Chronos: Before The Ashes Reviews
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
It has been mentioned on this site that soulslike games come a dime a dozen nowadays. Every developer wants to capitalize on the success of the genre by creating their own take on the intense and extremely difficult style of role-playing game. Chronos: Before the Ashes is yet another one of those soulslike games, but with a developer like Gunfire Games (responsible for some of the Darksiders entries) and a publisher like THQ Nordic, Chronos comes packed with a lot of promise to be something spectacular.
The only part it disappoints in - is the story itself, which is short, almost forgettable, all-the-while, somehow enjoyable once you really dig beneath the surface and begin connecting the dots together in the universe that THQ Nordic has built.
It has the weighty action and focus on learning enemy patterns to punish, but at eight hours to beat it’s relatively short and is lacking depth in many of its systems. At $30 and with an easier learning curve this is a good starter for anyone who hasn’t played this style of game, but veteran players may find the experience underwhelming.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is fun and features fluid and functional gameplay. Its friendly commands make the game very accessible for those looking for a souls-like without excess of suffering. The story is interesting and complete in itself, but it left something to be desired by exploring little of the events that would lead to Remnant. Perhaps spending more time on world events outside the labyrinth dimension could bring greater detail to the narrative.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Chronos: Before the Ashes' biggest issues are some questionable story decisions, and even those aren't wholly damning.
Chronos: Before the Ashes presents us with a traditional version of Chronos VR, which in turn is a prequel to Remnant: From the ashes. This time the gameplay becomes a simple and friendly souls-like with which it is easy to get started in the genre. He fails in the design of levels, in their duration and in some technical problems, but he knows how to make up for it with good puzzles and exploration.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Chronos: Before the Ashes feels dated and awkward, though its intriguing world and unique aging mechanic will probably earn it some fans in the crowded action RPG landscape.
Though it may not reach the same atmospheric levels as Demon Souls or Bloodborne, action RPG fans would do well to give Chronos: Before the Ashes a chance to test their killing abilities.
Chronos: Before The Ashes is a Souls-Like/RPG that unfortunately we cannot recommend. Starting with its low difficulty and poor variety in the combat system. As well as its lack of content in terms of weapons or armor (which is directly lacking) and its more than poor 5-6 hours of gameplay.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Chronos: Before the Ashes is a good game, save for some secondary aspects, and provides an innovative adventure.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Where Chronos: Before the Ashes goes wrong is in comparison to Remnant: From the Ashes. As a prequel, this comparison can’t be helped. The reduction in action, lack of complicated boss fights, and the removal of guns are a step-down. But alone, it’s a good game. The puzzles are fun, and the story is interesting, especially when used as a foundation for the events of Remnant.
fun can be had but so can a lot of swearing. A good fit for Souls fans looking for a different challenge.
For people looking for a “lite” version of a Souls game, this could be a good way of dipping your toe in the water. For veterans of the genre, Chronos: Before The Ashes is simply too basic and easy to actively seek out.