Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate shows us what happens when dreams and memories become evidence.
Dreams are said to be the gateway to the subconscious. If that is true, in Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate, each person may hold countless secrets. In a dystopian future, under the dome of Astrium Close, citizens live in bliss as they continue to dream.
Through the use of Augmented Dreaming, people are free of nightmares. And they are also ‘treated’ for any aggressive thoughts or negative emotions they may experience. This is supposed to ensure that no crime is ever committed again. But, even here, one sees all too well that no amount of surveillance is genuinely enough.
From developers MyDearest Inc. and publisher Izanagi Games comes the title Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate, where freedom is exchanged for pleasant dreams. An entire force of people ensures everyone who goes to sleep wakes up happy.
But, as is human nature to work against the system, someone murders a seemingly perfect surveillance net. How could this have even happened? And who is responsible? What will Hal Scyon uncover as he seeks to bring the suspect to justice?
Basic movement in the game world was pretty simple. One ‘stepped around’ the environment by moving the left controller’s thumbstick. The right thumbstick would “snap” the camera in a specific direction. It was a little disorienting at times, so it took some getting used to.
It was possible to rotate in place, look at different areas, and walk a few small steps in any direction. The experience of simply moving around was nothing short of fascinating. Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate makes excellent use of the Meta Quest 2’s ability to map out a spacious environment.
As the murder investigation went on, I found I could look at all my clues using the investigation log. Visually, one might imagine a corkboard from crime shows and movies. This provided one playing Dyschronia an excellent method for reviewing the details gathered up to a certain point. It was nice not having to look through a “mission log” and be forced to look through tab after tab.
One of the most important parts of Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate‘s gameplay was experiencing the memories of others. At first, peering through memories is nothing more than taking past events into account.
Most would agree it’s preparing stuff when it’s simple evidence gathering, with Hal Scyon, being a human, only looking into memories can do, as far as he knows.
Getting to the supposed murder site was business as usual. But, looking into the memories held in the office lent an air of foreboding to the investigation. Dyschronia does a great job of upping the tension as events and memories unfold. As Hal’s hands and eyes combed over the scene, a new or simply dormant ability related to his memory recall was discovered.
Looking into the past, a small amount of influence could be exerted over it. This amazingly changed the present day in small ways, making it insanely easy to gather certain details that couldn’t be seen otherwise.
It was important to note what items could be picked up as well. Some might earn a player a few voice lines, which might be a bit disappointing, depending on the item that triggered it. Other times, glowing objects allowed for certain threads in the investigation to go further.
To say the visuals of Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate were beautiful, personally, would be an understatement. In the Augmented Dream state, one could see schools of fish in various colors’ swimming’ through the air. Despite the creatures not being interactive objects, it didn’t discourage a player from reaching out.
The waking world of Astrum Close was what one would expect from an anime-style game, at least texturally speaking. Even in just the inanimate object, there was an interesting amount of detail when it came to the simple number of bricks laid over a certain area. People that Hal spoke to were drawn spectacularly.
For someone in my generation, seeing anime characters rendered in 3D before their eyes is truly surreal. The colors complemented each other very well. When heading into Augmented Dreaming, it was a treat to see how many were asleep and experience the collective slumber.
The music choices were perfect for every situation. When I slowed down and checked out the details of the spot, suspenseful but slow music would accompany me. But if a situation called for urgency, tunes meant to raise my blood pressure would begin to dance from the speakers of the Meta Quest 2.
Most in Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate had perfectly fine voices. Ash’s voice was appropriate for someone of his stature and style. Even the professor’s tone was arrogant, as one would expect from someone in his position.
But Lily, the assistant robot meant to help with the investigation, was another story when it came to voice. Understandably, one would want a character that looks cute to sound cute. That being said, Lily’s voice didn’t hit the intended target.
She is a likable character, but the high pitch in her speech felt unnecessary and a bit forced. I found myself wishing I could put her away like the items that were phased into Hal’s inventory.
Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate was an absolutely amazing experience. There’s nothing like walking through what’s essentially a dream world and talking to others. While VR controls, in general, are still being worked on, this title does well to make use of everything possible. One might describe this title as an anime-inspired Sherlock Holmes story. That is, of course, if the detective is in a futuristic dystopian society under a dome.
It’s hard to find many good titles on Meta Quest 2 at the moment. Those looking for games with high replay value might struggle. Are you looking for something that will keep your attention? Do you want to feel like a badass solving a crime that shouldn’t have happened? Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate delivers a VR experience in a way that every new player hopes a game might.
Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate can be found on the Meta Quest 2 platform. The title will also make an appearance on Nintendo Switch in the Spring of 2023. This was episode 1 of 3. Episodes 2 and 3 are to be released at a later date.
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