Chronology - PC review
Title: Chronology
Developer: Osao games
Format: PC
Genre: Puzzle/Adventure
Resolution: Highest possible for PC
Release date: 2014-05-12
Difficulty: Normal
Spent time: +5 hours
Average grade internationally: 73.33% Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: 7+
Price: 9.99 Euro via Steam
Normally i have no problems whatsoever writing reviews. But sometimes you end up playing a game that gives you very mixed emotions. Osao games puzzle/platformer "Chronology" would be such a game. Don´t get me wrong. Chronology looks great.
And i really like the design and the funny dialogs between the old inventor and the snail. But there´s quite a few flaws to stains the gameplay experience. But i´m going to start with the good parts of the game first. Like the fact that Chronology looks just as great Rayman Legends for example.
Or that the puzzles are both challenging and fun. Or my favourite part of Chronology. The love/hate relationship between the snail and the inventor (tons of fun comments awaits you!).
Luckily enough for me (and you). That plant are both harmless and rather stupid.
But sadly enough, that won´t outshine the downsides and flaws of Chronology. There´s no checkpoints in the game for example (at least not to my knowledge). And i found the controls to be somewhat stiff. But the nr 1 gameplay ruiner, has to be the bugs.
And there are some major annoying bugs in Chronology. Like the "pause" bug. If you chose "Continue", then you will get booted back to the main menu. Then you have the "never ending falling down" bug. Which happens if you (the inventor) falls down into a gap (read "hole").
Which means that you will continue to fall from the top of your screen, to the bottom of the screen in a never ending animation. And that really kills the "happy, happy joy joy" feeling. At least it did for me. So i won´t be able to give Chronology a 4/5 grade.
Sure, there may be eight chapters in total in Chronology. But that doesn't help much when the bugs keeps on destroying the gameplay experience. And there´s not that much of replay value to mention either. Nothing to collect, bonuses or achievements to unlock.
So until Osao games takes care of the bugs, and "maybe" add some achievements (or new content via DLC) to expansions) Chronology. I´m giving Chronology a 3.5/5 grade.
Pros:
+ Awesome graphics
+ Funny dialogs and characters
+ Challenging puzzles
Cons:
- Bugs O´ plenty
- The controls are somewhat stiff
- No checkpoint system
Gameplay: 3/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound and music: 4/5
Controls: 3/5
Replay value: 3/5
Verdict: 3.5/5
Chronology ain´t a bad platform game. But the bugs and the stiff controls. Ruined the overall gameplay experience for me. Thus i had to give it a lower grade.