Chronology

About

Chronology is a single player arcade action adventure game. It was developed by Bedtime Digital Games and was released on May 12, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

Chronology is a mind-bending mix of puzzle, adventure and platform game where you defy time by manipulating the past and the future, in order to fix the present. Play as the Old Inventor and his sidekick The Snail, and take advantage of their special abilities - travel back and forth in time, stop time, manipulate objects and solve puzzles.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 454 reviews

gameplay75 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

Chronology features a charming art style and beautiful visuals that enhance the overall experience.
The time manipulation mechanics, allowing players to switch between past and future, create engaging and clever puzzles.
The game offers a light-hearted story with enjoyable character interactions, particularly between the inventor and the snail.

The game is very short, typically taking only 1.5 to 2 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more.
Some puzzles can feel unintuitive or overly simplistic, leading to moments of frustration rather than satisfaction.
There are technical issues, including long loading times and occasional bugs that can disrupt gameplay.

gameplay
172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
54%
2%
Chronology features engaging gameplay centered around time manipulation mechanics, allowing players to switch between past and present to solve puzzles. While the game is visually appealing and offers a charming narrative, many players find the puzzles to be relatively simple and repetitive, with some mechanics underutilized, leading to a short overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game is praised for its unique concept and enjoyable mechanics, making it a worthwhile play for fans of puzzle-platformers.
- “The game’s central mechanic—the ability to manipulate time—forms the heart of its identity.”
- “The gameplay is unique and creative and worth a play if you like puzzle platformers.”
- “A fun little puzzler that made pretty good use of diversifying the mechanics that you could use for each puzzle and the puzzles all had logical solutions.”
- “The ideas for gameplay, stopping time, jumping between time zones are nice, but they don't do anything imaginative with them. The puzzles are relatively simple and samey, then you get one which is nonsensical, so you can't help but get bored. The story doesn't help - I mean it's not objectionable but it's once again not really imaginative.”
- “The controls are sloppy, the puzzles are simple and repetitive even for a short game, and the primary mechanics (the time freeze and time reversal) seem almost unnecessary.”
- “Finally, although I felt it had potential at first, the game mechanics turn out to be too simple to create complex and interesting puzzles, and probably that's why they ended up with this short and easy game.”
story
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
54%
2%
The story in "Chronology" is generally described as simple, straightforward, and somewhat predictable, often lacking depth and detail. While it features charming visuals and a cute premise involving time manipulation, many reviewers noted that the narrative feels rushed and underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more. Despite its shortcomings, the story is appreciated for its sincerity and ability to engage players in a brief, enjoyable experience, particularly for those who favor casual, story-driven gameplay.
- “It’s a small story told with sincerity, and that earnestness gives it staying power beyond its brief runtime.”
- “Chronology shows us the lore in a very captivating way; all its relation with time (not only in the story but also in the puzzles) gives the game a mysterious characteristic of good storytelling.”
- “If you enjoy puzzle games that make you think in creative ways and have a soft spot for charming worlds, this little time-bending story is well worth a play.”
- “The story is unfulfilling; the controls are clunky, the time travel gimmick is not really used to its full potential, and the puzzles range from really easy to nonsensical.”
- “The storyline is muddled, and the protagonist only has enough personality to be dislikable.”
- “I honestly couldn't tell you what the story was about, as it was pretty bare-bones, not captivating, and didn't make much sense.”
graphics
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
34%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, colorful, and slightly surreal art style, which effectively blends mechanical and organic elements. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful hand-drawn visuals and animations, noting that they enhance the overall experience despite some minor technical issues like screen tearing. Overall, the aesthetic quality is considered one of the game's standout features, contributing significantly to its appeal as a relaxing puzzle-platformer.
- “Let’s start with the pluses - good story that is developed further, original game concept, two charismatic main heroes with time-based special abilities, sense of humor, well-designed puzzles, difficulty suitable for casual players, beautiful game graphics, good music, and great voice acting.”
- “The artwork is nicely done with a good mix of color palettes distinguishing the brighter, full-of-potential present-time and the darker, post-cataclysm future.”
- “The graphics are charming and well-done.”
- “Also, the graphics can be quite jagged, where it blurs the screen. Coding error?”
- “Chronology boasts some pretty, if somewhat childish, visuals, but fails to differentiate itself from other time-manipulation platformers that came before and that had more soul.”
- “It's not even that graphics-heavy of a game; I can't guess why these sorts of levels take so long to load.”
music
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
35%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its melodic and immersive qualities that complement the gameplay and visuals. While the soundtrack is described as beautiful and fitting for various scenes, some players mentioned a limited number of tracks and occasional sound balancing issues. Overall, the music is considered one of the standout features, contributing significantly to the game's charm and emotional impact.
- “The sound design reinforces this atmosphere with soft, melodic music and subtle environmental cues that mirror the game’s themes of reflection and wonder.”
