I’ve owned Chrono Clock since not long after it released in English on Steam, so around 2017 or 2018. That means I’ve had this game for almost 10 years, and I’m only just now finishing it.
For a while, I had only finished one route (D.D.) and basically had it dropped. It was only after I came to really like some of Purple Software’s later titles, especially those by the same scenario writer Mikage, and with an upcoming time travel title by Purplesoft that looks a lot more interesting (aka Nandomeka/Nice to Meet You Again), that I decided to finally finish Chrono Clock.
So why did it take me so long? And what are my final thoughts on this title? Well… I think “wasted potential” and “okay at best” describe my experience pretty well.
Which sucks, because the start was actually pretty good. Purple Soft tends to have unique, engaging gimmicks in otherwise modern Japan settings. In this case, the main character has a clock he can break to turn back time by 5 minutes, limited by how often he can use it.
The common route was also a surprisingly strong start, with a Toradora-like setup where the main character helps Miu confess to another guy, but over time they grow closer. I have no issues with this part of the common route, aside from the fact that, due to this being a typical harem VN, the main character Rei can’t actually end up with her without the plot coming to a halt.
Unfortunately, once this arc ends, the game becomes much more hit-or-miss for me.
The second half of the common route is more typical common route fare, where the other heroines join the fray as potential love interests. Outside of Michiru, who’s just a weird, yandere-ish sister I don’t find funny at all, the main heroines feel quickly introduced with, in my opinion, half-hearted reasons to like the protagonist (or in Cro's case, not at all?). Since half the common route was used for one heroine, the other heroines didn't have near enough time for you to learn about and get attached to them before their heroine routes started.
It’s unfortunate, because the routes I did end up choosing to read had likable enough characters. Makoto, a tomboyish secret yakuza girl with a casual mindset similar to the MC, at least had amusing banter. D.D. is a typical foreigner character with lots of "Engrish" jokes but I thought they were funny, and she was consistently nice to the protagonist without being annoying. Cro, the time goddess connected to Rei’s clock and only visible to him, also had potential thanks to her snarky personality and how a theoretical romance would work someone like her.
Unfortunately, the main issue is the execution of the heroine routes. In theory, they have good ideas: Makoto having her own secret power, DD having a surprise nakige-style ending, and Cro being the true route with an interesting setup where time resets to the beginning of the common route but the heroines actually remember up until they get together with the protag romantically, and Cro becomes human.
However, all these routes suffer from a huge problem: lack of buildup. I usually complain about VNs being too slow, but that’s not typically an issue with Purple Soft titles. Here, though, Chrono Clock tends to have the opposite problem: trying to juggle five heroine routes in about 30 hours, along with comedy, slice-of-life, drama, the clock gimmick, and character development. It’s just too much, so the VN ends up not really having enough time for the main character and the main heroine of each route to really get to know each other well enough to make the romance feel believable.
As a result, even though each heroine technically has an emotional climax, they fall flat because they did not have nearly the amount of proper buildup needed like in Miu’s arc during the common route. Each route should have had a few more hours of proper romantic and character development to make those moments land.
I think if they had removed Michiru and/or Misaki’s routes, they could put more effort in making the other routes more focused and stronger instead of all feeling somewhat half-baked. Because as said above, I think the idea of each route is interesting enough on a conceptual level.
Another complaint is how rarely the main character’s clock gimmick is actually used. The moments where he uses it like, fixing embarrassing mistakes or trying to alter serious emotional events, are entertaining, but they don’t happen nearly as often as expected, and there are basically no consequences. It ends up feeling pointless outside of its connection to Cro.
This is especially disappointing since later Purple Software titles (and even Hapymaher before this) make much better use of their unique gimmicks, making Chrono Clock feel like a prototype for how Mikage would later refine his storytelling style.
Remember how I said Miu had the most interesting romantic development in the common route? Turns out she does gets a “ heroine route”... that’s maybe 15 minutes long and only unlocks after the true/Cro route. It’s the ultimate example of half-baked content. It should feel like a big payoff, but after going through five routes just to get something so short, it feels like it was added at the last minute so fans wouldn’t be upset she was left out.
Why didn't they give Miu a full route instead of Michiru and/or Misaki? There are plenty of ways that could have worked.
I could easily elaborate more, but I think I’ve made my point. Chrono Clock had a lot real potential, with mostly likable characters, decent comedy, a fun time-rewinding gimmick, and a strong opening common route. But the execution of most of the VN just feels like a mix of trying too many things, but also playing things too safe while also rushing to reach emotional conclusions without proper buildup.
If they had cut one or two heroines, spent more time developing the remaining routes, and made better use of the 5-minute rewind gimmick, Chrono Clock could have been a great game.
As it stands, it’s a functional, “okay at best” moege/emotional drama hybrid that doesn’t excel at either.
6/10
