Chronos: Before the Ashes

 Xbox One
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. GAMES.CH
    Mar 3, 2021
    84
    Chronos: Before the Ashes is the console re-release of the Oculus Rift title Chronos set a couple of years before “Remnant: From the Ashes”, this game sets players on a perilous journey across foreign world. In this, the game manages to capture the spirit of old adventure games such as “Tomb Raider” with its many intricate, yet intuitive puzzles. It’s by no means perfect and the “souls”-inspired combat can be tedious at times. Yet this little gem knows how to balance action and exploration and just as players have seen it all, it ends. This was an incredibly satisfying journey to take and leaves us excited to see what developer Gunfire Games is working on in the future.
  2. GameSpew
    Nov 30, 2020
    80
    It’s not the biggest title in the world, but Chronos: Before the Ashes keeps you riveted from beginning to end. If you’re after an action RPG with some unique tricks up its sleeve you’d be wise to give it a go. And thanks to multiple difficulty levels, it doesn’t have to be an arduous affair. Those who have found themselves getting invested into Remnant: From the Ashes are particularly recommended to give Chronos: Before the Ashes a try. 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.
  3. IGN Italia
    Nov 30, 2020
    79
    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.
  5. Xbox Tavern
    Dec 7, 2020
    78
    I could not put Chronos: Before the Ashes down and fully enjoyed every minute of it. I could only wish it was longer with me clocking in 20 hours on Heroic difficulty. All in all a phenomenal experience, albeit shorter than I would like, though due to its VR roots I expect this had some factor in that. The story of a valiant hero slaying the dragon isn’t ground breaking but sets the tone perfectly for what is a very fun experience. The audio and visuals are both fantastic complimenting each other perfectly. I cannot wait to see what Gunfire Games have in store for the future of the Ashes franchise.
  6. God is a Geek
    Nov 30, 2020
    75
    Chronos: Before the Ashes is an enjoyable Soulslike that doesn't feel as unforgiving as most other games in the genre
  7. ZTGD
    Dec 17, 2020
    70
    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.
  8. MGG Spain
    Nov 30, 2020
    70
    A love letter to fans of fantasy and Action-RPG in the vein of the Souls saga. Chronos: Before the Ashes, is a perfect option to enjoy a fairy tale story with a chosen one, a dragon and tons of monsters to eliminate with your sword and shield strokes. Of course, for those who are tired of Souls, it's just more of the same, but shorter, so you can skip it.
  9. XboxAddict
    Jan 19, 2021
    68
    Chronos: Before the Ashes is a capable Soulslike that isn’t terrible by any means, but when comparing to it to Remnant, the lack of guns and complete genre shift simply doesn’t feel as satisfying or stand out. Maybe this is partly due to its VR roots, and while it makes some interesting changes to the typical Souls template, Chronos: Before the Ashes is a much simpler experience overall, not just with its combat, but overall design.
  10. MondoXbox
    Nov 30, 2020
    68
    Chronos: Before the Ashes introduces a "souls-lite" experience with an interesting aging mechanic but with a too low challenge level, even at the highest difficulty. Couple with an overly basic game and level design, it makes the game a bit too bland of an experience.
  11. Player 2
    Dec 8, 2020
    67
    Some interesting ideas combined with a relatively short run time makes Chronos good for one or two playthroughs that will genuinely make you appreciate its successor even more.
  12. Critical Hit
    Dec 2, 2020
    65
    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.
  13. The Games Machine
    Nov 30, 2020
    65
    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.
  14. TheXboxHub
    Nov 30, 2020
    60
    Chronos is simply a good, not great, hardcore action-RPG – one that is a little too light on features.
  15. Video Chums
    Nov 30, 2020
    59
    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.

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best Xbox One Game of 2020
95
#95 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2020

User Reviews

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User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 3 out of 7
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jan 5, 2021
    7
    Chronos: Before the Ashes: While Chronos sports is a shorter than I would've desired play-through is a simple and somewhat simple affair.Chronos: Before the Ashes: While Chronos sports is a shorter than I would've desired play-through is a simple and somewhat simple affair. Chronos places you as a common adventurer sett out on a quest to slay the Dragon before it can destroy the tranquility of the world by a talking tree, your initial objective is to defeat the three different guardians to lure out the evil and destroy it. While not ripe with story for story it is acceptable for the scale of the game. With this leading into Remnant, the ending leaves you with an intriguing note and chnaged my perspective completely. The worlds are well constructed in Chronos: Before the Ashes, and as you progress through these locales there’s some quaint side stories and brief lore that context the world around you. In regards to their aesthetics the rooms you traverse between do have some unappealing drawbacks as the characterised space contains non-breakables (objects) that are repeated throughout along with foes that creates somewhat of an artificial feeling. They are however well connected in their specific designed style. Stretches of combat and exploration are made to be gratifying by unlocking shortcuts that reveal a propensity by Gunfire Games for a rewarding design. Overcoming these challenges is truly where Chronos shines, even if the visual/envirnmental elements fail to live up to quite the same standards. An added layer to Chronos: Before the Ashes’s challenge comes from its unique death progression. Basically dying ages your character one year at a time with the older you are the more wise yet fragile you become similar to what happens in real life. Every ten years you unlock one of three wisdom traits that reshape your character’s stats which is a very nice structure in my opinion. The way this element changes your outset on a character build is just interesting enough to add to the fun. Strength and agility are locked once your character ages to a certain point, so creating a "super" for those stats is defintely something recommended. The actual visualization of your character’s age is really quite something to behold. If there’s anything from Chronos: Before the Ashes that should be implemented into a future Gunfire Games it's this as well as the statitical evolutions. Especially if it’s given more depth for drastically different character builds because although what’s here is decent, it still feels like it could be doing something even more at the same time. Fans of Remnant, the scaling back of systems and combat mechanics is going to be in contrast. Blocking, parrying, and dodging counterpart light and heavy attacks are a staple of the genre, but where Chronos: Before the Ashes positions itself differently is with arcane attacks. After a successful riposte, dodge or fully charged heavy attack, your weapon becomes charged with a select magic that deals extra damage. These add incentive to embrace the learning curve as you genuinely feel yourself getting better to maximise damage which in turn correlate with your character’s age and reliance on the arcane stat. Weapon variety furthers this approach as each weapon is wholly unique in their timings and move sets. While all of the stones have a different ability tailored for specific outcomes, you'll likely find your own favorite. I’ll be honest in summary, given that this game doesn’t exist in a VR world it feels light in the end. There are some very quality ideas at play but, Remnant: From The Ashes builds upon everything already here so it’s hard to just recommend Chronos: Before the Ashes as a standalone for someone who may not have played or wants to play it's bg brother. That being said, be sure to play Remnant: Before the Ashes and then come back and play Chronos: Before the Ashes on your Xbox One.… Full Review »
  2. JDavid22
    Dec 23, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. El juego me gustó bastante pero a la historia le pudieron sacar más potencial y debieron haber más jefes pero en lo demás me pareció un buen juego.… Full Review »
  3. san40511
    Oct 9, 2021
    7
    The game is good but short. The mechanic is good but the realization is buggy. Bosses are ok but. Not really souls like, this is lords of theThe game is good but short. The mechanic is good but the realization is buggy. Bosses are ok but. Not really souls like, this is lords of the fallen like :-) Slow and buggy. In general good game but nothing special… Full Review »
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