Chronos: Before the Ashes

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 50

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Chronos: Before the Ashes is a minimalist, imperfect title that doesn’t feel as unforgiving as other games in the Soulslike genre. A disappointing story, clumsy camera angles, aging visuals, and flawed gameplay mar the experience.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 50

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 50

Chronos: Before the Ashes is a minimalist, imperfect title that doesn't feel as unforgiving as other games in the Soulslike genre. A disappointing story, clumsy camera angles, aging visuals, and flawed gameplay mar the experience.

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Critic Reviews for Chronos: Before the Ashes

Critic Reviews

Score Distribution

50

Reviews

Average Score

100

Ranges

6.5/10

Claudio Magistrelli (The Games Machine)

Chronos: Before the Ashes arrives too late to the party. Years ago, the main character’s aging mechanic would have been enough to grant it attention and praise. Today, it’s barely a spark of light in a technically dated game. The fact that the controls aren’t terribly responsive and the narrative is a bit confused don’t help either. Souls-addicted players might find its ten hours of length an enjoyable diversion, but that’s about it.

November 30, 2020 |

Full Review

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.

December 1, 2020 |

Full Review

2.5/5 stars

Billy Givens (We Got This Covered)

Not Recommended

Ed Thorn (Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

Chronos: Before The Ashes feels like a cash in, with nobody bothering to ask “does this really need to be ported over?”. Without VR it loses the magic of being in your living room knocking shit on the floor, and exposes the game as a very lukewarm soulslike.

December 7, 2020 |

Full Review

Claudio Magistrelli (The Games Machine)

6.5/10 - (Read Review)

Billy Givens (We Got This Covered)

2.5/5 stars - (Read Review)

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.

Ed Thorn (Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

Not Recommended - (Read Review)

