitely a feather in its cap. Unfortunately, the core combat isn't something I necessarily enjoyed on a moment-to-moment basis, and the sparseness of story elements and character interactions hold it back and keep you from becoming completely immersed in your adventure. With some smoothing of the edges and more of a narrative presence, this could be a knockout, and here's hoping we get another chance to see that happen.
This difficult action RPG can stress you out so much, your hair will turn gray. Oh wait, that’s just the player character.
One of the tough elements of releasing a game on the Switch is that when you take on a gameplay style even remotely similar to one of its pillar titles, whether fully fair or not, you're going to be compared a bit...
The gameplay is decent, but Chronos' substandard graphics and lack of innovation means it fails to stand out amidst an increasingly crowded genre.
With so many amazing action RPGs and adventure games out there, playing Chronos: Before the Ashes often feels redundant, especially because it manages both genres with a great deal of mediocrity. In other words, it doesn't quite add up to a satisfying journey.
It may not have as much depth, and be more melee-focused, but you’re bound to get a kick out of visiting the origins of the series.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a fine action RPG game that provided me around a dozen hours of fun. I thought the aging when you die mechanic was an interesting concept that worked well but also could have you feeling like you missed out on certain upgrades if you didn’t die enough. It also has a few issues with the camera and while it borrows a lot of things from the ‘souls’ games it never felt anywhere near as challenging as them. Anyone who enjoys solid combat, good dungeon and puzzle design, and who may want more lore from the Remnant universe will likely enjoy their time in the Labyrinth.
Add to this a genuinely unique aging mechanic and Chronos: Before the Ashes manages to stand out from the crowd in a genre that seems bent on enraging its player base. While I wish the Switch version, particularly handheld mode, was more robust, I still greatly enjoyed my time with it. There is a very satisfying adventure here, but on Switch you may need to dig a little deeper to find it.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a pretty traditional Action RPG Soulslike game with adventure flavor that manages to present the player with a pretty normal and standard experience in the genre. It features exciting mechanics like the age system, but it isn't woven coherently in the game structure. Chronos: Before the Ashes can be an enjoyable game for Soulslike fans, but it doesn't offer anything significantly different or better than other Souls clones.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Chronos: Before the Ashes has a slow tempo and challenging combat, and it can serve greatly as a workshop for those who are looking to get into the Souls series.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Chronos: Before the Ashes, despite its problems, is a good title for those who want a gateway to gradually venture into the sub-genre Souslike, in an accessible and not very frustrating way. Unfortunately, the same may not be true for more regular players who are constantly looking for bigger challenges. If you can ignore its problems, you may find a good and brief fun.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If you played Remnant: From the Ashes and wanted to play Chronos, then you shouldn't. It is mediocre at best and doesn't present you with the incentive to play it.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Although this pays homage to industry legends like Dark Souls, as well as The Legend of Zelda series, don't come in Chronos: Before the Ashes looking a worthy successor to these - not even a game that plays like Remnant: From the Ashes, which is actually its sequel. Those who try it out with such expectations will be severely disappointed, especially if in need for something with 100+ hour replay value. You are advised to judge it by its own merits, and discover what is actually a great, immersive ARPG, with simple, yet very good combat, visuals, atmosphere, and story.
A decent adventure title which, despite its slow pace, just barely manages to earn its keep with combat, puzzle and exploration gameplay. It doesn't live up to its predecessor, but it doesn't seem like it's trying to.