The surprise hit Remnant: From the Ashes is getting a sequel. More specifically: A prequel named Chronos: Before the Ashes. This comes from the same developer and apparently tells the story before Remnant. However, the game is missing an important feature that made Remnant so popular: co-op.
What kind of game is this? From the information available, it is not clear how Chronos: Before the Ashes is connected to Remnant, other than that it apparently takes place all before. However, it is not yet revealed how far back in history you will go.
In Chronos, you play as a young adventurer who sets out to protect his world from various dangers. Such as the Seed, the great threat in Remnant that seeks to bring everything to a standstill and destroy humanity. In doing so, you will repeatedly have to enter the labyrinth, which was already the focal point for travel through the worlds in Remnant.
A – admittedly somewhat strange – trailer shows the first images of the upcoming game:
As it seems, Chronos is leaning even more towards the Soulsborne games, which already served as inspiration for Remnant. In the first scenes, the characters fight with sword and shield, dodge relatively slow attacks, and prepare to counter. That’s how the battles from Dark Souls are known.
A special mechanic is death. As soon as you die, you must go back into the labyrinth and age by one year. This apparently has effects: when you are younger, you are more agile and stronger, and the older you get, the more wisdom and knowledge of the Arcane and magic you accumulate. However, it is not yet clear what concrete effects this will have on gameplay.
When will Chronos: Before the Ashes be released? The prequel to Remnant: From the Ashes is set to be released on December 1, 2020, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This is just a few months after the second and final DLC of Remnant, Subject 2923.
Prequel to Remnant – No Co-op?
What is missing in Chronos: The predecessor Remnant became one of the best multiplayer shooters of 2020 thanks to its co-op mode and was a massive hit upon its release in 2019. It seems there was a strong desire among players to play together.
According to the Steam page of Chronos, the prequel will not have a co-op mode. It is listed as a purely single-player game. Whether there is a PvP mechanic like in Dark Souls or Bloodborne, we cannot say yet.
Is the game worth it? In principle, Chronos sounds pretty interesting for anyone who already liked Remnant. Remnant has already caused MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus to almost miss work and tempts with challenging trials at just the right strength – at least for most:
However, the co-op part was indeed an important part of Remnant’s success, as playing together with friends is important for many gamers and is more fun. But those who enjoy playing Remnant alone should take a closer look at Chronos when it arrives, as long as the trailer doesn’t scare you off too much. However, yelling at your friends like in Remnant will not be possible.
