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'Chronoglogy' is quite a gem. An expertly crafted platformer, the game boasts a beautiful art style to complement its sharp gameplay. The story is simple, but effective. An unnamed, elderly inventor is determined to find his shady mentor after one of the pair's contraptions causes apocalyptic destruction. Along the way, the inventor encounters a friendly snail with the ability to freeze time. Combined with the old man's penchant for traveling from past to present, the slimy companion introduces a unique gameplay structure.
The player alternates between the two characters in order to solve brilliantly designed puzzles oriented around manipulating time in order to alter the landscape and circumvent obstacles. The snail's shell serves as a movable platform that can be used to cross gaps, sawblades can be halted in mid-air, and impassible walls in the past become ruined structures in the present. Switching time periods in the middle of a jump can turn certain doom into a saving ledge or platform. These basic mechanis build and combine in interesting and challenging ways as the levles progress. One particularly creative head scratcher involves multiple time switches, an anvil, and flaming cannonballs, all to simply open a door.
The game's visual design is superb. Colorful character models and environments seem to pop off the screen. The bright wimsy of "before" transforms into the dark, dilapidated melancholy of "after." The contrast underscores the narrative's focus on regret and the consequences of terrible decisions. Puzzle construction also reinforces this relationship. In one of the game's shining moments, a decision made concerning a young child in the past has subtly profound implications in the present.
While the time spent in "Chronology's" world is welcome, it does not last forever. The entire experience can be completed in around 2.5-3 hours, leaving the player with a distinct-- and regrettably brief--brush with greatness. Osao Games should be commended for this effort, a game that merges artistic integrity and ambition with incredibly enjoyable platforming mechanics. Warning: "Chronolology" also contains blatant disregard for the laws of the space-time continuum.
Score: 9/10