Chronos: Before The Ashes Reviews
A great example of how to craft a new game from an existing idea.
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.
Chronos: Before The Ashes feels like a cash in, with nobody bothering to ask “does this really need to be ported over?”. Without VR it loses the magic of being in your living room knocking shit on the floor, and exposes the game as a very lukewarm soulslike.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is an enjoyable Soulslike that doesn't feel as unforgiving as most other games in the genre
A modest souls-like that doesn't excel at anything you've seen before in this kind of game, but with some unique ideas that work really well within the formula.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Even without the original's VR elements, Chronos: Before the Ashes' compelling and somewhat challenging combat is still its main draw, in which you have to attack, dodge and parry your way, with refined precision, towards victory. Its aging system also adds an interesting twist to combat, imbuing your battles with a sense of prudence. That said, it doesn't offer anything new to the genre. Just watch out for its clumsy camera angles and you'll do fine.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a minimalist, imperfect title with a basic spartan aesthetic and a slow pace. Despite this, it is able to give back a vivid sense of discovery and each new ravine or weapon, or power gives us another reason not to detach ourselves from it. The same scenic installation, initially disappointing, fits perfectly with the world hovering between enchantment and technology. A longevity not exactly excellent for the genre and the budget nature that emerges in almost every context of the production, the wings of Gunfire Games, which makes flight worthy of note, but does not go too far.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite being the second go-round for Chronos, Before the Ashes does feel like a decent take on the popular From Software Souls formula. It's stripped-down design, while somewhat rewarding, does tend to leave a bit to be desired in the depth department. And though it may have been a welcome sight in the barren VR landscape of four years ago, trying to simply re-release the same experience without progressing the gameplay any further ends up leaving quite a bit to be desired. Unless you are extremely invested in learning more about the back story of the Remnant universe, you'd probably be better off dodging this skirmish entirely.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a solid game for people like me who struggle with the genre. It is not as punishing and the death mechanic is unique and interesting. It kept me going throughout the campaign and I was able to tie some of the lore from Remnant up. I suggest checking this one out if you want to take a baby step into the genre. This game is much more accessible to those that struggle, but want to experience what everyone seems to be talking about. I am stoked to see what Gunfire Games comes up with next.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a pretty good adventure title, that comes with a rather simple combat system, some cool locations, and an intriguing plot, which focuses on mystery and puzzle solving. Some of the levels may feel repetative, but if you want to take a break from big budget games and spend some quite and comfy times with something of a smaller scale on the holiday season, then Chronos is a pretty good choice for that.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a calming, serene, yet challenging game that is perfect for gamers who want to try skill-based combat but aren’t ready for classic entries to the genre, like the Souls games. It’s connections to Remnant: From the Ashes are abundant enough to make fans of the game see them with glee, but not so important to make it a necessity. The level design and art style is simple yet beautiful, and the controls are satisfying and tight.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is an interesting enough title, one that does feature some interesting environments that really support a strong level of world-building. Even those not familiar with Remnant would find this interesting. However, looking beyond the environment and storytelling, you're going to find aspects of the game lacking. The combat is far too forgiving, and you'll have completed the game before encountering most of the perks to the fascinating ageing system. Do I recommend this? For an easy-going souls-lite title, it's not bad, but it isn't great either.
A fun action-RPG that loses a little without VR.
Chronos: Before the Ashes arrives too late to the party. Years ago, the main character's aging mechanic would have been enough to grant it attention and praise. Today, it's barely a spark of light in a technically dated game. The fact that the controls aren't terribly responsive and the narrative is a bit confused don't help either. Souls-addicted players might find its ten hours of length an enjoyable diversion, but that's about it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Chronos: Before The Ashes brings to the Souls formula some interesting ideas that, if further explored, could expand on a beloved formula quite nicely. However, in its present form, these ideas contradict themselves, creating more of a red herring than a legitimate risk-reward system. Regardless, the game is fun to play, but the narrative and initially appealing age mechanic don't reach the end of the game with the same intensity.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is an interesting collection of ideas, but dead average implementation, aging visuals, and flawed gameplay make for an underwhelming package that barely rises above being just fine at best.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is neither terrible enough to disown entirely nor deep or engaging enough to warrant a recommendation for anyone but the most genre-craved diehards.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a tough game to recommend to Remnant fans due to its comparatively flawed combat system and less amount of content overall. Nevertheless, I still believe that while the game does not live up to its full potential, it still has just enough charm to be worth at least a try for hardcore fans of the action-RPG genre.
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
Chronos: Before the Ashes is not a bad game. It just feels like, by transitioning out of VR, it may have lost some of its original polish. It’s got plenty of smart ideas in its gameplay and world design. But apart from its aging mechanic, it felt like Chronos wasn’t doing anything that other games haven’t already done – and done better.