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Chroma Zero

Chroma Zero Game Cover
96%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
grinding, optimization
96% User Score Based on 227 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Chroma Zero Game Cover

About

Chroma Zero is a single player open world puzzle game with mystery and science fiction themes. It was developed by ekorz and was released on December 12, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Chroma Zero invites players to explore a vibrant, interconnected world where the environment itself is a dynamic puzzle shaped by your actions. Progression relies on understanding the rules of this mysterious space, rewarding curiosity and insight without traditional levels or boundaries. Immerse yourself in a universe rich with color, energy, and shifting challenges that continuously test your intuition.

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Chroma Zero screenshot
Chroma Zero screenshot
Chroma Zero screenshot
Chroma Zero screenshot
Chroma Zero screenshot
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96%
Audience ScoreBased on 227 reviews
gameplay13 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • Chroma Zero offers a unique and engaging puzzle experience that encourages exploration and experimentation, reminiscent of games like Outer Wilds and Antichamber.
  • The puzzles are well-designed, providing satisfying 'aha' moments and a sense of accomplishment as players gradually learn the mechanics of the game world.
  • The game's visuals and soundtrack create a beautiful and immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Some players may find the lack of guidance and the need for trial and error frustrating, especially when mistakes require a full reset of progress.
  • The game can feel overly obtuse at times, with certain puzzles lacking clear direction, leading to confusion and potential frustration.
  • While the game is praised for its creativity, some players feel that it could benefit from additional quality-of-life features, such as an undo button or more intuitive hints.
  • gameplay
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by clever mechanics and rewarding puzzles that encourage exploration and experimentation, appealing particularly to fans of knowledge-based and puzzle-centric games. Players appreciate the game's non-handholding approach, which fosters a sense of discovery and mastery over its mechanics, although some find certain mechanics arbitrary and challenging to decipher. Overall, the game is praised for its innovative design, engaging puzzles, and a charming atmosphere that resonates with fans of the "wilds-like" genre.

    • “Mechanics introductions are clever and puzzles are very rewarding once solved.”
    • “The puzzles are sometimes challenging while still being completely within the game's logic and very solvable, but you might need to experiment some to fully appreciate the ramifications of the mechanics involved.”
    • “The game is lovely, interesting, fun, and I love the mix of learning and using mechanics in new ways that make you familiarize yourself with the world!”
    • “Stopped playing when the game started introducing mechanics that are just arbitrary and make no sense, which have no hints, and which you're required to figure out in order to progress.”
    • “It takes, I'd say, half an hour to an hour of gameplay to figure out how to keep the stressful thing from happening - and it is very satisfying once you know what to do.”
    • “At one point I thought there must be some mechanic I didn't understand, but really it was just me not remembering how to apply my knowledge to something pretty simple.”
  • music
    47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its ability to enhance the overall experience through its beautiful, peaceful, and sometimes emotionally impactful compositions. The soundtrack is described as well-suited to the gameplay, reacting to player actions and contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and narrative. Overall, players find the music to be a standout feature, elevating the puzzle-solving experience and making it memorable.

    • “Great 'discovery game' with puzzle elements accompanied by an amazing soundtrack.”
    • “The fantastic music is a high point and suits the game very well, reacting to your actions in game without becoming annoying.”
    • “The art and music capture an enigmatic world of color and light, with the music being my favorite non-gameplay related aspect of the game.”
    • “Pretty game, with a nice (albeit repetitive) soundtrack.”
    • “The ambience of abstract geometry, calm music, and subtle worldbuilding makes it a nice experience to sit, stare, and reflect deeply about how it's impossible to go where you're trying to go next... followed by great aha moments when you accomplish the impossible.”
    • “The music is transcendental, the experience is one of a kind, and the price is a steal.”
  • graphics
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist and abstract aesthetic, featuring simple shapes and vibrant colors that create a visually pleasing experience. While some players noted performance issues at lower settings, the overall design is praised for its cohesive and impressive execution, complemented by excellent music and sound design. Despite the low-fidelity visuals, the game successfully delivers a captivating atmosphere that enhances its puzzle mechanics.

    • “The art style is colorful, simple, and abstract but suits the game very well without being noisy or distracting.”
    • “It's pretty impressive how little actual modeling and surfacing is in this game, yet the solo dev was able to pull together a cohesive and pleasing aesthetic.”
    • “A minimalist art style, full of ever-changing beautiful colors, bright lights, clean geometry, and gorgeous effects, are assembled in a way that has not been seen before and will likely never be seen for a long time.”
    • “I was getting uneven 30 fps on the lowest graphics settings.”
    • “The graphics are fairly low-fidelity, and there’s little relatable story, but the music was surprisingly excellent for such a low-budget game.”
    • “In terms of aesthetics, the game is pretty much made entirely of flat-shaded boxes, spheres, and other primitives.”
  • story
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimal and serves primarily as a backdrop to the puzzle mechanics, featuring a light narrative centered on helping a nonhuman sentient being. While the storyline lacks depth and emotional impact, it is complemented by a strong soundtrack and engaging puzzle design, making it a worthwhile experience for players who appreciate gameplay over narrative. Overall, the story is not the main focus, but it adds a layer of context to the puzzles, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.