- “The music here fits in well and is very, very awesome, ranging from happy to urgent, to bleak, to pensive, and it seems that every scene you are in is complemented perfectly by a fitting musical score.”
- “The world is made more interesting by its wonderful art style and lovely music, making progression through its short 2-3 hours a joy for eyes and ears.”
- “The music seems well written, but the sound is unbalanced so it gets washed out by the crunchy sound effects.”
- “The game is not flawless of course, so here are the minuses - quite a short length, snail’s ability to stop time is not sufficiently used, sometimes clunky controls and low number of music tracks.”
- “The sounds sometimes clip out when changing between characters (at one point the music entirely stopped until I progressed, or the music was there but some sound effects were missing).”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the funny dialogues, quirky character interactions, and clever puzzles that incorporate a lighthearted tone. Many reviews highlight the charm of the characters and the overall whimsical atmosphere, making it an enjoyable experience for those seeking casual entertainment. However, some players question whether the humor is intentional or a result of budget limitations.
- “The game has a pretty good sense of humor, and I really enjoyed the exchanges between characters.”
- “A wonderful and pleasant game with funny and ingenious puzzles.”
- “The game is recommended for those of you looking for some casual puzzle solving with mild platforming challenges added to the mix in a beautiful colorful world with funny lovable characters.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some players experience minor issues, others face major problems, including crashes and performance inconsistencies across different devices. Overall, the game feels poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.
- “The game would in fact not launch on my other computer, but works mostly fine on this one...? On top of that, it's quite buggy and feels spaghetti coded.”
- “First of all, the game is really buggy.”
- “Okay game, but not worth the long and/or buggy loading screens.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
25%
58%
Overall, the game has very low replayability, with most players noting that once completed, there is little incentive to return due to its short length and straightforward puzzles. Many reviews highlight the lack of additional content or challenges, making the experience feel final after a single playthrough. While the game is well-executed, its linear nature and standard story contribute to a consensus that it offers minimal replay value.
- “Replay value: 3/5”
- “Not much replay value; the story is pretty standard and the puzzles go fast once you figure them out.”
- “Took me 2 hours to finish it and that's pretty much all there is to it, as there's no replayability whatsoever.”
- “As with most puzzle games, after the game is completed, there is nothing to come back to - so well, no replay value, but for the small price it's fine.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
18%
18%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its soft, melodic music and enchanting environmental cues that enhance the themes of reflection and wonder. It creates a relaxing, fairy tale-like experience that appeals to casual players and children, making it ideal for leisurely play. Overall, the combination of art style, soundtrack, and engaging puzzles contributes to a captivating and immersive atmosphere.
- “The sound design reinforces this atmosphere with soft, melodic music and subtle environmental cues that mirror the game’s themes of reflection and wonder.”
- “For players who enjoy slower, story-driven experiences that emphasize atmosphere and ingenuity over difficulty, Chronology is a gentle and rewarding journey.”
- “The story telling is nice, the music matches the game's atmosphere, and the puzzles, though not hard, are fun to solve.”
- “The game’s target group are mainly children or casual players due to the game's relaxing fairy tale-like atmosphere, short levels, and easy difficulty.”
- “It is a bit short, but the atmosphere, art style, soundtrack, and puzzles really keep you interested for the runtime of the game.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many noting that repetitive tasks and slow progression detract from overall enjoyment. While some acknowledge that the grind can be manageable at a low price point, the technical difficulties and lack of satisfying rewards contribute to a negative experience.
- “As well as the transition from the snail to the old man gets a bit tedious.”
- “I am definitely on the fence on this one; for $1 maybe yes, but because of the technical difficulties, I found it more tedious than enjoyable :(”
- “While this doesn't seem that bad, actually sitting through those 2-3 minutes multiple times becomes very tedious.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Chronology is praised for its heartfelt narrative that explores themes of time, consequence, and companionship, creating a memorable emotional experience. The game's whimsical art and clever mechanics enhance its touching story, particularly the inventor's guilt and determination, leaving a strong impact on players. Overall, it stands out as a wholesome and endearing adventure in the indie puzzle-platformer genre.
- “Chronology is a thoughtful and endearing puzzle-platformer developed and published by Bedtime Digital Games, blending inventive mechanics with a heartfelt narrative about time, consequence, and companionship.”
- “What follows is a short but memorable adventure that combines accessible puzzle design with a beautifully illustrated world and a surprisingly emotional tone.”
- “The narrative’s emotional undertones, centered on the inventor’s guilt and determination to mend what he once destroyed, resonate strongly by the time the credits roll.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is noted for its warmth and personality, especially in the charming design and animation of the snail character. However, overall, the depth of character development is perceived as lacking, with little progression or complexity in the narrative.
- “The character designs, while simple, exude warmth and personality, particularly the snail, whose animation and gentle demeanor make her an unexpected highlight.”
- “There isn't much sense in the character development.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization model is praised for prioritizing player enjoyment over profit, distinguishing it from typical cash-grab titles that rely on formulaic trends. Players appreciate the genuine effort behind the game's design, suggesting a commitment to quality and player experience.