Chrono Ark is a roguelike deck builder set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by demons. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Chrono Ark Review Overview
What is Chrono Ark?
In Chrono Ark, the world succumbed to the encroaching Black Fog, forcing humanity to seek refuge within the Ark. Now, the key to restoring the world lies in collecting the scattered Time Shades across the Twisted Land and reactivating the Clock Tower. It presents a solo RPG adventure blending party-based gameplay, deck-building mechanics, and roguelike elements. In this RogueLite RPG experience, progression comes with a twist; while setbacks may reset your gains upon party elimination, each playthrough unveils new avenues and possibilities, enriching your journey through the game.
Chrono Ark features:
⚫︎ Diverse gameplay experience brought by personal choices
⚫︎ Gripping narrative design that compliments its bleak setting
⚫︎ Great artworks and 2D sprites
⚫︎ Satisfying combat thanks to its deep gameplay mechanics
⚫︎ Wonderfully immersive music
⚫︎ A cast of quirky and memorable characters
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Chrono Ark's gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |
|---|---|
 Steam |
|
| Price | $24.99 |
Chrono Ark Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Deep Combat Mechanics Create Diversity
Amazing Music Great Story And Narrative Design |
No Voice Acting Strange Setting Behavior And UI Design |
Chrono Ark Overall Score - 86/100
Chrono Ark is an excellent game that can easily stand amongst the greats in the genre. It features incredible music, deep gameplay, a gripping story, and diverse characters that will easily hook any deck builder and roguelike fan. For a game like this to be sold at just $24.99 is a bargain and well worth the money.
Chrono Ark Story - 9/10
Roguelikes with a good story are exceptionally rare. In fact, you might find it easier to look for a $20 bill on the roadside that someone else hasn’t already pocketed. As for Chrono Ark, it thankfully earns a place among those exceptional few with its incredible story, hair-raising narrative style, and natural pacing.
Chrono Ark Gameplay - 9/10
Most roguelikes tend to rely on RNG (luck) to make runs feel distinct from each other. While the same can be said for Chrono Ark to some extent, the game also features a lot of mechanics that constantly adjust the experience using a player’s choice. This makes the game feel much less frustrating on the game-over screens since, for the most part, the blame now rests with you rather than on circumstances.
Chrono Ark Visuals - 8/10
Chrono Ark’s visual experience feels like a mix between a standard 2D roguelike, a visual novel, and an RPG. In fact, the gameplay itself reflects its visuals very well. And though it only uses 2D sprites, it never feels lacking in anything it presents. The visual effects are crisp and satisfying, the artworks are high quality and appealing, and the animations are smooth and enjoyable.
Chrono Ark Audio - 9/10
While Chrono Ark’s sound effects are punchy and engaging, it pales in comparison to how awesome its OST is. The level of immersion it provides for every level and event is nothing short of exceptional. And even that is taken a step further during boss battles where a loop of adrenaline-pumping music is blasted from your speakers to set your nerves in the right direction.
Chrono Ark Value for Money - 8/10
At just the low, low price of $24.99, you can purchase a truly outstanding deck builder roguelike that will easily captivate you for a couple or so dozen hours. If you love these types of games, then Chrono Ark is a definite must-buy, even at its full price. And even if you’re on the fence about taking a step into the genre, this game is an incredible place to start.
Chrono Ark Review: Time Worth Losing
Deck builders have had an appeal for me since I was a kid. I’ve had the pleasure of playing actual card games such as Pokemon TCG, Magic The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, etc., as well as digital ones such as Shadowverse and Zenonzard. There was something about creating a deck of cards and proving their strength as well as my own that really struck a chord.
And since I was also into roguelikes, the natural progression of that was an interest in roguelike deck builders such as Slay the Spire and Theseus Protocol.
While I’ve already stopped playing most of the card games I enjoyed in the past (now that I’m in gacha hell), I still check out the new releases from time to time. That’s how I came across Chrono Ark.
Is that a Gawr Gura reference?!
My first impression of the game was that it was a complex deck builder that barely explained anything needed to play the game properly. While it did have a short tutorial at the start, it only really taught you about the phases on every turn while giving very specific examples of select gameplay mechanics. After that "tutorial," I was immediately thrown into the deep end without much idea about what I was getting myself into.
So, I just shrugged and soldiered on. Thankfully, everything in the game had a useful tooltip that’s accessible by simply selecting the card or hovering over an icon. Learning as you play the game is normal, after all. Of course, that also meant I wiped out early on my first run because I had this "genius" idea to run defenders and healers only.
Oh, well. By that time, I had already gotten a hang of some of the game’s mechanics, so the following runs went by much more smoothly.
Before I knew it, eight hours had already passed.
It was easy to see why a game could hook people so easily. The combat mechanics, while lacking a good tutorial, were complex but enjoyable. Its characters were fun to interact and play with. The story was engaging and delivered with a gripping narrative style. It was the complete visual, aural, and gameplay experience that many players look for.
