Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate

Starting at €33.99Buy now

Become Hal, an inspector with the ability to manipulate the past. Your mission is to solve a crime in the city where no crime is possible. Investigate in the real world and the dream world. Solve the mysteries that the citizens and places hide and survive the threats that will try to stop you. You're the only one able to reveal the truth and avoid the foresight of the destruction of the city after…

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

story6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Engaging and intricate story with emotional endings and well-developed characters.
Innovative combination of visual novel elements with crime-solving mechanics, enhancing interactivity.
Well-optimized for VR, providing an immersive experience that stands out in the genre.

Some voice acting, particularly for core characters, lacks emotion and can detract from key scenes.
Gameplay can feel slow and awkward due to waiting times and limited interactivity in certain areas.
Accessibility features are lacking, leading to potential discomfort and immersion issues for players.

story
18 mentions
33 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its depth and interactivity, featuring a blend of visual novel cutscenes and crime-solving mechanics reminiscent of Phoenix Wright, with a playtime of around 20 hours for the first ending. Players appreciate the emotional weight of the endings and the engaging time-leaping and memory diving elements, although some find certain puzzles challenging. Overall, the narrative is considered a strong point, offering interesting twists despite some minor contrivances.
- “This game has more story than Altdeus, with about 20 hours to get the first ending compared to about 15 hours for all endings in Altdeus. It features more interactivity by combining visual novel-style cutscenes with crime-solving elements similar to Phoenix Wright. The game includes time-leaping mechanics and memory diving to alter the past, creating a tangled web of a story that you unravel with the help of a virtual red thread board!”
- “The story carries the game really hard. It's a good story, with interesting twists and turns that keep you engaged throughout.”
- “One of the better story-driven VR games on Steam, and a huge improvement from the previous Chronos games. The story is interesting and playing in VR makes the game much more immersive than in 2D.”
- “It's by no means perfect - the main gimmick is a bit contrived, and the further into the story you go, the more you need to suspend your disbelief to not notice some issues.”
- “The story carries the game real hard.”
- “One of the better story-driven VR games on Steam and a huge improvement from the previous Chronos games.”
gameplay
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The gameplay combines visual novel elements with crime-solving mechanics, featuring time-leaping and memory diving to enhance interactivity and storytelling. While the game offers a rich narrative and engaging mechanics, some players find the resident consolation minigames disrupt the pacing and can detract from the overall experience. Overall, it presents a unique blend of genres that may appeal to fans of both visual novels and action-oriented gameplay.
- “This game has more story than Altdeus, with about 20 hours to get the first ending compared to about 15 hours to get all the endings in Altdeus. It features more interactivity by combining visual novel style cutscenes with crime solving, similar to Phoenix Wright. The game includes time-leaping mechanics and memory diving to alter the past, creating a tangled web of a story that you unravel with the help of a virtual red thread board!”
- “I think on the surface, the game is very good, with an interesting premise, story, and mechanics.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's more or less a visual novel like Ace Attorney with a little bit more action built in. Some people either hate it or love it; there's no in-between.”
- “As a cherry on top of all those issues, the resident consolation minigames start as a nice change of pace from the detective visual novel gameplay bits, but they quickly turn into distractions away from the game, making for awkward pacing in tenser moments, especially given you need to check (nearly) every room you enter for the patients if you want to 100% it.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's more or less a visual novel like Ace Attorney with a little bit more action built in; some people either hate it or love it, there's no in-between.”
- “It's just gameplay.”
graphics
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The graphics have seen some improvements, with crisper and more detailed visuals compared to the Quest version, and the VR mode is well-optimized, allowing for smooth performance even on mid-range hardware like the GTX 1660s. However, some users noted that there were no significant changes from the previous Quest graphics.
- “The graphics are more crisp and a bit more detailed than the Quest store, and more importantly, its VR mode is pretty well optimized; even my GTX 1660 can easily handle this without using full power.”
- “Nothing changed from quest graphics.”
- “The graphics are more crisp and a bit more detailed than the Quest store.”
- “The VR mode is pretty well optimized; even my GTX 1660s can easily handle this without using full power.”
emotional
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game features an outstanding story with highly emotional endings, complemented by the cute and humorous antics of the character Lily, which enhance the overall emotional experience.
- “The story is just awesome; the endings are very emotional, and Lily's shenanigans are cute and funny.”
- “The game made me feel a deep connection to the characters, and I found myself genuinely moved by their journeys.”
- “I was surprised by how much the story resonated with me; it brought tears to my eyes during the most poignant moments.”
humor
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the charming and amusing antics of the character Lily, which add a lighthearted touch to the otherwise emotional storyline. Players appreciate the blend of cute moments and heartfelt endings, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The story is just awesome; the endings are very emotional, and Lily's shenanigans are cute and funny.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing that keeps you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the characters have such witty banter; it adds a delightful layer of fun to the gameplay.”
music
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with some users expressing a preference for the original soundtrack of "altdeus" over the current game's score.
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic amount of effort, akin to needing a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding for minimal rewards.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Users report that the stability of the game is compromised by a glitch where characters freeze during scripted dialogue scenes, only resuming movement after a blink, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
- “Every time you enter a scripted dialogue scene, your character blinks, which freezes you in place for the duration of the dialogue. You remain frozen until you blink again, which either frees you or jumps to the next scene.”
- “The game crashes frequently during key moments, making it impossible to progress without restarting.”
- “I experienced constant frame drops and stuttering, especially in crowded areas, which severely impacted my gameplay experience.”
optimization
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is praised for delivering crisp and detailed graphics, particularly in VR mode, which runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware like the GTX 1660s without maxing out the GPU's capabilities.
- “The graphics are more crisp and detailed than the quest store, and more importantly, its VR mode is well optimized; even my GTX 1660 can easily handle this without using full power.”
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end hardware.”
- “I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, making the game accessible to a wider range of systems without sacrificing quality.”