Chronos: Before the Ashes – review and opinion about the game [PS4, XOne, NS, PC]

The hero aging with the passage of time in the game is a rarely used theme, which does not mean that you cannot indicate a few interesting titles where he was present, such as Might & MagicVII or Fable. Chronos: Before the Ashes however, it goes a step further in the subject and our character, the more age the more weaker. Or maybe it’s a bad way of thinking since old age also has its possibilities? In this review about what is more important: youthful vigor and strength or life experience and hidden talents.

Chronos: Before the Ashes contrary to appearances, it is not a completely new game. This quite conceptually interesting RPG-action virtual reality (without a subtitle) first appeared on the Oculus Rift in 2016 and, unlike the reviewers, it was quite well received by the gaming community. Three years later, the sequel to the game appeared, this time the much sought-after Remnant: From the Ashes. Forging iron, while the hot studio Gunfire Games decided to re-release the first part, but in a form available to all players. However, whether this title, devoid of VR elements, is still playable enough to be interested in it, this review will try to answer.

Slaying a dragon in Chronos: Before the Ashes is a lifetime mission

The very concept of the scenario Chronos: Before the Ashes it’s not very extensive, but quite interesting to look at. In general, mankind inadvertently awakened a mighty dragon who, by sending his helpers to our world, pushed it almost to the tribal age. All in all, a short ball, we are the chosen one, who must go to the mysterious labyrinth (simplifying) to overcome it, and that’s it. We have a whole game life for that, both figuratively and literally.

In general, the plot is very rudimentary here, and we learn about the created world by searching the archives we encounter and the documents scattered around here, which is necessary for the entire game. You can forget about long dialogues, extensive cutscenes, but it’s hard for me to criticize the whole solution, because in return we get a universe that combines techno-industrial and mystical-mythological threads, which it can somehow intrigue.

Chronos: Before the Ashes casts from virtual reality

As for an RPG, the gameplay is not extensive either, at least in its current form copied from VR devices. You can see immediately that the title, although simple when it comes to mechanics, is fights with dexterity. They are similar in style to those from the Souls series (blocks, dodges, timing for a counterattack), although of course they are not the league. The thing is quite fun, unless we expect miracles, but unfortunately what characterized the VR version and gave it depth and considerable possibilities has been lost. For example, the view from the eyes gave the game a completely different perspective.

Fortunately, two things remained that made it Chronos: Before the Ashes it did not turn into a dull shell like many on the market. The first thing is the adventure elements, thanks to which the sword will not always be in the work, allowing gray cells to work to overcome certain obstacles on the way. These are not too complicated puzzles, especially since there are hints here and there, but they play an important role in the whole game.

Aging on a schedule

The second idea mentioned at the beginning of the review is w Chronos: Before the Ashes hero aging system. Although, unfortunately, we do not have much influence on its creation apart from the choice of gender, but when our character dies, he or she gets older by a year, which has consequences. We start at the age of 18 and extend our lives up to eighty. As the age goes on, we acquire new skills, but our fighting style slowly changes. The Roleplej statistics that we develop are only four, but they are the key to the whole system. When we are young there is a great temptation to rely on strength and dexterity, but the years pass and we gradually weaken, relying more and more on mystical spells, so that in old age we almost completely fail to handle weapons.

In any case, when selecting talents, we must consider whether to invest in the future or in something that gives immediate results. Another thing is that, in my opinion, we make “life” choices a bit too rarely, so we do not influence the character as if we could, but this element of the game is good for her. The downside is the small number of available weapons, although it will be able to strengthen it. In addition, as for an RPG, the fun is very short, because in twelve hours we are able to visit all four extensive locations.

Bright and Shadows Chronos: Before the Ashes

Visually Chronos: Before the Ashes evokes mixed feelings. Fans of the original version may not like the switch to third-person camera view, but I haven’t noticed that it causes any problems. It is similar with the visual setting, where you have to separate two issues: its quality and aesthetic issues. In any case, the title hula on the Unreal engine and technically it looks like it would be created two generations backwards. When playing on PlayStation 4, we will notice even poor anti-aliasing on our character, medium-quality textures and quite stiff animations with 30 frames and long loading times for each stage not to mention. However, when you consider the artistic experience, it is quite good.

The places visited are tastefully designed, rich in details, and at the same time exude a specific atmosphere. Once we visit a vast military-scientific complex stylized in the 1960s, and in a moment we move to a mighty stone fortress or a dark dungeon for a change. As you can see, the game combines different, seemingly contradictory styles, but the whole mix does not clash with each other, creating a quite sensible world. During the exploration, we are also accompanied by an ear-friendly soundtrack, and the game itself has been polonized, although bugs do occur here and there.

Chronos: Before the Ashes however, it is no longer what you could experience on the Oculus Rift and if it were not for a few interesting ideas that somehow survived, it would have been drowned in a multitude of weak, knee RPGs. Fortunately, it did not happen and ultimately the fans of the genre might like the title, if they only have time to spend their free time on it and there will be a big, “penny” promotion.

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