And now that I’m almost done writing this review, I can finally get back to playing it later.
Pros of Chrono Ark
| Things Chrono Ark Got Right |
|---|
|
Deep Combat Mechanics Create Diversity
Amazing Music Great Story And Narrative Design |
Deep Combat Mechanics Create Diversity
Each of the game’s playable characters has unique tactics that set them distinctly apart from others who share their role. Trisha, for example, is an attacker who focuses on critical hits and spamming cards. Hein, on the other hand, deals high damage in exchange for his health. Even the healers, which are usually based on the same template, have very unique gimmicks, such as Pressel being a DPS pretending to be a healer.
Their uniqueness lends itself well to the game’s various card-based combat mechanics that involve balancing resources, reshuffling and drawing cards, etc. It feels like the developers have created each character in such a way that they can make use of the combat mechanics differently. That way, every run with even a single different party member feels like an entirely new team.
While you can argue that it’s the characters themselves that create the diversity, that’s not true. For example, watching sports cars race around the track with professionals behind the wheel feels entirely different from watching them be driven by the legendary James May, Jeremy Clarkson, and Richard Hammond. The drivers mean almost as much, if not more than the vehicles themselves.
Amazing Music
There are many things that set up the mood for any particular event. It could be the piles of junk and debris to depict hopelessness in post-apocalyptic worlds; it could be the grim faces of the characters as they huddle around a small campfire to relay an insurmountable challenge; it could even be the misplaced cat in the room of a mafia boss to tell of his personal soft spot.
For Chrono Ark, it’s done by level design and, most effectively, by the background music.
The game’s setting is in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been driven to the brink by demons. Its dark forests, shadowy corners, dilapidated architecture, and ruined flowerbeds are effective in setting your mood appropriately. But, it’s nowhere near as effective as the bleak tunes that play in the background.
At least until you run into a boss and the music becomes the most hype-inducing thing in the world.
Great Story And Narrative Design
Chrono Ark does service to its setting with a gripping narrative delivered naturally through milestone-based progression. As you keep fighting and connecting with the characters around you, the story gradually moves forward in such a way that feels appropriate to your achievements.
There are even short character stories that serve to break the ice. It adds an entirely new level of immersion to what is usually a very narratively dull genre.
Cons of Chrono Ark
| Things That Chrono Ark Can Improve |
|---|
|
No Voice Acting Strange Setting Behavior And UI Design |
No Voice Acting
This is a terribly minor gripe considering how little the lack of voice acting impacted my enjoyment of the game, but it would be nice if it had one. Chrono Ark’s "Investigators" (mercenaries you can hire, essentially) are distinct, endearing, and have fun personalities that will translate excellently to voiced characters.
But since the game doesn’t have any voice acting, I guess I’ll just have to imagine how the baseball bat-wielding priestess (it’s a magic staff, apparently) sounds like.
Strange Setting Behavior And UI Design
From the get-go, I thought this game had no audio at all. As a reference, my system uses a sound bar as its default audio device, so every freshly-launched program wouldn’t need me to wear my headphones. But, even after a while of playing, I had no audio coming out of my speakers. In a bout of curiousness, I decided to check if the game’s audio setting was off — and it was. Literally.
Strange choice for a default, considering the game’s impressive music.
Besides that, there were also moments where the game’s text simply cut itself off at the bottom of my screen. Was it perhaps because its native resolution was above 1080p? Sometimes, the dialogue would also automatically progress without any inputs, disabling me from enjoying the decent writing of the otherwise wonderful story.
And, no, I didn’t "accidentally" turn the Fast Forward Text toggle on.
That aside, it’s funny how the game’s settings has a "No place for nerds" toggle that simply removes the glasses on those that wear them. How cruel!
Is Chrono Ark Worth It?
Throw Your Money At The Developers, Now
It really doesn't matter whether this will be your first roguelike deckbuilder or not. Chrono Ark is a great game that has something for everyone. It has a great story, a thoughtful narrative delivery, deep yet enjoyable gameplay, and all the other positives people generally look for in the genre.
You'll surely sink at least several hours trying all the different team combinations and experiencing the story in this game.
| Digital Storefronts | |
|---|---|
| Steam |
|
| Price | $24.99 |
Chrono Ark FAQ
Question 1: How many characters are there in Chrono Ark?
There’s around 20 or so playable characters in the game; the majority of which have to be unlocked via playing the game and achieving certain requirements.
Question 2: Are there DLCs for Chrono Ark?
The Chrono Ark Summer Twilight DLC can be purchased with the game and includes new skins for certain Investigators, new skill cutscenes, additional skills for the protagonist, etc.
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Chrono Ark Product Information
 |
|
| Title | CHRONO ARK |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 3, 2024 |
| Developer | Al Fine |
| Publisher | Al Fine |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | Roguelike, RPG, Adventure, Deckbuilder |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Chrono Ark Website |
