Chronos: Before The Ashes Reviews
Whether fans of Remnant: From the Ashes will see it as a comfort or disappointment depends entirely on their personal investment in the 2019 game's lore, but Chronos: Before the Ashes is in no way an essential addition to those already familiar with Gunfire's sci-fi/fantastical premise and one whose own dispensable tale will barely feel relevant.
The transition from a VR-only title to a full fledged action rpg was not smooth, but Chronos Before The Ashes is still a decent choice if you're looking for a simpler and more linear soulslike.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Chronos doesn't totally shed it's VR veneer, but the simplicity of it's roots make it an inviting, uncomplicated option for fans of souls-likes and RPGs.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is an interesting game, but not a consistent one. Its world is occasionally fascinating, some mechanics are quite interesting and its general theming adds a lot to the universe - that being said, it offers plenty of ideas it fails to deliver on and could do with a little more to make it really stand out
Overall, Chronos: Before the Ashes is okay. As a Souls-like, it sort of misses on a lot of the mechanics that make Souls-like games good, the combat is meh, the story is just ok, the environments aren't that amazing, and the aging mechanic is disappointingly underused. If you're enamoured by the story of Remnant: From the Ashes and want to learn how things ended up that way, give this game a playthrough. But if you're not really that interested, it's probably best to just be forgotten.
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.
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.
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
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
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 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
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 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.
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.
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.
The gameplay is decent, but Chronos' substandard graphics and lack of innovation means it fails to stand out amidst an increasingly crowded genre.
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...
This difficult action RPG can stress you out so much, your hair will turn gray. Oh wait, that’s just the player character.
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.
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