Following this week’s announcement of a limited-time Closed Beta Test taking place in June via Steam, the Chrono Odyssey team has now published a 20-minute developer diary outlining the MMORPG’s setting, features, and content in greater detail than ever before.
Executive Producer Sangtae talked about the world of Chrono Odyssey, which is not a standard fantasy setting. Instead, it was blended with cosmic horror inspirations from Prometheus and even from the constant danger to humanity posed by the Zerg in Starcraft. The game takes place in Setera, a world where past, present, and even other dimensions collide. Players will have to face formidable foes and entities even beyond reality itself, such as the Void, to protect Setera. While natural environments have been portrayed realistically, the world is littered with otherworldly entities that defy comprehension. The goal was to mix realism with the surreal.
Sangtae also admitted to having been influenced by Chrono Trigger, where the concept of time being used to prevent a cataclysmic event was first introduced in a videogame. Spacetime manipulation had never been implemented into an MMORPG, but the team pulled it off with the Chronotector system.
The developer diary then moved on to gameplay, where players won’t be bound to a fixed main questline like in most MMORPGs. Part of that is due to the Chronotector, which enables them to trace remnants of the past or glimpses of the future and then manipulate time to reveal routes hidden in the present while also uncovering pieces of lore. In-game breadcrumbs have been kept to a minimum so that players may enjoy discovering Setera for themselves.
Unlike in most MMORPGs, players will be able to reach the game’s max level (which wasn’t specified yet) even just through exploration and crafting rather than solely through combat activities.
Chrono Odyssey won’t force players into the usual so-called Trinity of roles (tank, DPS, healer/support), allowing them to progress however they like with varied play styles. The combat system will be far more active than in most games in the genre, thanks to the active parrying and dodging. The developers also took extra care that tanks and healers wouldn’t suffer too much when playing solo, a problem MMORPG fans are well acquainted with.
Like in games such as Elder Scrolls Online, New World, or the recent Throne & Liberty, this one will also allow players to swap between two weapons in real time. Swapping is, in fact, encouraged, since skill cooldowns for each weapon are separate. There won’t be too many skills, anyway, as the development team focused on injecting them with multiple functions that will be activated depending on the situation.
Overall, the game is built for smaller scale rather than large scale gameplay. In the upcoming Closed Beta Test, players will experience single player content like Chrono Gates and Trials and party content like Expedition Dungeons and Region Bosses. Chrono Gates are one-on-one PvE fights against Void Apostles where reading the enemy patterns will be crucial; in Trials, on the other hand, players will travel through time and face puzzles, traps, and even randomized mechanics. Expedition Dungeons are for parties of three players, whereas in Region Bosses, multiple parties will have to join forces to defeat powerful bosses.
Chrono Odyssey also includes content that falls under the Exploration/Adventure category. Labyrinths are twisted rifts filled with puzzles, offering a break from combat, revealing secrets, and rewarding players at the end with a ‘special treasure’. Time Portals, as you can guess from the name, are doors into the past where players gather materials and learn more about Setera’s history. Lastly, Bounty Hunting brings back the focus on combat, as players are asked to track down and take down specific targets.
Looking ahead, Sangtae said that the CBT won’t showcase a perfectly polished version of the MMORPG. The objective is to gather feedback and keep improving the game. Over time, new regions and classes will be added to Chrono Odyssey, as well as new content tied directly to its core theme of spacetime manipulation.
