Chronology
- September 10, 2014
- Bedtime Digital Games
- 2h median play time
"Chronology" is a single-player platformer game with an engaging plot and impressive gameplay. Players control the Old Inventor and his sidekick, The Snail, using their unique abilities to manipulate time and solve puzzles in a vivid, vibrant universe. The game features time travel, puzzles, and two loveable characters, all set in a magical world that combines elements from different times and cultures.
Reviews
- Chronology features interesting time manipulation mechanics that enhance puzzle-solving and gameplay.
- The game has a charming art style and a pleasant soundtrack, contributing to a relaxing gaming experience.
- It's a short and enjoyable game, making it a great way to spend a couple of hours without a significant time commitment.
- The game is plagued by bugs, including crashes and issues with loading, which can disrupt gameplay.
- Many puzzles lack logical coherence, leading to frustration and confusion during play.
- Chronology is very short, with a playtime of around 2-3 hours, which may not justify its price for some players.
- story59 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Chronology" is generally described as simple and short, featuring a scientist dwarf on a quest against an evil master, with a mix of charm and humor. While some players appreciate the engaging presentation and voice acting, many feel the narrative lacks depth and detail, often resulting in a predictable and unfulfilling experience. Overall, the story serves its purpose but leaves players wanting more in terms of character development and plot complexity.
“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.”
“The story is simple and predictable but does its job.”
“With a story that hooks us in its beginning and puzzles following the same quality, all we needed were charismatic characters.”
“The story makes absolutely no sense, but lacks any aspects of satire, lampoon, or comedy.”
“The story is unfulfilling, the controls are clunky, the time travel gimmick is not really used to its full potential, stopping time (the snail ability) is only used very rarely and can mostly be ignored, and the puzzles range from really easy to nonsensical.”
“The excuse plot is paper, and the puzzles barely touch the possibilities offered by time travel.”
- gameplay55 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by engaging time manipulation mechanics that blend puzzle-solving with platforming elements, reminiscent of titles like Braid and Limbo. While the game offers a charming art style and enjoyable puzzles, some players noted that it lacks innovation and can feel short, with a few minor bugs present. Overall, it provides a fun and relaxing experience, particularly at a low price point, though some mechanics may feel underutilized or gimmicky.
“A great way to spend a quiet afternoon or evening with nice graphics, game mechanics, and soundtrack, featuring just the right amount of puzzles for a relaxing time.”
“The gameplay is unique and creative and worth a play if you like puzzle platformers.”
“An expertly crafted platformer, the game boasts a beautiful art style to complement its sharp gameplay.”
“Overall that just seemed like a poor design choice as it didn't even use the main game mechanics anymore for those.”
“Would be a great game if the last level didn't just abandon the time travel mechanics completely and made you do timed jumping puzzles to ramp up the challenge.”
“It had good music and artwork, but the puzzles were really gimmicky, and the gameplay was a letdown.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and charming art style, smooth animations, and overall aesthetic appeal, making it a visually pleasing experience. Many reviewers highlight the artwork as a standout feature, complementing the gameplay with a coherent design that enhances the atmosphere. However, some users noted technical issues and a lack of differentiation from other titles in the genre, though the visuals remain a strong point throughout.
“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.”
“Chronology is a short but sweet and fun puzzle platformer with really nice graphics.”
“An expertly crafted platformer, the game boasts a beautiful art style to complement its sharp gameplay.”
“Game graphics broke when I turned it for the second time.”
“Chronology boasts some pretty, if somewhat childish, visuals, but fails to differentiate itself from other time-manipulation platformers that came before.”
“It's not even that graphics-heavy of a game; I can't guess why these sorts of levels take so long to load.”
- music34 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its catchy and fitting nature. While some noted a limited number of tracks, the soundtrack is generally described as enjoyable and well-suited to the game's themes and mechanics. Overall, the combination of good music and appealing art style contributes significantly to the game's charm and relaxing experience.
“A great way to spend a quiet afternoon or evening; nice graphics, game mechanics, and soundtrack with just the right amount of puzzles for a relaxing time.”
“The story telling is nice, the music matches the game's atmosphere, and the puzzles, though not hard, are fun to solve.”
“Great music, scenery, and storyline.”
“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.”
“- only a few music tracks”
“- music was cute along with the graphic sprites which are ok”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and charming nature, featuring clever linguistic jokes and witty character exchanges. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone, which complements the innovative puzzles and engaging story, making it a delightful experience for those seeking casual gameplay with a touch of fun. Overall, the humor enhances the game's appeal, contributing to its colorful and enjoyable atmosphere.
“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 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.”
“The game has a pretty good sense of humor, and I really enjoyed the exchanges between characters.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its enchanting, fairy tale-like quality, complemented by a fitting soundtrack and engaging storytelling. It creates a relaxing environment ideal for casual players, making it enjoyable to complete in a single afternoon, despite its shorter length. Overall, the combination of art style, music, and fun puzzles contributes to a captivating experience.
“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.”
“The good thing is that its relaxed atmosphere is perfect to play through in an afternoon.”
“The storytelling is nice, the music matches the game's atmosphere, and the puzzles, though not hard, are fun to solve.”
“The game’s target group is mainly children or casual players due to its relaxing, fairy tale-like atmosphere, short levels, and easy difficulty.”
“While the game is a bit short, the atmosphere, art style, soundtrack, and puzzles really keep you engaged throughout its runtime.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs and crashes on various systems, including older platforms like Windows Phone 8. Many players describe the game as feeling poorly coded, leading to a frustrating experience overall.
“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.”
“I've played this game years ago when it was released on Windows Phone 8. It was free for the first 3 chapters, but as we all know, the Windows Phone is a buggy OS. It often crashed at some parts and I can't even reach the 3rd chapter.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered to have low replayability, as it is short and linear, leaving little incentive for players to return after completion. While some users find the experience acceptable for its price, the lack of additional content or varied gameplay diminishes its long-term appeal.
“Kind of short with no replay value, though.”
“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.”
“Ultra linear, so virtually no replayability.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to repetitive tasks that can feel monotonous over time, even if the initial experience isn't overly negative.
“While this doesn't seem that bad, actually sitting through those 2-3 minutes multiple times becomes very tedious.”