**Read all 50 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (50 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
33bits	Rubén Rionegro	70 / 100	12-08-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes presents us with a traditional version of Chronos VR, which in turn is a prequel to Remnant: From the ashes. This time the gameplay becomes a simple and friendly souls-like with which it is easy to get started in the genre. He fails in the design of levels, in their duration and in some technical problems, but he knows how to make up for it with good puzzles and exploration.	Read review
BaziCenter	Amin Bala zadeh	7 / 10	12-19-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes has a slow tempo and challenging combat, and it can serve greatly as a workshop for those who are looking to get into the Souls series.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Quinn Hiers	7.5 / 10	12-01-2020	Where Chronos: Before the Ashes goes wrong is in comparison to Remnant: From the Ashes. As a prequel, this comparison can’t be helped. The reduction in action, lack of complicated boss fights, and the removal of guns are a step-down. But alone, it’s a good game. The puzzles are fun, and the story is interesting, especially when used as a foundation for the events of Remnant.	Read review
Chalgyr’s Game Room	Nick Herber	6.75 / 10	12-07-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes will draw comparisons to the Souls series, but its unique aging concept Is one area where it stands out. Unfortunately there are other areas such as combat, where the comparison is less favorable. It doesn’t quite measure up to its successor, Remnant: Before the Ashes – but the connected plot points were certainly welcome.	Read review
Checkpoint Gaming	Pedro Cooray	6 / 10	12-14-2020	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.	Read review
COGconnected	Alexander Thomas	83 / 100	12-04-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a calming, serene, yet challenging game that is perfect for gamers who want to try skill-based combat but aren’t ready for classic entries to the genre, like the Souls games. It’s connections to Remnant: From the Ashes are abundant enough to make fans of the game see them with glee, but not so important to make it a necessity. The level design and art style is simple yet beautiful, and the controls are satisfying and tight.	Read review
Critical Hit	Darryn Bonthuys	6.5 / 10	12-02-2020	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.	Read review
Cubed3	Athanasios	8 / 10	01-08-2021	Although this pays homage to industry legends like Dark Souls, as well as The Legend of Zelda series, don’t come in Chronos: Before the Ashes looking a worthy successor to these	Read review
cublikefoot	Chase Ferrin	Recommended	11-30-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes may have its flaws, but the core experience – the combat – is solid, with a cool aging mechanic added on top that fundamentally changes the way you play the game.	Read review
DarkZero	Ian Howarth	7 / 10	12-24-2020	This title is a really strange one.	Read review
FingerGuns	Greg Hicks	7 / 10	11-30-2020	It takes a bit of getting used to, as expected, and is a bit heavy-handed with its combat and vague on storytelling. But once you’re getting used to its nuances, Chronos: Before the Ashes opens up into a great little Soulsborne affair.	Read review
Gamefa	Amirmehdi Namjoo	7.5 / 10	12-08-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a pretty traditional Action RPG Soulslike game with adventure flavor that manages to present the player with a pretty normal and standard experience in the genre. It features exciting mechanics like the age system, but it isn’t woven coherently in the game structure. Chronos: Before the Ashes can be an enjoyable game for Soulslike fans, but it doesn’t offer anything significantly different or better than other Souls clones.	Read review
GameGrin	Jamie Davies	6.5 / 10	01-09-2021	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.	Read review
GameMAG	Unknown	7 / 10	12-17-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a pretty good adventure title, that comes with a rather simple combat system, some cool locations, and an intriguing plot, which focuses on mystery and puzzle solving. Some of the levels may feel repetative, but if you want to take a break from big budget games and spend some quite and comfy times with something of a smaller scale on the holiday season, then Chronos is a pretty good choice for that.	Read review
Gamer Escape	Timothy Hyldahl	7 / 10	12-10-2020	It has the weighty action and focus on learning enemy patterns to punish, but at eight hours to beat it’s relatively short and is lacking depth in many of its systems. At $30 and with an easier learning curve this is a good starter for anyone who hasn’t played this style of game, but veteran players may find the experience underwhelming.	Read review
GameSpace	James Evans	6.5 / 10	12-14-2020	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.	Read review
GameSpew	Richard Seagrave	8 / 10	11-30-2020	It may not have as much depth, and be more melee-focused, but you’re bound to get a kick out of visiting the origins of the series.	Read review
GamingBolt	John Cantees	7 / 10	12-01-2020	Chronos doesn’t totally shed it’s VR veneer, but the simplicity of it’s roots make it an inviting, uncomplicated option for fans of souls-likes and RPGs.	Read review
GamingTrend	Abdul Saad	70 / 100	12-29-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a tough game to recommend to Remnant fans due to its comparatively flawed combat system and less amount of content overall. Nevertheless, I still believe that while the game does not live up to its full potential, it still has just enough charm to be worth at least a try for hardcore fans of the action-RPG genre.	Read review
GBAtemp	Tom Bond	5 / 10	12-03-2020	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.	Read review
Gert Lush Gaming	Jim Smale	7 / 10	12-01-2020	fun can be had but so can a lot of swearing. A good fit for Souls fans looking for a different challenge.	Read review
God is a Geek	Mick Fraser	7.5 / 10	11-30-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is an enjoyable Soulslike that doesn’t feel as unforgiving as most other games in the genre	Read review
GotGame	Kieran Toovey	7 / 10	11-30-2020	For people looking for a “lite” version of a Souls game, this could be a good way of dipping your toe in the water. For veterans of the genre, Chronos: Before The Ashes is simply too basic and easy to actively seek out.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Jordan Helm	3 / 5 stars	12-08-2020	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.	Read review
Hobby Consolas	Álvaro Alonso	75 / 100	11-30-2020	A modest souls-like that doesn’t excel at anything you’ve seen before in this kind of game, but with some unique ideas that work really well within the formula.	Read review
IGN Italy	Biagio Etna	7.9 / 10	11-30-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a minimalist, imperfect title with a basic spartan aesthetic and a slow pace. Despite this, it is able to give back a vivid sense of discovery and each new ravine or weapon, or power gives us another reason not to detach ourselves from it. The same scenic installation, initially disappointing, fits perfectly with the world hovering between enchantment and technology. A longevity not exactly excellent for the genre and the budget nature that emerges in almost every context of the production, the wings of Gunfire Games, which makes flight worthy of note, but does not go too far.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	John Rairdin	7.5 / 10	12-08-2020	Add to this a genuinely unique aging mechanic and Chronos: Before the Ashes manages to stand out from the crowd in a genre that seems bent on enraging its player base. While I wish the Switch version, particularly handheld mode, was more robust, I still greatly enjoyed my time with it. There is a very satisfying adventure here, but on Switch you may need to dig a little deeper to find it.	Read review
