Souls of Chronos is an Upcoming Isometric Action RPG
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Souls of Chronos is an Upcoming Isometric Action RPG

Souls of Chronos is an upcoming isometric RPG that features the unlikely pairing of a human and a time manipulator.

Souls of Chronos is an Upcoming Isometric Action RPG

  • Genre: Action-RPG
  • Developed by: FUTU Studio
  • Published by: Astrolabe Games
  • Release date: February 14, 2023
  • Price: TBD
  • Platforms: Windows (Steam), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch

Developers FUTU Studio and publisher Astrolabe Games have just revealed the release date for their upcoming game, Souls of Chronos. They plan to have it released on February 14, 2023. A demo was previously available back in September but has been temporarily removed as it no longer accurately represents the final product.

This top-down isometric RPG hopes to invoke memories and nostalgia of classic JRPGs. This post-apocalyptic adventure takes place in a mysterious world where different races seem to coexist together.

Souls of Chronos In a Nutshell

The city of Astella is a quiet one. As it is a harbor town, the outpost gets a lot of foot and sea traffic, as merchants and other travelers often grace its walls. While the city is quite at peace on the surface, the greater part of the world has been suffering through its own trials and tribulations.

Explore the Harbor Town of Astella
Explore the Harbor Town of Astella

A world-ending event known simply as the “Apocalypse” shattered life as humanity knew it. Even 15 years later, the world is reeling from its effects, as there is great unrest amongst the population. Various gangs, secret societies, and malevolent entities are all secretly (or at times, blatantly) vying for control of whatever they can get their hands on.

The world of Souls of Chronos is definitely not a friendly place.

Birth of Time

One of the few good things that came from the Apocalypse was the rise of a humanoid race known as the Chronus. These Chronus are a race that has the natural affinity to control time itself. Up to what extent, however, is anyone’s guess at this point.

Some Horrible Creatures Lurk in the Shadows
Some Horrible Creatures Lurk in the Shadows

Unfortunately (or fortunately), a Chronus cannot reach its maximum potential alone. In order to reach the pinnacle of their powers, they must “Link” themselves with a human through an ancient Chrono Pact. As the two linked souls grow together, so does the Chronus’ powers.

Some people view the Chronus as a partner that they can with bond for life. Others think that they are merely taking advantage of humanity. But the bond between two souls surely cannot be just surface level deep, right?

Citizens of Astella

The player will start out the Souls of Chronos game with one character, a simple boy named Sid. Unbeknownst to him, Sid is just on the verge of death. Fortunately, he is able to make a last-minute bond with a Chronus girl named Torii. As she has saved his life, and the two have linked to each other, they decide to begin a journey that is quite heavily intertwined with the very fate of the world.

Souls of Chronos Possible Companions
Souls of Chronos Possible Companions

Our journey will not be a lonely one, however, as there will be tons of characters that can join up on Sid and Torii’s adventure. There will be a lot of different races with their own thoughts, beliefs, and personalities. Aligning yourself with these characters will have an impact on how various races will perceive you. The player will need to decide well on who they want to invest their time with.

Beautifully Rendered Character Portraits
Beautifully Rendered Character Portraits

Some of the companions or friends in Souls of Chronos are the librarian/alchemist Cassia, a ninja named Belle, the student Ilona, and the stoic Vitalle, to name just a few. It isn’t currently known how many friends we’ll get to meet, but some promotional material puts that number to at least 10 different individuals.

Souls-Combat

Despite the Souls in the game’s title, the game does not have any semblance to soulslike combat. Instead, Souls of Chronos will be played purely from a top-down isometric perspective. The game is also highly stylized and has a certain classical RPG look to it. Even the characters’ in-game art style is quite unique, as the developers have chosen to have them look quite “chibi” with their oversized heads.

Souls of Chronos Combat Scenario
Souls of Chronos Combat Scenario

Combat will be played in real-time action, and not turn-based. Early footage only shows Sid and Torii in combat so it isn’t quite clear up to how many characters we can bring along to a fight. We will be in full control of Sid during combat, and issue commands to Torri who will otherwise fight on her own.

Even More Combat
Even More Combat

This changes as the pair damages enemies and accumulates the “Chrono” combat resource. Once they have enough, you can stop time and take control of Torii directly instead. Enemies cannot attack or move during the time stop period and any damage Torii does will be delayed till when the pause ends.

It’s All About Soul

Souls of Chronos will also have many side quests that will eventually have an impact on the overall narrative. As players progress through the story and deepen their bond with Torii, they will unlock more and more game mechanics, especially those related to time-manipulating powers. There will also be six different weapon categories that the player can make use of.

The game will be released on February 14, 2023. It will be available on the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and on PC (on Steam).


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