[Chrono Ark]Roguelike RPG where you fight with a card deck!

“Chrono Ark” is a new roguelike deck-building role-playing game title from indie game developer “AI Fine” that has been officially distributed on the Steam store since May 3, 2024.

The main feature is the strategic element where you aim to become the strongest party while scouting fellow characters with unique abilities, and the “repetitive'' roguelike game system where the members who can be scouted and their skills change when they are wiped out.

This new game is recommended for those who are looking for an anime-like role-playing game that allows them to explore a fantasy world, those who like a battle system that allows them to demonstrate their tactical skills, and those who are looking for a PC RPG that can be played over and over again.

A new rogue-lite card RPG

“Chrono Ark”, which is currently being distributed on the PC game portal site “Steam” store, is a recommended new role-playing game title that is set in a fantasy world and allows you to play with rogue-lite “deck building elements.”

The game features 20 unique party members. The play element of aiming to become the strongest party while fully demonstrating their characteristics and abilities is interesting, and there are many Japanese players. This is a new PC game that has received praise from many quarters.

The work has received a total of 7,078 Steam user reviews to date, and the overall rating is “very positive”. It's a must-see title that continues to attract players with its excellent game balance and “fun looping elements.”

Another point is that the characters that appear in the game have anime character-like shapes, and the design matches the tastes of a wide range of gamers, from young users to veteran players. This is a new game with fun character collection elements.

Players will descend into the game world with the main character Lucy, gather reliable party members, and embark on a battle to save the world. The final goal of this journey is to activate the “Clock Tower”.

Game features

The basic battle system of “Chrono Ark'' is to scout and organize up to 4 party members to fight against enemy characters, and the player's strategy can be greatly demonstrated by the deck of unique skills and abilities of the members.

The skills of party members and the main character Lucy can be demonstrated using “cards”, and it is up to the player to decide what skills they want their characters to learn. This is an attractive new work with a style that is a fusion of RPG and card game genres.

Unlike typical role-playing games, in this game, if your party is wiped out during a battle, all settings will be “initialized”. It is a roguelike system in which the party members and skills that can be scouted change after that.

The element of aiming for the perfect fighting style for the strongest party while trying again and again is interesting, and the replayability is excellent. Everyone will be fascinated by the process of growth through trial and error in order to defeat the difficult and powerful enemy characters.

The basic battle system is like a card game, where you cut cards while consuming costs (mana) and fight against enemies in a turn-based system. Since card activation can directly lead to an increase in the number of enemy actions, it can be said to be an extremely tactical work.

It's not the kind of game where you can win without thinking, but rather a play element where you have to fully understand the unique rules and characteristics of the cards, so it's bound to be confusing at first glance. However, once you start to understand the game, it becomes more and more appealing.

Even the normal battle scenes are quite difficult, but especially when it comes to boss battles, you are forced into “extremely tough battles,'' and your party is wiped out many times. This is a recommended new game that will satisfy even hardcore users.

Furthermore, since the game has a difficulty adjustment function, it is useful for beginners who want to enjoy the story elements, and experienced players who want to experience hard battles. It can be said that this is a new work that can be recommended to a wide range of RPG fans.

The game was developed by AI Fine, an indie game developer based in South Korea, and this work was released on the Steam store as an “early access version'' on November 13, 2019, and was made into an official version after about 4 years of development.

As a side note, the game's creator is already working on his next project, Deception Engine. This work is said to be a development of the battle system of Chrono Ark, so I'm really looking forward to the future.

Compatible with Japanese interface

The selling price on the Steam store is 2,800 yen, and you can currently get it for 2,100 yen, a 25% off “release commemorative sale price” (limited time price until May 17th). If you want to get the product as cheaply as possible, it's a good idea to buy it now.

Please note that this is a solo play-only title and does not support local or online multiplayer. The game supports a Japanese interface as standard, so even people who are not good at foreign games can download it with confidence.

The work also partially supports operation with an Xbox controller. Regarding compatibility with Valve's portable game console “Steam Deck”, it has been determined that it is “playable”. The game plays well except for some scenes where manual operations are forced.

The downloadable content “Chrono Ark – Summer Twilight” is also currently on sale at the Steam store. It is possible to implement a number of summer-themed content and items, so those who like the game should consider purchasing it.

There are a total of 40 types of Steam achievements that can be unlocked, which is very rich. This is a must-see new PC game that we recommend even to those who pride themselves on being “achievement hunters.'' You'll be hooked on trying to unlock all the achievements while enjoying repeated play.

System requirements

At the moment, only the “minimum requirements” are presented on the Steam store, but the required specs for “Chrono Ark” are quite low. The graphics board presented in the minimum requirements is a model with 1GB of VRAM installed.

The minimum CPU model is an Intel i3 class processor, and the installation size is about 5GB, which is as light as a smartphone app. It's a new game that can be run on a wide range of PC environments, and since it's lightweight, many players should be able to enjoy playing it.

General review: A popular work born after hardships

AI Fine's Lee Hyun-joo, who was the director of Chrono Ark, talks about the hardships of developing the game on the Steam store page. If you are interested in his work, please read Hyun Joo's article at least once.

Apparently, this was Hyun-joo's “second project'' in total, and her first game project, which she worked on during her third year of high school, came to a halt. As a result of the shock, he lived the life of a “no-good person'' (according to himself) for about a year.

After that, while working part-time at a convenience store, he had the dream and hope of “next time, I'll make an interesting game,'' and while sleeping under a futon in a dilapidated room with no heating (according to him), he proceeded with the development of this work, “Chrono Ark.''

It seems that there was a development preparation period of about three years before the release of the early access version, and the members who were involved during that time gradually disappeared over time, and when the release of the early access version actually started, only two people remained, including him.

With the sales proceeds from the early access version, they hired “new members” and made adjustments as development progressed, and after many twists and turns, they finally reached the official release of this version. It can be said that this is an indie game that is the fruit of many years of hard work.

“I've come to understand more about what people like, what people don't like, why development takes so long, and what I can do,'' says Hyun-joo, who has endured many hardships. It seems like there was a lot to be gained.

It seems that he has put an end to the completed “Chrono Ark'' and is currently working on the development of his new game “Deception Engine'', so if you became a fan of this game, please look forward to Hyun-joo's next work.

Chrono Ark, a new indie deck-building role-playing game title that lets you take on difficult characters in rogue-like deck-building elements, is currently available on the Steam Store.

It is a popular game title that has been loved by players around the world since its early access stage, and with the release of this official version, it is highly expected that its “circle of popularity” centered on the community will further expand in the future.

This is a must-see indie game that is definitely recommended for those who like playing “card deck building” games. If you are interested, please visit the store now and check out detailed information.

[Recommended points]New RPG that fights with cards!