Ludography
70/100
Players16 ratings
67/100
Critics7 reviews
More scores
Metacritic20 critic reviews
67/100
Metacritic usersuser score
50/100
GameFAQsJust Right-Tough
3.57/5
Player reviews
62% positive580 reviews
Steam Deck
Playable
Runs on
Windows
Price
US$29.99

Where to get it

Chronos: Before the Ashes cover

2020 · Port · THQ Nordic · Role-playing · Adventure

Chronos: Before the Ashes

Port

Chronos: Before the Ashes is an atmospheric RPG that chronicles a hero's lifelong quest to save their homeland from a great evil. Grow wiser, stronger and more powerful as you explore the depths of the mysterious labyrinth. But beware, the labyrinth takes a heavy toll - each time your hero dies, they lose a year of their life!

Released
1 December 2020
Platforms
Nintendo SwitchPlayStation 4StadiaWindowsXbox One
Genres
Role-playingAdventureArcade
Developers
THQ NordicGunfire Games
Publishers
THQ Nordic
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
ActionFantasyMystery
Engine
Unreal Engine 4
Age ratings
USK 12ESRB TPEGI 16ACB MCERO CGRAC 12+
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat
8hmain story16hcompletionist

About

Chronos is a 2016 action role-playing game developed and published by Gunfire Games for the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset. The game received generally positive reviews upon release. An overhauled version of the game, titled Chronos: Before the Ashes was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Stadia on December 1, 2020.

›Story

Chronos: Before the Ashes is an atmospheric RPG that chronicles a hero’s lifelong quest to save their homeland from a great evil. Grow wiser, stronger and more powerful as you explore the depths of the mysterious labyrinth. But beware, the labyrinth takes a heavy toll – each time your hero dies, they lose a year of their life!

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Chronos is an action role-playing game viewed from a third-person perspective, though the game only has a fixed camera similar to the early Resident Evil games. In the game, the player assumes control of a customizable protagonist, who is on a quest to kill a dragon inside a labyrinth. The game's combat mainly involves slashing enemies with melee weapons while fending off hostile attacks with a shield. Should the player die when they are exploring, they can only reenter the labyrinth one in-game year later, and the player character will age, which alters the character's attributes.

As the player progresses in the game, they will solve puzzles, acquire new weapons and unlock magical powers. As the player earns experience, they will level up which allows them to improve the player character's attributes including strength, agility, arcane, and vitality.

Development

The game was the first title released by Gunfire Games, which was co-founded by David Adams, the founder of Vigil Games who have created the Darksiders series. The game was announced on June 11, 2015, during a press conference held by Oculus. It was among the first titles unveiled for the Oculus Rift VR headset and it became the headset's launch game when it was released on March 28, 2016.

In September 2020, THQ Nordic announced an overhauled version of the game named Chronos: Before the Ashes. This version of the game removes the VR requirement, and serves as the prequel to Gunfire's 2019 game Remnant: From the Ashes. Before the Ashes was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Stadia on December 1, 2020.

Reception

The game received generally positive reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Critics compared the game to The Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls series. Some critics noted that gameplay-wise, the game was traditional but the incorporation of VR elevated the experience.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Stadia1 December 2020Worldwide
PlayStation 41 December 2020Worldwide
Nintendo Switch1 December 2020Worldwide
Xbox One1 December 2020Worldwide
Windows1 December 2020Worldwide

Editions and related releases

Part of
Chronos
Port of
Chronos

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Collections4 collections

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.