Time Break Chronicles
- September 1, 2020
- Warrior General Games, LLC
- 25h median play time
Get on Steam"Time Break Chronicles" is a JRPG-Roguelite hybrid with 100 playable classes. Embark on a procedurally generated space-time adventure, building your team and customizing abilities to outsmart challenging foes and overcome various obstacles in strategic turn-based combat. Your choices in character builds, abilities, and items determine your success in this expansive journey. * 100 playable classes * Procedurally generated maps * Strategic turn-based combat against diverse foes
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a diverse cast of characters, each with unique abilities and playstyles, allowing for extensive team customization and strategy.
- The turn-based combat is engaging and requires tactical decision-making, making every battle feel significant and challenging.
- The developers are responsive to feedback and actively work on updates, improving the game and addressing bugs regularly.
- Battles can be excessively long and drawn out, often feeling like a slog due to high enemy HP and the need for strategic planning.
- Some mechanics and character abilities are not clearly explained, leading to confusion during combat and making it difficult to understand enemy actions.
- The game can be frustratingly difficult at times, with certain bosses feeling nearly impossible to defeat without specific strategies or character builds.
- story150 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered minimal and serves primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay, with many players noting that it lacks depth and complexity typical of traditional RPGs. While some appreciate the light narrative and character quests that enhance gameplay, others feel it is merely filler, with the real focus being on the roguelite mechanics and combat. Overall, the story is seen as serviceable but not a primary draw, appealing more to those who prefer action and character customization over a compelling narrative.
“The story is a simple, timeline/dimension-crossing romp.”
“Story: 7.5/10 a fairly standard adventure plot about a scientist named Claire who invents portal tech, meets an alternate older version of herself and recruits warriors from past/present/future to take on a dogmatic cult that wants to empower a very dubious eldritch being with possibly bad intentions for the multiverse.”
“The story isn't the strongest, but is cohesive and at least mildly interesting (while explaining the sci-fi magic mix that is going on.) in this price range the game has no competition, and I encourage everyone to give it an honest try.”
“Do not expect a story in this game.”
“The story is minimal and the exploration is Slay the Spire style with you spending points at a hub, which for me is a huge positive.”
“You will hate this game if you are playing it for the storyline, simply want to rush through the entire game as fast as possible, or are looking for a pure roguelike experience.”
- gameplay148 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a standout feature, combining classic JRPG mechanics with roguelite elements, allowing for deep character customization and strategic team-building. Players appreciate the variety of nearly 100 unique characters, each with distinct abilities, which encourages experimentation and tactical decision-making. However, some mechanics can be unclear, and the grind may feel daunting to some, but the overall experience is engaging and rewarding for fans of the genre.
“If you like the classic Final Fantasy gameplay (like V or VI), want a roguelite twist on it (satisfying meta progression, various builds), with a massive roster and straight-to-the-action mission loop where every fight feels like a mini-boss that lets your build show how they work, grab this game.”
“Gameplay: 10/10 for an inspired genre mashup that is super fun and satisfying to loop through countless times.”
“This game has the most mechanically deep and satisfying JRPG combat in any game I've ever played.”
“Another thing is that some mechanics are not very clear, like sleep damage and stun damage.”
“The gameplay is somewhat repetitive and could probably feel grindy to some, but that is sort of the nature of the game.”
“The core gameplay is fine, but the devil's in the details - a horrendously sluggish grind, an inane relic binding mechanic so you have to grind the relics you want all over again if you wanted to use any of the impressively diverse cast of characters, and damage sponge-y enemies that make fights take so long you'll dread how this game only has one damn track for battles.”
- grinding58 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
Overall, the reviews highlight a mixed approach to grinding in the game. While many players appreciate the streamlined combat and minimal grinding, some note that unlocking all customization options and character quests can feel grindy, particularly for completionists. The game is generally designed to reduce tedious grinding, making it more puzzle-oriented, but certain aspects may still require time investment for full completion.
“The one complaint I actually agree with is this game can be grindy to unlock everything.”