    • “There is a storyline; it is relatively slight, but it features one of my favorite science fiction themes: helping out a nonhuman sentient being who is in trouble.”
    • “Story definitely played second fiddle to the puzzle mechanics, but the bit of added support was welcome compared to just an empty world of context-less puzzles.”
    • “Though the story stays very light, the puzzles are satisfying, the exploration feels very smart, and the music is on point.”
    • “So maybe don't expect a ton of story or emotional impact.”
    • “The graphics are fairly low-fidelity, and there’s little relatable story, but the music was surprisingly excellent for such a low-budget game.”
    • “Story definitely played second-fiddle for the puzzle mechanics, but the bit of added support was welcome compared to just an empty world of context-less puzzles.”
  • grinding
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the challenge and the sense of progress in solving puzzles, others criticize it for being tedious and repetitive, particularly when experimentation leads to frustrating dead ends. The lack of handholding and the need to revisit areas can make early gameplay feel laborious, though quick resets help mitigate some of the tedium. Overall, the game demands patience and persistence, rewarding those who can navigate its challenges without becoming overwhelmed.

    • “If you want to give the game a shot but are apprehensive because of its open nature and tedious solutions - get the game and refer to the walkthrough posted to Steam when you get stuck.”
    • “While resetting is quick and you can redo most things fairly quickly, it's just too fiddly and tedious for me to want to continue.”
    • “The beginning of the game can be a bit tedious if you don't find a certain knowledge rather quickly; you're bound to explore again and again the same limited area while having to repeat the exact same path in order to be able to experiment.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its inviting yet mysterious qualities, combining colorful visuals with a foreboding undertone. Reviewers appreciate the intriguing environment and the impactful soundtrack, which together enhance the overall immersive experience.

    • “Enjoyed the game atmosphere a lot with all the visual style and soundtrack!”
    • “The atmosphere and environment are intriguing.”
    • “The atmosphere is both inviting (colorful, friendly), but also mysterious, and in some cases foreboding.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues that hinder gameplay. Many feel that the optimization is inadequate, leading to a choppy experience. Overall, performance remains a notable drawback.

    • “The only thing that is lacking is the performance; it's really chugging along.”
    • “My one issue with it is the optimization.”
    • “The only thing currently lacking is the performance, as the optimization is far from great.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While the game may not offer a deep narrative or consistent emotional weight, it features moments where the music elevates the experience, transforming simple gameplay into a surprisingly poignant journey. Influenced by titles like Zelda and Outer Wilds, it is praised for its cleverness and heartfelt design, resonating strongly with fans of the metroidvania genre.

    • “There are some points, though, when you're making important progress that the music kicks up more dramatically and turns a simple game of shapes and colors into a surprisingly emotional experience.”
    • “Inspired by the likes of Zelda, Outer Wilds, The Witness, etc., this is an incredibly clever, heartfelt, and creative metroidvania, my very favorite genre.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is rated around 6.5/10, with players noting that while there are secrets to discover upon revisiting, the puzzles lose their appeal once the initial mystery is solved. However, the inclusion of a speedrunning mechanic significantly enhances replay value for competitive players.

    • “The replay value is 6.5/10; there are still secrets and things you may want to go back for after completing the game. However, once the mystery is gone, the puzzles are not endlessly replayable. This metric is much higher for speedrunners due to the built-in speedrunning mechanic in the menu and the already extremely competitive speedrunning community.”
    • “Replay value: 6.5/10. There are probably still going to be secrets and things you may want to go back for after completing, but once the mystery is gone, the puzzles are not endlessly replayable. This metric is much higher for speedrunners due to the built-in speedrunning mechanic in the menu and an already extremely competitive speedrunning community.”
    • “After finishing the game, I found little incentive to replay it. The initial excitement fades quickly, and the puzzles lose their charm once you know the solutions.”
    • “While there are some hidden elements to discover, the overall experience doesn't encourage multiple playthroughs. Once you've solved the puzzles, there's not much left to keep you engaged.”
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7h Median play time
9h Average play time
6-14h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Chroma Zero is a open world puzzle game with mystery and science fiction themes.

Chroma Zero is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 9 hours playing Chroma Zero.

Chroma Zero was released on December 12, 2024.

Chroma Zero was developed by ekorz.

Chroma Zero has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Chroma Zero is a single player game.

Similar games include Chants of Sennaar, Leap Year, COCOON, The Witness, WitCup 12 and others.