I was genuinely interested to review Chrono Odyssey for one specific reason—it was the first MMORPG that I’ve played probably since World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Well, that’s not entirely true; I dabbled with New World back when it first came out, but adult life didn’t afford me much time to invest in it in earnest. So I was genuinely curious to see what MMOs were like nowadays, and I gotta say, things certainly have changed since I was a boy.
That’s mostly a joke, but there is a degree of truth to it. Back in the 2000s and early 2010s, so many MMOs desperately tried to replicate World of Warcraft’s success and subsequently faded into obscurity. Games like Guild Wars 2, City of Heroes, or even The Old Republic were a few of the standouts, but they all looked and played almost identically—that is to say, like World of Warcraft.
Which is why Chrono Odyssey was so immediately striking to me because of just how different it felt from any of the MMOs I remembered growing up with. It feels bigger in scope, darker in tone, and much higher in terms of production value. But the true standout is its gameplay which is so strikingly different from any other MMO I’ve ever played, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Chrono Odyssey begins at the start of a vicious and bloody battle. A horde of monstrous creatures is decimating your army. The only chance you have for survival lies in an ancient relic supposedly located in a nearby cave. However, before you can truly utilize it, a demonic warrior, far more powerful than you or your comrades, appears and quite literally rips you to shreds.
However, fate is on your side as a mysterious divine entity utilizes the artifact, known as the Chronotector, to send you back in time to when the rift first opened and the demons began pouring out—and utilizing the Chronotector, you are able to rewind time even further removing the rift from existence…for now. Utilizing this power, players may be able to save the world from the horrors of the Void.
Right from the get-go, Chrono Odyssey sets the tone of its story, essentially delivering its tutorial level in a losing battle, where characters are being hacked limb from limb. It’s a dark and engaging story that creates pretty high stakes, and despite making every player the hero destined to save the world, it genuinely makes you feel invested in the narrative.
But like I said, Chrono Odyssey’s biggest strength is in its gameplay—namely its combat. Unlike more standard MMORPGs, this game takes the form of an intense action RPG where players combine light and heavy attacks, precision parrying (depending on your class), and special attacks to dispatch enemies. For half a moment, I thought I was almost playing a Soulsborne game with how intricate and involving the combat was.
“Right from the get-go, Chrono Odyssey sets the tone of its story, essentially delivering its tutorial level in a losing battle, where characters are being hacked limb from limb.”
med like the best class for an entry-level player. But unlike your standard warrior or barbarian, the Swordmaster had a unique gimmick—his class ability allowed him to swap between his starting sword and shield, or a colossal greatsword. Both weapons had unique special abilities that could be unlocked and enhanced with skill points upon every level up, which made customization far less harrowing than your typical MMORPG.
But even these special abilities didn’t feel bog standard. The greatsword had an ability where players could stab an enemy and throw them into another after a big sweep, damaging any other enemies in the vicinity. This was given a decent degree of visual flourish with an active camera that didn’t go too far out of the view of combat, but gave the attack enough emphasis to make it feel impactful. Not only that, players can combo into their specials from their standard attacks, making the combat feel much more fluid and intense.
Adding to this are the special time-based abilities that not only assist in combat—providing abilities like stopping or rewinding time for enemies and allies, but also how it plays into the narrative as certain locations can change based on events taken in the story. Even if you break it down to simple dungeon setting, it makes Chrono Odyssey feel so much more dynamic than any other game like it.
It’s been a while since I was so engaged by an MMORPG and I really hope I have the time to invest in it to some degree because it really looks to be doing something special. Applying such a fast-paced, intense action formula to the genre really separates it from anything else on the market, while still maintaining the sense of world and depth that is a defining feature of MMOs. Chrono Odyssey is definitely one to keep an eye on.