Noisy Pixel	Azario Lopez	7.5 / 10	11-30-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a solid action-adventure that doesn’t overstay its welcome or try to be something that it isn’t. If you’ve played the VR original, you’ll find quality-of-life improves, but this is still the same challenging adventure that you’ll remember. The gameplay is tight, responsive, and consistently fun; there’s nothing more I could really ask for from an action-adventure game.	Read review
PC Gamer	Luke Kemp	72 / 100	12-07-2020	A great example of how to craft a new game from an existing idea.	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Blake Grundman	5.5 / 10	12-01-2020	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.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	Timothy Nunes	7 / 10	11-30-2020	Chronos: Before The Ashes brings to the Souls formula some interesting ideas that, if further explored, could expand on a beloved formula quite nicely. However, in its present form, these ideas contradict themselves, creating more of a red herring than a legitimate risk-reward system. Regardless, the game is fun to play, but the narrative and initially appealing age mechanic don’t reach the end of the game with the same intensity.	Read review
PSX Brasil	Leonardo Cidreira	60 / 100	12-20-2020	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.	Read review
Rapid Reviews UK	Domenic Paolo	4.5 / 5 stars	12-10-2020	It has been mentioned on this site that soulslike games come a dime a dozen nowadays. Every developer wants to capitalize on the success of the genre by creating their own take on the intense and extremely difficult style of role-playing game. Chronos: Before the Ashes is yet another one of those soulslike games, but with a developer like Gunfire Games (responsible for some of the Darksiders entries) and a publisher like THQ Nordic, Chronos comes packed with a lot of promise to be something spectacular.	Read review
Rectify Gaming	Unknown	6.5 / 10	12-16-2020	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.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Ed Thorn	Not Recommended	12-07-2020	Chronos: Before The Ashes feels like a cash in, with nobody bothering to ask “does this really need to be ported over?”. Without VR it loses the magic of being in your living room knocking shit on the floor, and exposes the game as a very lukewarm soulslike.	Read review
RPGamer	Luis Mauricio	3.5 / 5 stars	12-04-2020	Though it may not reach the same atmospheric levels as Demon Souls or Bloodborne, action RPG fans would do well to give Chronos: Before the Ashes a chance to test their killing abilities.	Read review
Screen Rant	Cody Peterson	3 / 5 stars	11-30-2020	A fun action-RPG that loses a little without VR.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Rhett Roxl	8 / 10	12-03-2020	All-in-all, Chronos: Before the Ashes is great. It had a decent combat mechanic, the puzzles are entertaining, the age mechanic is interesting, and the level design is phenomenal. It’s not the perfect souls-like title, but it’s one of the more decent ones you can play.	Read review
SpazioGames	Unknown	6.7 / 10	12-06-2020	The transition from a VR-only title to a full fledged action rpg was not smooth, but Chronos Before The Ashes is still a decent choice if you’re looking for a simpler and more linear soulslike.	Read review
TechRaptor	James Bentley	7 / 10	11-30-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is an interesting game, but not a consistent one. Its world is occasionally fascinating, some mechanics are quite interesting and its general theming adds a lot to the universe	Read review
The Games Machine	Claudio Magistrelli	6.5 / 10	11-30-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes arrives too late to the party. Years ago, the main character’s aging mechanic would have been enough to grant it attention and praise. Today, it’s barely a spark of light in a technically dated game. The fact that the controls aren’t terribly responsive and the narrative is a bit confused don’t help either. Souls-addicted players might find its ten hours of length an enjoyable diversion, but that’s about it.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	TSA Staff	7 / 10	12-10-2020	Even without the original’s VR elements, Chronos: Before the Ashes’ compelling and somewhat challenging combat is still its main draw, in which you have to attack, dodge and parry your way, with refined precision, towards victory. Its aging system also adds an interesting twist to combat, imbuing your battles with a sense of prudence. That said, it doesn’t offer anything new to the genre. Just watch out for its clumsy camera angles and you’ll do fine.	Read review
ThisGenGaming	Justin Oneil	8 / 10	12-03-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a fine action RPG game that provided me around a dozen hours of fun. I thought the aging when you die mechanic was an interesting concept that worked well but also could have you feeling like you missed out on certain upgrades if you didn’t die enough. It also has a few issues with the camera and while it borrows a lot of things from the ‘souls’ games it never felt anywhere near as challenging as them. Anyone who enjoys solid combat, good dungeon and puzzle design, and who may want more lore from the Remnant universe will likely enjoy their time in the Labyrinth.	Read review
TrueGaming	خالد العيسى	6.5 / 10	12-20-2020	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.	Read review
Unboxholics	Στράτος Χατζηνικολάου	Not Recommended	12-28-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a “lukewarm” experience and unfortunately, too much effort was made for the port on consoles and PC, it still clearly bears the stamp of the VR title. It is overall very easy, since one can also choose the difficulty, so that it is quite more accessible to all players.	Read review
Video Chums	A.J. Maciejewski	5.9 / 10	11-30-2020	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.	Read review
WayTooManyGames	Leonardo Faria	7 / 10	11-30-2020	I don’t exactly think Chronos: Before the Ashes was worth the hype, but even though its combat was lame and its visuals underwhelming, it featured enough interesting puzzles and well-designed dungeons to make me want to play it to the very end. It didn’t make me want to revisit its Oculus counterpart, nor do I understand why this and Remnant had to be connected, but hey, it wasn’t exactly THAT bad. It certainly is better than the sum of its parts…	Read review
Wccftech	Chris Wray	6.5 / 10	12-01-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is an interesting enough title, one that does feature some interesting environments that really support a strong level of world-building. Even those not familiar with Remnant would find this interesting. However, looking beyond the environment and storytelling, you’re going to find aspects of the game lacking. The combat is far too forgiving, and you’ll have completed the game before encountering most of the perks to the fascinating ageing system. Do I recommend this? For an easy-going souls-lite title, it’s not bad, but it isn’t great either.	Read review
We Got This Covered	Billy Givens	2.5 / 5 stars	12-01-2020	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.	Read review
ZTGD	Ken McKown	7 / 10	12-17-2020	Chronos: Before the Ashes is a solid game for people like me who struggle with the genre. It is not as punishing and the death mechanic is unique and interesting. It kept me going throughout the campaign and I was able to tie some of the lore from Remnant up. I suggest checking this one out if you want to take a baby step into the genre. This game is much more accessible to those that struggle, but want to experience what everyone seems to be talking about. I am stoked to see what Gunfire Games comes up with next.	Read review

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About Chronos: Before the Ashes

Game Description / Storyline:

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!

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