Chronos: Before The Ashes Reviews
The gameplay is decent, but Chronos' substandard graphics and lack of innovation means it fails to stand out amidst an increasingly crowded genre.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
A fun action-RPG that loses a little without VR.
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...
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 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
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.
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 entails stalking through ancient corridors in alien worlds, and an innovative death mechanic, to boot. There are puzzles a-plenty, and boss fights, just as one would expect from an adventure like this. Nevertheless, Gunfire Games' latest offering is an action RPG that forgets to deliver on the fun.
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.