Having played it on and off over the course of two years, I think this is my favorite roguelite deckbuilder.
A big complaint I have with the genre of roguelite deckbuilders is that a lot of them feel like slightly better or worse versions of Slay the Spire. I like Slay the Spire, but not enough to buy and play through 10 copies of it. Fortunately, Chrono Ark does not feel like a Slay the Spire clone.
The game feels pretty unique with the skills each character brings to the party and the deck, as well as how it handles healing.
Healing is the game's main defensive mechanic but it's effectiveness is reduced when suffering multiple hits in a row from enemies, discouraging saving healing for bursts and encouraging a steady use of healing between enemy attacks. Armor is a lot more scarce, and is typically a specialization of specific tank characters.
As for the characters, each character has at least one unique mechanic attached to them. Making them all feel pretty distinct. Even two healers end up with different playstyles, such as heal over time, heal by hurting teammates, combo healers, etc. This is true for all characters among the three archetypes: DPS, Heal, and Tanks. And having 4 members in a party, each with their own deck, allows for a pretty varied and fun deckbuilding.
The game really shines in boss fights. Each boss has unique mechanics that interacts with your deck, hand, or the way you play cards. Making each fight feel interesting and stand out from common enemy fights. The pace of the game also ensures that each boss feels pretty intense for where you are in the run.
I'll mention the story briefly, but I haven't really interacted with it. The very little I've seen is just the stuff that occurs mid-run. It's seems to be tonally dark in a way similar to Lobotomy Corporation's tone. It seems interesting enough and I'll be trying it more in depth later.
The average run for me, assuming I make it to the final stage/final boss, is about 1.5 hours. Luckily mid-run saving is convenient and can occur pretty much anytime not in a battle. There's also a easy mode if you're finding the game too difficult. It basically slowly increases your strength as you do more runs, similar to Hades' system.
As for its current state in Early Access, as of version 1.82, the game has 18 out of 20 characters added, all stages are complete, the final boss is reachable and beatable, and from my understanding the main story is partially implemented. The most recent update gave an alternative path for one of the stages, so presumably more may come in future updates. Other future updates are likely to be the remaining two characters, more cards for each character, improved animations, and the rest of the story. Updates seem to come out every 1 to 2 months, but some updates are pretty small. So pace is development can be a bit slow, but not unbearably so.
Anyway, definite recommend. A fantastic roguelite deckbuilder with unique mechanics and interesting boss fights. My personal favorite in the genre.
A big complaint I have with the genre of roguelite deckbuilders is that a lot of them feel like slightly better or worse versions of Slay the Spire. I like Slay the Spire, but not enough to buy and play through 10 copies of it. Fortunately, Chrono Ark does not feel like a Slay the Spire clone.
The game feels pretty unique with the skills each character brings to the party and the deck, as well as how it handles healing.
Healing is the game's main defensive mechanic but it's effectiveness is reduced when suffering multiple hits in a row from enemies, discouraging saving healing for bursts and encouraging a steady use of healing between enemy attacks. Armor is a lot more scarce, and is typically a specialization of specific tank characters.
As for the characters, each character has at least one unique mechanic attached to them. Making them all feel pretty distinct. Even two healers end up with different playstyles, such as heal over time, heal by hurting teammates, combo healers, etc. This is true for all characters among the three archetypes: DPS, Heal, and Tanks. And having 4 members in a party, each with their own deck, allows for a pretty varied and fun deckbuilding.
The game really shines in boss fights. Each boss has unique mechanics that interacts with your deck, hand, or the way you play cards. Making each fight feel interesting and stand out from common enemy fights. The pace of the game also ensures that each boss feels pretty intense for where you are in the run.
I'll mention the story briefly, but I haven't really interacted with it. The very little I've seen is just the stuff that occurs mid-run. It's seems to be tonally dark in a way similar to Lobotomy Corporation's tone. It seems interesting enough and I'll be trying it more in depth later.
The average run for me, assuming I make it to the final stage/final boss, is about 1.5 hours. Luckily mid-run saving is convenient and can occur pretty much anytime not in a battle. There's also a easy mode if you're finding the game too difficult. It basically slowly increases your strength as you do more runs, similar to Hades' system.
As for its current state in Early Access, as of version 1.82, the game has 18 out of 20 characters added, all stages are complete, the final boss is reachable and beatable, and from my understanding the main story is partially implemented. The most recent update gave an alternative path for one of the stages, so presumably more may come in future updates. Other future updates are likely to be the remaining two characters, more cards for each character, improved animations, and the rest of the story. Updates seem to come out every 1 to 2 months, but some updates are pretty small. So pace is development can be a bit slow, but not unbearably so.
Anyway, definite recommend. A fantastic roguelite deckbuilder with unique mechanics and interesting boss fights. My personal favorite in the genre.