Release Date: December 1st, 2020
Developers: Gunfire Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia
Price: $29.99

When I found out Chronos: Before the Ashes was actually a prequel to 2019's Remnant: From the Ashes I was taken aback (though it obviously would make sense due to the similarity in naming) due to its drastically different artstyle and approach to how it handled that sort of souls-like experience that Remnant tried to put a twist on thanks to its more ranged style, focusing more on guns and machinery rather than face-to-face weaponry. While I really appreciated Remnant trying to do something different to a genre that feels like it's mimicking rather than innovating, at times it just felt unnecessarily convoluted between its progression, weapons system, and story that it detracted from it and never reached the full potential of what I felt Remnant could have been, though it was a step in the right direction and a sort of breath of fresh air, even if the enemy variety was lacking and felt all too "safe". Chronos feels like both a step forward and backwards from the talent the team has shown in the past, but much like Remnant before it, it still misses the mark on what could have made it a standout title.

Chronos: Before the Ashes doesn't let much of the story get in the way but gives just enough of a narrative to make sense of why you're doing what you're doing and what it is you're aiming for. A dragon has reigned evil upon a land and you're sent to slay it along with any guardians blocking your path. The bosses and guardians you'll fight along the way are big and menacing, but one of the most exciting things about them is that they have this sort of Aztec and Mayan-inspired design to them, infused with magic to give a sense of futurism to an otherwise old setting. A lot of the time I'm reminded of the likes of Shadow of the Colossus and Titan Souls from a different perspective, though the emptiness of Chronos: Before the Ashes doesn't feel as inviting or thrilling as the aforementioned titles or titles of this nature. I don't usually mind if there aren't many enemies or other sorts of life as I walk around so long as the environment itself can be seen as a beautiful, living, breathing world with environmental storytelling that makes up for its lack of NPCs and the sort. In fact, both Shadow of the Colossus and Titan Souls for example focused more on their boss fights than anything else, having little to no NPCs elsewhere. Chronos: Before the Ashes, however, does have a few enemies from area to area, though it never really becomes all too common or overwhelming unless there's more than two around as the mobs can wipe you out rather quickly no matter the difficulty level. Its world in between these enemies, though, leave a lot to be desired, and while it's far from mundane, there just isn't enough detail or wonder from section to section to make exploration enticing, especially as a mostly linear experience. Even going from room to room - despite a room’s portrayal of seeming like a shortcut or secret area - each area ends up being somewhere you have to go, so while exploration is somehow rewarded in this regard as you'll typically find something you need to advance, though outside of a few locked areas which you'll inevitably come back to, it leaves the whole thing feeling not so much like playing at your own pace and instead just following a string of sequences from A to B to C as you progress through Chronos' world. Admittedly, it's a clever way to make every room worthwhile and purposeful, but with little to see from room to room with slow movement added on top of it, it makes it all feel sluggish.

Chronos' combat actually feels okay as you use its shoulder buttons to do your light and heavy attacks, but the game is designed to want - and expect - you to die a few times to unlock traits to become stronger with each resurrection so you can utilize new techniques that serve as both passives and buffs every ten years of age starting from age 20. The only issue becomes when you die *too many* times, in which some stats like Strength and Agility won't be able to be upgraded (or even usable), and you're left to just stick with Arcane and magic attacks as you effectively become an elder mage. It's an interesting take on death and how to "punish" the player, though those that prefer magic in games like these would probably feel it to be more welcoming than anything else, though the versatility is gone from the inability to use melee weapons and agility, restricting combat capabilities. Chronos: Before the Ashes definitely does things in a unique way, but it's just a shame that the whole thing just feels so slow and sluggish at times, and it's not nearly as polished up as Remnant: From the Ashes was, so you can find little exploits and corners of which to put enemies if you can angle it just right, allowing you to slash away at your enemies with little chance of them being able to block or parry and interrupting you regardless of level or age. Even while you upgrade, exploit, or just run your way through Chronos', however, the combat itself just isn't fleshed out or responsive enough to make it worth the while of playing all the way through, regardless of which of the two weapons you choose to start out with on your journey, be it Sword or Axe, and even other weapons you get along the way with magic infused within them through your Dragon Stones that imbue energy onto you, there isn't enough of a variety in animations or combos that everything starts to feel boring right away. There's a level of addictiveness to it as you want to conquer room to room before inevitably dying and respawning back at your most recent World Stone Crystal that are scattered all throughout your path to victory against The Dragon, but it consistently kills me more than the enemies do that both walking and running feel like the game is running in slow motion, despite its performance on Switch being rather solid. It doesn't ever hit the 60fps it does on PC, but it doesn't matter when the character feels like they're dragging a cargo ship.

Chronos: Before the Ashes may not have that sort of unique gameplay approach that Remnant: From the Ashes has, but at the very least it still stands out on its own from initially being a VR title before coming onto console platforms as a more accessible souls-like experience. As someone who doesn't really connect with the genre, though has played many games within it in hopes of finding the one that can sway me, Chronos still suffers from the one thing that the entirety of these sorts of games do that hinder the experience, which is extremely slow and sluggish movement. It's because of this that the pacing is ruined and any sort of backtracking feels like a chore rather than a curious adventure of what'll happen next. Overall, however, it's a solid experience if you're patient enough, or used to these types of games, as the environmental work is rather well done as you jump from a plethora of locations that feel distinct, also making it one of the more standout Souls-like titles on Nintendo Switch, but despite being on the more accessible side of things in both its gameplay and creative direction, Chronos: Before the Ashes ultimately still feels like a chore to play with little redeeming qualities, making for a more banal and not-so-rewarding experience.

PROS:

A more stylized approach versus the more realistic direction of Remnant
Runs and looks just as good on Switch, with mainly just a lower resolution and textures
Neat ideas and a blend of timelines (eg. Old fantasy and futuristic)
Unique mechanics

CONS:

Isn't doing anything substantially different in terms of gameplay from a standard souls-like experience
Extremely slow and sluggish
Very little music and ambiance makes for virtually no atmosphere whatsoever

A big thank you to Gunfire Games and THQ Nordic for providing us the opportunity to review Chronos: Before the Ashes on Nintendo Switch!

Chronos: Before the Ashes Review (Nintendo Switch)