Chronus Arc (Switch) review "For the love of God, stop calling that hairstyle a 'mohican.'"

Chronus Arc is almost brilliant in that it tells a solid backstory. A notion like that seems intentional since this tale deals with time. No, your characters don't time travel, but they use artifacts called “Chronus fragments” to restore destroyed objects (and, as you'll eventually find, people) to a past state. With that in mind, it seems fitting that this adventure's best elements revolve around its history and the shared past of its supporting characters.

Sadly, it spent so much time developing a backstory that it forgot about the “frontstory...”

As with any 2D, turn-based RPG, you assume the role of a spunky teen—Loka—training to become a warrior, commissioned with the simple task of saving the damn world. The thing is Loka's quest is, for the most part, cut and dry. He sets out on his journey with his childhood friend by his side, eventually meets another spunky youngster to join him, and together they mosey from one burg to another, chasing after a dude with a mohawk.

Excuse me, a “mohican.” At least that's what they call it here...

Things take a deeper turn when the game reveals the identity of the main antagonists and their intentions, and particularly explores grief and how it can twist people into making rash decisions. Sadly, the main story doesn't dive right into the good stuff. Instead, it thrusts you into constant goose chase against the primary villain, the mohawked man that everyone in the game calls a “mohican.” Granted, that term is technically correct, but no one in an English-speaking country has called that hairstyle a mohican in decades, and anyone using that term typically comes across as out-of-touch.



Sure, that complaint sounds like a nitpick, but it really underscores the kind of dialogue on offer here. Dramatic sequences often play out childishly or with stilted lines, where our heroes gripe about their adversaries being “big meanies.” After numerous exchanges, you think back on the lore the game built and can't help but feel the writers biffed it. You have a great backstory and some inventive concepts, and you're using it to spin the kind of yarn that feels like a dated, weekday afternoon television show from the '90s? No, I don't expect an epic storyline from a Kemco game, but they started this affair with such a strong setup that the follow-through amounts to a huge missed opportunity.

Also, the game's grief theme doesn't come to light until near the end of the campaign, and by that point it feels tacked on. Sure, the plot touches on it at several points beforehand, but not enough to feel like a fully developed, overarching motif instead of an afterthought.

Thankfully, the game's mechanics and presentation make good on the title's promise of retro sensibilities. Where this piece could've been another bland RPG Maker asset flip, Hit-Point took the time to distinguish it from many of its brethren with unique animation, music, and features. Because of these factors, Arc at least stands apart from your average indie 2D fare, most of which is rife with rehashed assets and straightforward systems.



Loka and company don't merely walk forward and perform basic slashes, a la Final Fantasy. They wind up their attacks, dance, and move about in various other ways that at least give the adventure some personality. Their opponents do the same by bouncing, writhing, tensing, and moving to the rhythm of the battle theme. This is a very small touch, but it's something many of us fogies associate with old-school roleplaying games. This more than anything pulls the experience away from that “slapped together with RPG Maker” feel that a lot of indie roleplayers sport.

The game accomplishes all of this while remaining intuitive, providing the kind of menu-bases system we've seen in thousands of other products. Arc doesn't break into new territory there, but provides the kind of play that doesn't rely on hours of deep tutorials.

Of course, recognizable features and rule systems make up the rest of the campaign's content, from spells and skills you learn by leveling up to a class-change model. Near the end of the shebang, you can find items that allow you transition to one of four other classes, each with its own emphasis: attack prowess, healing, offensive spells, and buff/debuff magic. Once an ally masters all of those classes, you can then utilize another item to transform them into a master class that absolutely stomps the competition.

What's more is the Switch edition does away with some of the predatory in-app purchases seen in previous mobile ports by allowing you rack up “mana” when defeating monsters. You then spend the mana at special stores, allowing you to secure special items such as the ones used to change classes.



Sadly, this feature only highlights one Arc's other stumbling blocks: grinding and balancing. In order to survive this ordeal, you'll need to grind experience and mana like mad. Seriously, it'll take some time just to get to a satisfactory level, almost to the point that you may consider moving onto something a little less repetitive.

If you remember earlier, I stated that Kemco nixed “most” of its IAPs that are associated with mobile phone games, but that statement implies “not all of them.” That's because there's still a few bits of DLC on offer that ease processes like grinding by tripling your experience per battle. Yes, you can shell out a few extra dollars to bolster the experience you gain and level up more quickly.

As you can imagine, this also means the campaign becomes extremely easy. Characters master classes by powering to level thirty with any given class. With triple experience, you can accomplish that feat in mere minutes. No kidding: after changing classes, you start at level one, and winning even one fight outside of the temple where you perform these changes boosts you a good 10-15 levels with triple experience. In one battle, you're already halfway to mastery.



My main qualm here should be obvious: why can't we meet somewhere in between? Why not 1.5 times the experience? Honestly, at a normal rate, you level up too slowly in this one, but at triple the rate, you beef up so quickly that not even the final boss stands a chance. And if you took the time to get everyone's master class and upgrade their weapons to their best forms, you end up mopping up the floor with the main antagonist.

Ultimately, Chronus Arc leaves me feeling ambivalent. It does a fair job of pulling off its faux-retro style, but it kneecaps itself with a weak main story and weird balancing that's either too grindy or not grindy enough, all depending on whether or not you shelled out the money for triple experience. That said, some of its factors remain delightful. It's bright visuals and lively animation definitely hark back to the SNES era, as does its simple combat system. It's just a shame Hit-Point programmed an app with fantastic lore, a terrific backstory, and a lovable presentation, only to turn it all into an unbalanced tale filled with cringe-worthy lines and situations.

Staff review by Joseph Shaffer (November 27, 2023) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.