“Grinding isn't necessarily a bad thing in games, but it's definitely not fun in this one.”
“The gameplay is somewhat repetitive and could probably feel grindy to some, but that is sort of the nature of the game.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic 16-bit JRPG aesthetic reminiscent of classics like Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger, featuring charming character designs and clean traditional bit graphics. While some players have experienced performance issues on lower-end systems due to advanced graphical settings, these can be easily resolved by adjusting the settings. Overall, the visuals are well-received, contributing positively to the game's appeal, especially for fans of retro-style RPGs.
“Also, I've really enjoyed the aesthetics of each character; they all look great.”
“Graphics: 8/10. Traditional bit graphics are nice and clean.”
“Some systems (like the laptop I've been using to play it) cannot handle the advanced graphical settings - it's all the shaders and stuff, I believe - and will softlock when entering town.”
“It definitely has that 16-bit era JRPG feel in terms of the graphics, and some of the character types are clearly ones seen in Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy 6.”
“This is easily fixed, just drop your graphics setting down a notch, and it works fine.”
- music28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its nostalgic JRPG vibe reminiscent of classics like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, while others find it repetitive and lacking in variety. The soundtrack is described as solid but could benefit from more diverse tracks, as some players have resorted to muting it in favor of their own music. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, there is a clear desire for improvement and expansion in the soundtrack.
“The soundtrack is an absolute banger, it's got that wicked old-school JRPG vibe to it.”
“It has that Chrono Trigger feel, not because of the time travel, but the vibe with music and characters.”
“Graphics, sound, and music are all good, especially for an RPG of this nature.”
“That said, there's not much variety and it can get very repetitive after a while, so you wouldn't be blamed for muting the music and playing your own.”
“More variety in the soundtrack is something I'd like to see.”
“It's just these really badly tuned fights and terrible music that grind your patience down to where you really want to play anything else.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, with players praising its strategic depth, diverse options, and the ability to recruit various characters, making each playthrough unique. It effectively combines elements of classic turn-based RPGs and modern rogue-like mechanics, offering a rich experience that many feel justifies its value. While generally well-received for replayability, some users note that there are still minor improvements needed.
“Absolute gem bursting at the seams with replay value.”
“When it comes to 'replayability', I'd claim that that's pretty high.”
“Story is wrapping up, but I would argue for pure replayability and recruitable characters and all the combinations to play with; this is more game than most games at double the price range.”
“It melds old-school, turn-based RPGs like Final Fantasy 6 with modern rogue-like games and ensures that it has a very long replay value.”
- stability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game exhibits notable stability issues, including frequent soft-locks, glitches, and some buggy characters and abilities. However, it performs well on the Steam Deck, and despite these problems, players generally give it a positive rating.
“Also runs great on Steam Deck.”
“Take a gander over at the bug report page, and you'll see soft-locks and glitches galore.”
“Warning, there are a few buggy characters, abilities, and relics.”
“Battles can still drag on a little long, and I'm getting some visual glitches.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's monetization strategy is generally well-received, as it avoids heavy reliance on microtransactions, distinguishing itself from typical mobile RPGs. Users suggest that with some advertising, the game could gain significant popularity.
“It feels more like the RPG element of the fake mobile RPGs than a roguelike, but refined to not center around microtransactions.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by moments of absurdity, such as a pirate character unpredictably dealing massive damage to a corpse instead of targeting a more relevant enemy, leading to a mix of frustration and amusement for players.
“It is mildly frustrating but also humorous to watch a pirate who you can't control sometimes shoot a corpse for 10k damage, and you just ask him, 'Why couldn't you do that to the medic right behind the corpse?'”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization aspect of the game has been criticized for favoring optimized strategies, which continue to dominate gameplay. This suggests that players may feel limited in their approach, as the most effective tactics remain unchanged and prevalent.
“The optimized strategy still reigns supreme in gameplay.”
“The game truly shines when you focus on optimization.”
“Still a problem: optimized strategy still reigns.”
