Chronos: Before the Ashes Starts Strong and Ends Weak – Review in 3 Minutes

Chronos: Before the Ashes is an action adventure game from Gunfire Games, previously only available on VR systems. It’s also the direct predecessor to Remnant: From the Ashes and tells the events that lead directly into that title.

You play as a young man or woman from a fledgling tribe of humans at the mercy of an oppressive dragon who’s sending monsters into the world from a mysterious labyrinth. As the bravest of your people, you must enter and hunt down the dragon, but failure comes at a cost. Every defeat ejects you from the labyrinth, and you’ll have to wait a full year to return. Your character ages after every defeat and skills you’ve leveled up can become more or less useful with age, lending weight to death.

I’m left to wonder if the VR perspective Chronos was originally designed for somehow changes the feel of combat. The toolset is strong but just doesn’t satisfy when put up against any level of challenge. The premise of the world and its history make a great impression, but the later half of the game overpowers it with tedium, imbalance, and a rushed finale. Chronos: Before the Ashes is out today for $29.99 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Watch our full Review in 3 Minutes for Chronos: Before the Ashes.