Chronoquartz

About

Chronoquartz is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Infinite Stairs and was released on October 1, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

In Chronoquartz, every move matters! You have 10 turns per loop: explore, solve puzzles, and use your past knowledge to progress. Strategy, critical thinking, and time management will be your allies in this unique temporal adventure. Will you succeed in saving time?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

99%

Audience ScoreBased on 185 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Chronoquartz features clever and engaging puzzles that reward players for their knowledge and planning, making each successful loop satisfying.
The game has a charming retro aesthetic and a well-executed time loop mechanic that keeps gameplay fresh and interesting.
With a compact playtime of around 5 hours, Chronoquartz is a delightful experience that doesn't overstay its welcome, making it perfect for a weekend gaming session.

Some puzzles can feel overly simplistic or uninspired, with a few instances of unclear wording that may lead to confusion.
The game lacks keybindings and has some minor control issues, which can detract from the overall experience.
While the game is generally well-designed, there are moments where players may feel frustrated by the strict action limit and the potential to lose progress due to mistakes.

gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
63%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by a clever and engaging time-loop mechanic that enhances puzzle-solving and exploration, providing a satisfying blend of challenge and discovery. Players appreciate the smooth character movement and the variety of mechanics introduced in each area, which keeps the experience fresh and rewarding without becoming frustrating. Overall, the game is praised for its addictive nature, thoughtful design, and the emotional weight added by its time-based challenges.
- “The game's final moments, when it asks you to really take advantage of all that you've learned exploring its mechanics, are well-executed and satisfying.”
- “By blending time-loop mechanics with deliberate puzzle design and atmospheric exploration, it delivers an experience that feels quietly confident and intellectually rewarding.”
- “A delightful puzzle game that gets far more use out of its central mechanic (the world resets after you make 10 moves) than you'd think possible.”
- “Most of the gameplay takes the form of doing the rather obvious next thing, where you're then told another rather obvious next thing to do.”
- “There were a couple of mechanics that I don't think were quite introduced well enough for me to figure out the puzzle without help, but overall a cute concept and didn't overstay its welcome.”
- “The time loop mechanic is squeezed out in a variety of clever ways, and there is always something new around the corner to distract you from the fact that the puzzles themselves never get too challenging.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players finding it engaging and well-integrated with the gameplay, particularly through environmental storytelling and character interactions. However, some reviews note that the narrative can feel shallow or secondary to the puzzle-solving elements, with a basic fantasy premise that includes interesting twists like time manipulation. Overall, while the story may not be the main draw for everyone, it complements the gameplay effectively and adds to the overall experience.
- “Great story that fits the gameplay perfectly.”
- “I found it really engaging, and by the end, the story really got interesting too.”
- “Instead, story details are uncovered gradually through environmental cues, brief character encounters, and the implications of the time loop itself.”
- “The story isn't as good as the gameplay and I feel like it takes a backseat while you solve puzzles.”
- “And it also integrates with the story, though it's quite a shallow story.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The graphics of Chronoquartz are characterized by a clean, retro-inspired pixel art style that enhances clarity and readability, making puzzle elements easily identifiable. While some users noted minor issues with lighting effects and occasional unclear graphics, the overall aesthetic is praised for its consistency and charm, contributing positively to the gameplay experience. The visuals, though not groundbreaking, effectively support the game's engaging puzzles and narrative.
- “Visually, the game adopts a clean, retro-inspired pixel art style that prioritizes clarity and readability.”
- “The restrained aesthetic works in the game’s favor, ensuring that puzzle elements, pathways, and interactable objects are easy to identify at a glance.”
- “Short yet interesting puzzle game with great visuals, definitely worth checking out.”
- “In terms of graphics and audio, Chronoquartz is 'retro.' The sprite work and music are both fine, though sometimes the lighting effects are unpleasant.”
- “The graphics remind me of a certain kind of mobile game; that's largely a personal gripe that doesn't mean much.”
- “The game obviously doesn't have the best looks in the world, but it didn't try to; there's certainly nothing wrong with the graphics either, and they do the job just fine.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in Chronoquartz is generally well-received, with many players enjoying the soundtrack and its fitting retro vibe. However, there are notable issues with sound quality during slow-motion sequences, where the music's quality drops significantly, detracting from the experience. Overall, while the music is considered decent and complements the game's aesthetic, the technical flaws in certain scenarios have led to mixed feelings among players.
- “The music is just a blast too.”
- “Personally, I love the soundtrack; it is really awesome and totally fits with the vibe of a small pixel indie game.”
- “Coming back to the game, it's worth noting that the music is decent, and the art style is contained and looks good.”
- “When using slow-motion, the music slows down, and it seems that the sound quality of the slowed music drops sharply.”
- “Not sure if this is in fact sound quality or simply the game's OST is not mixing well with the slowdown, but it felt bad to the point of muting the game for these segments.”
- “An interesting aspect of this game seems to be that it uses a lot of asset packs for art/music.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's optimization is praised for its thoughtfully designed rooms that encourage strategic planning and discovery of shortcuts. However, players may need to embrace a mindset of patience and repetition, as the initial stages can be challenging until they grasp the rhythm of learning and optimization.
- “Each room feels intentionally designed, with layouts that invite optimization and shortcuts that gradually reveal themselves as understanding deepens.”
- “The game does demand a particular mindset—players unwilling to plan ahead or tolerate repetition may find the early stages challenging until the rhythm of learning and optimization becomes clear.”
- “The optimization mechanics feel underdeveloped, leading to frustration rather than satisfaction as players try to improve their strategies.”
- “Despite the potential for optimization, the lack of clear guidance often leaves players feeling lost and overwhelmed.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be manageable, noting that while some puzzles can be tedious and certain clues may lack clarity, the overall experience remains enjoyable and concise. The game's design minimizes excessive repetition, preventing the grinding from becoming overly burdensome.
- “Like most time loop games, needing to move through the same areas and do some of the same things again is slightly tedious, but it's an otherwise tightly designed game where it wasn't too bad.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the feeling of being ensnared in a repetitive cycle, striving to prevent an impending disaster while unraveling the mystery of the chronoquartz artifact, which enhances the overall experience without detracting from the gameplay. Players also express a sense of accomplishment and intelligence when solving the puzzles, contributing to the emotional engagement.
- “The sense of being trapped in a repeating cycle, trying to avert an unseen catastrophe or uncover the truth behind the chronoquartz artifact, adds emotional weight to the mechanical challenges without overshadowing them.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a confident blend of time-loop mechanics and thoughtful puzzle design, creating an intellectually rewarding experience that encourages exploration.
- “By blending time-loop mechanics with deliberate puzzle design and atmospheric exploration, it delivers an experience that feels quietly confident and intellectually rewarding.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its witty writing and engaging narrative, complemented by charming pixel art that enhances the overall experience.
- “Great pixel art, funny writing, captivating story.”