Developers of Gunfire Games they are taking a liking to us: after having given birth to the excellent Remnant: From the Ashes e Darksiders III, here they are presenting Chronos: Before the Ashes, direct prequel of Remnant ripped from the VR version dedicated exclusively to Ouculus Rift for PC (the title in that case was simply "Chronos"). Let's analyze this intriguing in detail soulslike available for PlayStation 4 (played version), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC and Google Stadia. Let's start from the beginning: Chronos, released in 2016 exclusively for Oculus Rift (PC), it was an RPG characterized by a system of fixed cameras that framed the protagonist in Resident Evil style (we refer to the classic chapters of the original trilogy developed by Capcom, obviously). The VR factor was determined by the player's ability to rotate the head to vary the camera angle, to discover new details of the game environment. Chronos: Before the Ashes, prequel - as mentioned - by Remnant: From the Ashes, is the same game published for Oculus Rift to which, however, it was VR component removed and where the fixed camera system has been replaced by the more classic one third person view, therefore positioned behind the shoulders of the protagonist. For those who have played Remnant it will be easy to recognize some environments, which will be quite familiar. For everyone else, well, it will be all to be discovered (and in our opinion it will be worth it!).
In Chronos: Before the Ashes we will play the role of a hero called to defeat a huge Dragon. To get to the presence of the much feared creature we will have to face a series of puzzle and fighting against the most varied creatures, scattered along an immense maze whose settings vary and draw particularly evocative landscapes on the screen. One of the peculiarities of this game lies in the fact that the fantasy setting turns out to be mixed with undoubtedly colder elements, such as technological control rooms and computer stations, abandoned buildings and electrical cables. To be clear, it's a bit of the same sensation experienced in Horizon: Zero Dawn, where a civilization which has now returned to be divided into savage tribes must deal with hyper-technological devices left behind by those who came before. Here the concept is quite similar, but the development is completely different (but equally intriguing).
The beginning of the adventure
Once you have selected the gender of the character (no, there is no editor to change the face and physical appearance), we will be asked to choose whether to start the adventure by holding one sword or anax. Both weapons will not rule out the use of one shield. During the adventure, the downed enemies will leave various objects on the ground, including the Dragon Scales, useful for upgrading weapons and armor. As in the most classic of fantasy role-playing games, even in Chronos: Before the Ashes it will be possible distribute experience points to increase the parameters related to Force, Agility and skill Arcane. The latter are linked to the original title progression system; the enhancement of the arcane abilities of the protagonist require a greater number of experience points to spend, but only in the first years of life. In fact, in Chronos each death involves the loss of a year of life (the time needed, as narrated, to make a new attempt inside the Labyrinth). The character ages with each new attempt and this change will be felt in two distinct ways, from an aesthetic point of view and from the point of view of the statistics that will change accordingly. As it is easy to guess, a younger hero possesses greater strength and agility (which is why increasing these characteristics requires fewer experience points to spend). All the skills related to Arcane knowledge are instead linked to what is a real life experience of the hero who, becoming wiser, year after year, acquires greater strength and agility with more effort, in favor of Arcane knowledge, precisely. Every 10 years (starting from the 20th year reached) we will unlock a new permanent ability.
The World of Chronos: Before the Ashes offers one fair amount of different settings, from ancient ruins semi-submerged by sand piles to dense forests of vegetation (and dangers). The title was developed by exploiting the potential of the graphics engine Unreal Engine, albeit unfortunately fails to compete with Triple A titles available on the consoles of the past generation (we refer to PS4 and Xbox One, as we have now officially entered what was the next-gen, thanks to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S). That said, don't get us wrong: Chronos is a game that lets itself be watched, even with a great deal of admiration, especially for the ability of Gunfire Games' digital artists to bring worlds full of charm to life. Where the particle effects and the management of the hero's polygonal collisions with the surrounding environment leave something to be desired, evocative scenarios and splendid enemy creatures alternate. Between a brilliant puzzle and one of more intuitive resolution, dozens and dozens of fights against enemies will alternate during the course of the adventure, made with a satisfying dose of creativity.
