Chronicon Apocalyptica

This was a hard read. To be honest I was constantly fighting between wanting things to go a certain way, and raging at the book when they didnt. Its like my choices always went wrong, but the story carried on anyway. As with all cya games, your mileage may vary depending on the choices you make, and of course you can always play again and choose differently. Still I always go by my first play throughs with these sort of games, As that when Im "choosing" the way I would, as opposed to knowing things and choosing to avoid bad things based on that knowledge. All that being said, the writting is good. I believe I only saw one grammatical error the entire length of it. The world setting and the plot line are very interesting. The other characters in the game need a bit more fleshing out, the few opportunities I had to get to know them better didnt really tell me much more than their abbreviated backgrounds followed by a quick choice of how i felt about that. Also a certain character really really needs to be taken to accounting. I think I was actually more infuriated with how they were handled than the rest of how the story turns out. So if your looking for something different and dont mind your choices having some strange / unexpected / dissapointing results, this will definetly provide you with several hours of diversion.

Dechipering a mysterious book is the centre of this well-written story. Though contains the usual medieval-fantasy adventure tropes, the plot is very well paced and developed for each chapter without being dull. The side-characters are also interesting, even the ones having minor roles. For the price we pay, it is a very well worth adventure. Almost every decision have note-worthy effect. Only flaw is multiple numbers of stats that come into account for decision making, sometimes the phrasing kind of confuses me which stats come into account for the choice. If we can grasp that, the game becomes very enjoyable. 9.5/10

