Deathchron from Ratalaika Games and Crescent Moon is an homage to the 8-bit classic action games of ages past. Learn more in our Deathchron review!
Deathchron from Ratalaika Games and Crescent Moon is an homage to the 8-bit classic action games of ages past. This one has, in particular, has a bit of a vibe that reminded me of the beloved Blaster Master series from SUNSOFT – revived over the last decade by WayFoward thanks to the Blaster Master Zero series – which is definitely not a bad thing! Deathchron has you playing as an ordinary kid who one day receives an urgent television transmission… which leads to him piloting an incredible battle mech: the titular Deathchronn. It’s then that he’s transported to an alternate reality in which robots have taken over, and it’s now up to this young boy to save the day.
For this 8-bit journey, you’ll be taking control of the boy and its new mech by using the left analog stick or the D-Pad, jumping with the X button, and shooting with the Square button. The kid can exit the mech by pressing the Triangle button so that he can, for example, hack a terminal to remove an obstacle. The kid is very vulnerable when outside of the mech, so you should press and hold down the R1 button to make him run. Later in the game, you’ll be able to search for a gun so that the boy can defend himself.
While exploring each area and defeating the many enemies and bosses on your path, you’ll get to collect parts and cores. These parts and cores can be exchanged at the upgrades base for, well, upgrades that can aid you on this adventure. Said upgrades include a boost to your overall health, a flamethrower, a TriShot, and a lighting attack. Once you unlock additional weapons, you can switch to them with the R1 button and use them with the Circle button.
As for the trophies, this one has a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy waiting for you. And since Deathchronn is a Cross-Buy release, if you own a PlayStation 5 console, you’ll be able to download the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game, and each one will have its own trophy list for you to work on. Said lists have 11 Gold trophies in total, with the objectives being getting into a spaceship, sitting behind the turret, getting your first gun, hacking a terminal, dying for the first time, going into your first portal, defeating the crocodile boss, using your first save, buying a health upgrade, and buying the TriShot.
Deathchron is an homage to the 8-bit classic action games of ages past. It initially gave me some Blaster Master vibes, but the game did not manage to match that. In fact, it fell short of any expectations. It features a good 8-bit look and has some promise, but it squanders it with cheap level design, as well as many bugs that forced me to reboot the game after falling through the ground, ending up stuck on a wall, or having the mech running in place after pausing the game. Deathchron is available as a Cross-Buy release, so your $4.99 purchase will allow you to download the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost.
Disclaimer
This Deathchron review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Ratalaika Games.
