Review: Chronos Twin
You ever play a game full of half-broken designs and instant deathtraps, but somehow it ends up becoming a fun experience despite itself? This is possibly the best way to describe Chronos Twin, an unassuming Euro-import for the DS. No part of the game displays especially great artwork (the project started as a GBA title), levels at filled to the brim with one hit kills, difficult jumps and a slew of other action-platformer faux pas, but is an experience that is greater than the sum of its flawed parts.
As I booted Chronos Twin up for the first time, I got the feeling that it was made by a SNES developer that was frozen in time and released into the wild today. Through a clumsily told cut scene full of Engrish, we're told the story of this blue alien guy (a Llhedar) who travels back in time to battle an evil alien invasion. But during his time traveling, something goes terribly wrong, and splits the blue alien guy into both the present and past simultaneously. My terrible story summary may sound flippant, but this is about the level of detail that the developers at EnjoyUP felt like sharing. When viewed as an unintentional razzing of the Mega Man and Turrican series, it's as hilariously captivating as any game featured in Retro Game Challenge.
So what could make up for bland graphics and bad dialog? Why, only one of the most fascinatingly original platforming concepts to ever grace the DS! By using both of the DS's screens for some of the hardest gaming the platform has ever seen, Chronos Twin has players navigating two shoot-em-up levels simultaneously. With the past on the bottom screen and the present on the top screen, your blue alien guy jumps, slides, and blasts his way through two worlds at once. It's a concept that's so obvious, yet clever that I bet a lot of DS game designers had wished they had come up with it first.
Every staple of 2D action shooters (or cliché depending on your view) is represented here. Players will jump between moving platforms, survive forced-scrolling levels, and battle huge bosses, but thanks to the dual side-scrolling nature of the title, all these conventions feel brand new. Controls are thankfully simple and responsive, but training your eye to watch both screens at the same time will require some practice. Instead of running through levels at the speed of Mario, Mega Man, or Sonic, you'll want to break each level down into segments and systematically move through each piece accordingly. By the end of it, you're not going to care about the plot or characters any more than you did coming into it, but you will have played through one of the most difficult and rewarding platform games since The Adventure of Little Ralph.
I could list the game's many faults for pages and pages, but none of these missteps were enough to spoil my fun. Chronos Twin is a flawed masterpiece that shows a lot of promise for its young developer. It's difficult, demanding, and requires a methodical player. But it's also one of the most original game designs that I've seen in a long, long time. It may be for acquired tastes only, but is the perfect game for those with a hunger for platforming beyond New Super Mario Bros.
8 out of 10
Note to frugal North American players: Don't let the game's import status scare you off. The game ran me less than $15 (including shipping).
Game-Boy
Posted to Hot Stuff, Reviews, Video Games on 22 April 2009
· Comments (4)
Other stuff like this: chronos twin, ds, EnjoyUP, european, import, nintendo, review
It's a great game. I was extremely turned off by the first ten minutes, but from there on, the ride only gets more and more fun.
I also recommend it.
Is this anything like braid, but less puzzl-y?
@ PockyBum (great name btw): It's like Braid without the pretentiousness and more death.
I remember this being one of my most anticipated GBA games...then it disappeared. Glad to see that it did emerge at some point, even if only in Europe. I'm gonna get right on importing it.