Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate – Episode One [Quest 2] | REVIEW

After delivering intriguing anime-inspired virtual reality experiences with Tokyo Chronos and Altdeus: Beyond Chronos, developer MyDearest are back once again with their most in-depth adventure yet. Whilst their previous titles focused on telling a story with their visual novel stylings, Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate – Episode One offers a more fleshed out and varied experience where players will solve puzzles and complete mini-games along the way. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a story-heavy experience, but it’s one that’ll appeal to more than just the visual novel crowd.

Check out some screenshots down below:

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Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate – Episode One takes place in a futuristic city where the residents partake in Augmented Dreaming, which sees them sharing their emotions across a unique dream state that is monitored by an AI. It means that crime is pretty much non-existent and people can live in peace, with their emotions never hidden to those around them. Of course, things don’t work as planned, and when the inventor of the technology behind it all is murdered, you’re put on the case to unravel the crime.

Players take on the role of Hal, a new detective who’s fresh on the job. It’s unusual then that you’d be picked to take on such an explosive case, but that isn’t the only strange thing going on in Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate’s world. With plenty of twists and secrets to unravel, Episode One gives players an intriguing introduction into the thrilling tale – all whilst bringing with it plenty of shocks to keep players invested in the subsequent episodes that will follow.

“I was left eager to learn more about the world and see how the story progresses by the time the conclusion came around (believe me, it goes SO much deeper than just a murder by the end), with the storytelling here some of the best I’ve seen in virtual reality.”

It helps that the narrative doesn’t try to drag things out (despite there being plenty of visual novel-style sequences), whilst it’s also well-written with plenty of witty remarks and room for humour amongst all the investigating. The investigation itself will keep players guessing thanks to the diverse characters you encounter along the way, whilst there’s even room for some anime-style quirkiness with your doll-like assistant Lily. I was left eager to learn more about the world and see how the story progresses by the time the conclusion came around (believe me, it goes SO much deeper than just a murder by the end), with the storytelling here some of the best I’ve seen in virtual reality.

When it comes to gameplay, players will spend their time freely exploring the stylish world, all whilst interacting with NPCs, solving puzzles, and investigating the objects left behind. See, Hal has a special power that allows him to see events through the eyes of the folk who held these objects, giving him the opportunity to learn further information about events that have occurred and gather new evidence. Hal is even able to influence the actions of the person in these instances, giving the game a time-twisting element in order to help get the information he needs. Whilst a lot of this is fragmented at first and won’t make sense, you’ll piece things together the further you progress through the game, with Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate – Episode One having all the hallmarks of a typical detective adventure where you’ve got to put the work in to get to the bottom of the case. It’s very rewarding and ensures players aren’t just seeing a story unfold, but are actually the biggest part of it.

Check out some screenshots down below:

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Add to that the occasional bit of puzzle-solving as you interact with items in a variety of ways, some mini-games as you help counsel the city’s residents, as well as some stealth-action, and you’ll quickly find that Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate – Episode One is more involving across the board when compared to MyDearest’s previous releases. The developer’s other titles have often made players feel like they’re simply watching events unfold, but you’re thrust right into the action here and partake in plenty of different elements of gameplay to keep you entertained. Granted, there’s nothing too complex and the puzzles aren’t especially tricky to solve, but the sense of variety complements the investigative elements and ensures that Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate – Episode One remains a lot of fun to play.

The cherry on top is just how good everything looks. I’ve always been a big fan of cartoon-style visuals instead of realism in virtual reality, especially on the Meta Quest 2 where there are a few more technical limitations. Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate fully embraces that and brings a world that looks super cool and futuristic, with some remarkable sights to be seen across the environment as well as some slick character designs. Shout out to the audio design too, with the soundtrack befitting of the game’s thrilling mystery and the voice acting of a high standard across the board.

Developer: MyDearest
Publisher: MyDearest
Platform(s): Meta Quest 2 (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch
Website: https://dyschroniaca.com/en/