N+ Review: Chronos Twin
By seaempty. Monday, 22. October 2007, 19:10:11
N+ have been following the development of Chronos Twin on the DS for over a year. The game takes advantage of the handheld's two screens to create a unique time-travelling platform game that lets you control the action in the past and present simultaneously. We were given the opportunity to play Chronos Twin and get to grips with the game. Two screens, two times, one review.
The first thing you'll notice when you play Chronos Twin is the graphics. They won't grab your attention in a good way, but you will be more likely to cringe that go crazy over them. Chronos Twin was originally planned to be released on the GameBoy Advanced, and as a result the graphics are very basic. The game seems to be slightly confused about it's personality; the box shows what looks to be GBA screenshots, and the title screen boldly announces that this game is "Chronos Twin DS", almost as if there are other versions out there. The game does not use the touchscreen controls in any way, and if it weren't for the action taking place across two screens, you could well be fooled into thinking you were playing a GBA game on the DS. This should not deter anyone from playing Chronos Twin, however, as the game handles well, and underneath the sub-par sprites is a solid 2D platform adventure.The story is a pretty standard affair, with a planet being under invasion from an evil alien that goes by the name of Twime. Unlike other evil aliens, however, Twime has the ability to exist in two times simultaneously, thus thwarting all attempts to kill her. As time passes, the planet's wiser inhabitants build a dual-time machine, and select a soldier to destroy Twime in the two times that she occupies. You are that soldier, and must make your way through fifteen levels controlling yourself in the present on the top screen, and the past on the bottom screen. It's a relatively simple concept; when you move, your character moves on both screens. When you press jump, they both jump. The only limitation on the action is that you can't shoot in both times simultaneously. There's one button to shoot in the present, and another to shoot in the past. It sounds easy, and is, to a point. The game's manual states that "once the player progresses through a number of stages, the game becomes increasingly challenging", and they are not kidding! The game starts off at a nice leisurely pace, getting you used to the controls. You'll walk for a bit, jump across a ravine in one time, then jump across a ravine in the other. You'll shoot an alien in one time, and then meet a similar alien in the other who suffers the same fate. You can take your time, and even get a nice weapon upgrade to help you in your quest to liberate the planet. You'll face a boss, who doesn't offer much resistance, and just when you're thinking that at this rate you can be back home from killing the alien queen in time for tea, the game will suddenly start laughing at you, and punch you in the gut. In the next level you are being chased by a flying devil in an auto-scrolling level from the depths of hell. If you were struggling with the concept of controlling the action on two-screens, you have no hope, as you have to dodge columns of fire on the top screen, whilst avoiding giant crystals as they rain down on you on the bottom screen. There's no time to stop and analyse both screens with the flying demon hounding down on you. You have just got to act on instinct and hope that the gap that existed in the past that you are about to fall into, has now been filled in the present.
The difficulty level is Chronos Twin's biggest problem. You really need to be a multi-tasking master to be able to get through the game, being aware of everything that happens on both screens at the same time. To help matters, each screen has a "Danger Detector" which flashes when you're about to encounter trouble in the relevant time. It's good when you have the time to meander through the levels, but when you are being chased by flaming balls of lava you don't have that luxury. You'll find yourself concentrating on one screen, and suddenly get hit by something that appeared out of nowhere on the other. Later in the game you get the ability to freeze either time, so you can focus your attention on one screen without the need to worry about the other, but this is mainly used to solve puzzles, and offers little respite. The ability to shoot in both times at once would have helped ease the difficulty, but then that would take away some of the puzzle elements. As it is, I often found myself trying to shoot an alien in one time, but pressing the wrong button in haste, which resulted in my untimely demise. You only have three units of health in each time, and if you lose them, you lose a life and have to restart from a checkpoint. Once all your lives have gone, it's game over, and although the game is nice enough to save your progress, you'll have to start from the beginning of the level. This is not so bad, but when it takes such concentration to get though the levels, it can actually be a pretty exhausting game to play. At the same time, however, it's one of the most rewarding. It may be rock-hard, but that makes it that much more satisfying when you progress through it.The fifteen levels, whilst not being dramatically different from each other, have individual characteristics in their landscapes, and these play a crucial part in the dual-time element of the game. The landscapes have changed over time, and so platforms that were in the past have eroded in the present, and similarly new parts may have been added to the present that weren't in the past. In Chronos Twin, as long as you are standing on a platform in one time, you will be standing on it in the other, even though you might not be able to see it. It plays an important part in the puzzle element of the game, and you really need to take you time to walk through the levels. You may not be able to make a jump that exists in the past, for example, but in the present there's a floating platform, or extra ledge that will help you make it. You can move blocks around in both times, helping you overcome obstacles, and destroy blocks in the past to create a chain reaction in the present. The level designs are good, and each offers a decent amount of challenge, but are bland and generic on occasion. The GBA graphics don't help matters, but as your attention will be on trying to get to grips with the simultaneous action, you probably won't be spending too much time taking in the scenery.
Chronos Twin may be a bit rough around the edges, but underneath the poor presentation is a solid game that has used the DS's two screens in one of the best ways yet seen on the console. This, however, comes with a price, and Chronos Twin is an exceptionally tough and challenging game to play. The action can often get confusing, and although the dual-time puzzles are welcome, the very steep learning curve is not. The game plays well, and will offer you many hours of the most frustrating gameplay you will ever face. If you're willing to take on the challenge and overcome these obstacles, however, the feeling of satisfaction will be immense.
N+ Summary
Game: Chronos Twin
Developed by: EnjoyUp
Genre: Platform
Players: 1
Release Date: October 12, 2007 (EU)
Rating: Pegi: 7+
Supports WFC: No
Video available: N+ Video Vault
N+ Points
N+ Great use of the two screens
N+ Clever puzzles
N+ Solid game mechanics
N+ Decent boss fights
N+ Fifteen levels means a good deal of game to play
N- Points
N- GBA quality graphics
N- Dull story
N- Forgettable soundtrack
N- Frustrating and confusing at (most) times
N- Tremendously steep learning curve
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