It's not bad but not great either. There are many good ideas like team building, but they were not played out very well. Characters are two-dimentional and lacks depth. You could almost guess what a certain person would say or do in a certain situation. Their "big secrets" does nothing to make them more interesting or attractive. And the most important thing: story just gets blander and blander after each chapter.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 471: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆☆ (5/10) Arghhhh. I never feel bad for writing a negative review, but since IndieGems and the writer has so kindly given me a free copy, I do feel bad. Still, I always have to be honest, no matter how big or small the dev/writer is. Thankfully, [i]Chronicon Apocalyptica[/i] has quite a few aspects I enjoyed: its descriptive, period-appropriate writing, its hook, and its love of history. However, its flaws sadly outweigh its highlights. The characters are bland, poor romance, the plot taking baffling, confusing turns, and a lack of player choice. Still, I would be happy to check out more of Robert Davis' work. [b]🧚‍♂️ Pros:[/b] [list] [*] What a hook. You play as an Anglo-Saxon scribe in the year 1000 where you happen to come across a mysterious, sentient Hand and a Book that tells the future. Or maybe not. It's a big question. The first chapter involves writing and transcribing historic texts, and my first thought was [i]Pentiment.[/i] It has the writing chops to be a text-based [i]Pentiment[/i], and [i]Chronicon Apocalyptica[/i] has one of the strongest hooks I've read. [*] Intriguing premise. Religious and political intrigue? Magical relics? Talking cats? This could have been phenomenal with tighter pacing and better direction. [*] The prose. It's difficult to describe, but the prose is just lovely and lyrical and easily transports me to ye olden times. It seems like the writer's strength. There's a flourish to descriptions, especially about books, as the writer notes every little detail of a text. For example, I particularly enjoyed: "You undo the book's clasps and turn through its pages, which are written in a neat, discerning hand with a talent for decorative flourishes. You marvel at how the sunlight dances on the gilt lettering and pounded gold leaf. The shimmering light is absorbed by dark, lustrous ink, made from the slow boil of nuts enriched with powdered iron." [*] This extends to the writer's clear love for history: you dip your feet into Norse, English, and Irish history and folklore. Some were familiar to me, most were not. I thought this was pretty cool. [*] Unique stat system. The game uses an unusual web of traits and numbers that give it a strong sense of individuality. For example, most games use Strength/Dexterity/Charisma/Intelligence/Stealth. But here, there's Excavation, Archival Research, Interviewing, Scientist, Rhetoric, Fighting, Scientist, and Grammarian, which makes up your personality. Additionally, there's Lore, Gravitas, and Heroic Deeds in relation to your work. Lastly, there's "Apostasy," made up of Confusion, Heresy, and Anarchy. On paper, it’s fascinating. Each choice could potentially pull from a different mix of skills and perspectives. [/list] ☯️[b] Cons:[/b] [list] [*] Stat overload. There are simply too many stats, and the game doesn’t do enough to explain what each one means or how they interact. For the Apostasy section, at the end of the game, some of my stats increased. I'm not sure why or how. It also feels like in some choices, your stats don't match up to what's being tested or there are combinations the author overlooked. I had a high Lore section, but I still don't know what it does or what it means! [*] Lack of clarity. The game desperately needs a glossary or a character guide. With so many terms, titles, nations, and shifting allegiances, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who or what’s important. I don't recommend this for newer readers. [*] Shallow character writing. The companions feel two-dimensional, their arcs underdeveloped or rushed. You can almost predict what each will say in a given situation. I would have cut the beekeeper dude. He just seems less important than everyone else, and his personality is literally just "quiet, likes bees." The game tries to do a group bonding theme and has your character make multiple speeches trying to band the group together, but it feels so bland and rushed. I didn't care for any of the side characters. That's bad. There needs to be more character development and time to actually talk to them. Each character has a ~big secret~ but I just ... did not care. I also found Lioba's reveal insane. It's quite important but it's only a quick scene in the epilogue or so. Girl? I just travelled with you and did spooky, mystical stuff with you, and you drop a bomb like THAT? [*]Romance and relationships feel hollow. Going off the above, the “romance” options are abrupt and lack buildup. I tried to romance Lioba, and as we are both female nuns, I thought I was going to get a slow-burn, push and pull. There's a lot to explore: your vows of chastity vs. your love and sexuality, love vs. duty, etc. But I choose to respect the fact that she didn't want any "carnal relations," but later, I decided to go to her room, and I had the chance to kiss her? It's really abrupt. [*] Pacing issues. The plot moves too quickly for the player to form real attachments or process events. Big reveals (like Lioba’s or the cat ex machina in Chapter 8) just happen, and then you’re onto the next thing. I thought this was going to be a slow meditation of religion and politics, but you're off galvinating across the world. You meet Elves. You're a peacemaker between the Norse and English. You have the Book. I think there's too many subplots and not enough time for each. I would have cut out the whole Viking/Norse subplot. Also, haracters like Sweyn and Horsift (sp?) feet unnecessary, cluttering the narrative instead of enriching it. Same with the “bee guy” subplot—it’s fluff that adds nothing. [*] Limited reactivity. The game often forces your hand, even when it contradicts your chosen roleplay. For example, I refused to tell my companions about the Book, as I didn't care for them. It doesn’t matter—you’ll be forced into that scene anyway. I wanted to ask someone about their "black, peeling wound." Doesn't that seem kinda bad? Nah. We just continue to travel. [*] Mechanics over emotion. The story constantly hints at deeper theological and philosophical ideas—prayer, ghosts, divine power—but never really explores them. Things happen, but rarely mean anything. We live in a Christian nation, right? But we [spoiler]meet ghosts and Elves. I don't recall those in the Bible. Does ANYONE care about that? We can pray to literally defeat anyone. So God is real?[/spoiler] Is my faith bolstered or shaken by everything? And so on. [*] A little thing, but I'm bummed we weren't [spoiler]the one to take the sword at the end.[/spoiler] [/list] [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

An interesting and engrossing story that is much more accurately medieval despite fantastic elements than most fantasy.

This story was one of my favorites from Choice of Games so far. The characters are all fun to get to know, and I also appreciated the attachment to actual English legends. Truly, my only complaint about the story is that it feels rather short. I would definitely recommend giving this a read through though. 8/10

God this game has intrigue and I want to learn more about it but the game's mechanics itself won't let me be interested. There are way too many stats to keep track of, such that I don't think the creator properly factored in the crossover of having certain combinations. You will almost always hit walls of choices where none of your stats are suited for any options, and it doesn't feel intentional or good to play. The game doesn't clearly communicate which stats mean what and the crossover between stats makes it all the more confusing. I didn't even get a chance to decide if I was honorable or cunning in the tutorial so I went through the game without the ability to choose either option. And in choices where 2/3 were the honor and cunning choice I'm obviously restricted.

Ist sehr gut gemacht, mit differenzierten Optionen zur Auswahl. Sehr lustig(teilweise) und auch mit überraschenden Wendungen. Aber man muss genau nachdenken, welche Entscheidungen man fällt. Also immer wieder nachsehen in den Statistiken, wo man am besten aufgestellt ist und wo man am "beliebtesten" ist :-D.

It's good, but it's very hard to understand, at least for me, 6/10

Its suprisingly big and has a lot of details witch make it also a good story inon how many chapters it has realy suprised me and i kept wanting to read more i give it a 10/10 personally