The Substance of Chronos: Before the Ashes
Among the details that we most appreciated, ever, a indisputable style of the developers in introducing players to the next boss (or mini-boss) to face: almost always, in fact, these creatures can be seen through columns, cracks in the wall, and windows. The hero is able to attack by hurling light or heavy blows and the latter also offer a more powerful variant (as long as you find the right timing to load the effects). With the shield, on the other hand, in addition to the possibility of remaining in the parry position, it is possible to raise it in a synchronized way with respect to an enemy attack: this generates, predictably, the possibility of carrying out a counterattack. Finally, a shield attack can be performed to break the hostile creature's defense and have time to charge a mighty blow. All this, both in terms of attack and defense, it is managed by the dorsal buttons and by the triggers (R1, R2, L1, L2, so to speak), and we liked the choice, because you feel the feeling of heaviness in throwing the various slashes, compared to pressing a simple front button. The hero has a vital bar available (death involves restarting the last explored area marked by a Checkpoint, but with the passages already open) and one of the stamina. The latter represents the amount of energy which can be used to make saves and sprints. Once finished, even a hit absorbed by the shield results in a small amount of life lost. The use of special magic stones and other items ensures a potion of extra life for the player. The progression during the adventure is therefore basically based on the opening of new passages of the gigantic labyrinth. From time to time, huge luminous stones guarantee the generation of a Checkpoint, from which to restart or to which to start rapid journeys to the levels visited previously.
Chronos: Before the Ashes doesn't pay much attention to the spectacular factor, with dozens of magical explosions and particle effects in every corner of the screen, but it is evident that it is a precise choice of Gunfire that we believe to be apt. This title is a little gem, because while not technically at the top, it does everything to not point out the thing. The system that regulates the fights is slow, reasoned and also quite precise, with the player who feels from his first steps a wonderful heaviness in every gesture: from the slash launched with his sword to the simple opening of a door, everything happens without haste (the hero, in the presence of a closed door, sheaths the sword and then secure access to the next area). The special effects present rely mainly on bewitching plays of light, which in a similar context, seem to make it even double compared to games that make these elements the key to the adventure. Even if it's a different genre, think of a game like Diablo, to understand the difference: in the Blizzard title, almost every type of attack is able to generate flashes of light and bursts of multiple colors on the screen, which you almost forget about it (the one who writes this review is an avid fan of series, so don't get it wrong). In Chronos: Before the Ashes, on the other hand, too the shine of a single fiery blade in the darkness takes on the contours of an exceptional event. We really like it a lot.
Finally, we want to underline a particularly satisfying AI: each enemy creature, from the smallest one up to Bosses of titanic proportions), is always able to launch at least two different types of attacks that are varied, in real time, based on the distance kept by the hero. To give you an example: an enemy archer will unleash the launch of explosive arrows when you are far away, and then switch weapons and move on to an even more violent close attack. The only negative, really negative, is represented by grueling loading times between one death and another. And since this is a title belonging to the soulslike genre, it seemed right to emphasize this (maybe a future patch will fix this, we hope so!). We also specify that unfortunately, at least currently, the Spanish language is not available.
A "small", unmissable, soulslike
Definitely, Chronos: Before the Ashes turned out to be a wonderful surprise in the soulslike genre. The developers ripped off the VR features that made it Oculus Rift exclusive on PC from this title to offer a third-person adventure you shouldn't miss. The technical sector, characterized by a graphics that is not exceptional but absolutely enjoyable, gives its best in terms of fights that are slow, reasoned, bad and incredibly rewarding. The plot that moves the events justifies the presence of creatures that, from the smallest to the most gigantic, seem to be endowed with a more than curated Artificial Intelligence. All this, added to the original system of progression of the hero which, as described, provides for the advancement of a year for each single death, with all that can mean in terms of changes in physical appearance (beard, wrinkles, white hair) e related changes to various skills.
