🕹 Game Review: Chronos Clash
Submitted by: Sanj1t
🎯 First Impressions
Okay. Time is literally the enemy. Love that on-the-nose humor. I’m also a huge nerd for Greek mythology, so this was already checking some great boxes for me. Sanj1t is a returning dev to our competitions, and it’s always a treat to see what returning developers bring to the table. I love watching devs learn and grow.
We’ve got weapon swapping that directly helps us overcome enemies and obstacles of the same color, and a platformer that uses vertical space well—nice touch. All of this leads to a final showdown with Chronos, a much more challenging but also mechanically sound boss fight. I do wish I could fire the weapon in the direction of the mouse cursor instead of relying on quick flipping along the X-axis to eliminate hazards during the fight.
🔥 Fun and Engagement
Definitely a fun little platformer. I enjoyed having some puzzles mixed in and getting my timing and reflexes tested.
🎯 Theme Use
Theme use was spot on—time is quite literally the enemy, and the presentation doesn't try to obscure it. Direct and effective.
🛠 Execution
Good execution all around. You can tell that your coding and refinement in platformers is steadily improving. This was the most cohesive platforming experience you’ve submitted to date. I really appreciated the inclusion of checkpoints (a must for platformers, in my opinion), and the use of puzzle/enemy mechanics to vary the flow. The boss fight was well-animated and felt fair—even though I had a few gripes with the shooting mechanic (more on that below).
💡 Originality
Platformers aren’t new, but the color-matching weapon system combined with visual logic puzzle elements gave this one some unique flavor. Definitely not something I see every day.
✨ Polish
Aside from a small bug at the start—where the player’s foot can get caught on an unseen collider—and a situation where falling from the second level to hit a spike on the first level warped me back to the checkpoint above, everything felt cohesive and well-polished. Bonus points for including a proper sound options menu—a nice professional touch that makes a difference.
🛠 Areas for Improvement:
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Firing Mechanic: Adjust the firing system so that the character sprite flips and fires toward the mouse cursor, with the projectile aiming at the cursor’s direction rather than strictly from the sprite. This would make projectile-based platforming feel much more natural and responsive.
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Jumping Physics & Animation: It’s time to refine the jump function. If platforming is your core gameplay loop, the jump needs to feel and look amazing. Dial in the physics and add some visual flair.
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Platform Colliders: Consider using polygon mesh colliders for continuous platforms to prevent jagged edge overlaps that can catch the player unexpectedly.
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Checkpoint Logic on Y-Axis Falls: When designing vertical levels with checkpoints, make sure that falling back down doesn’t result in checkpoint confusion. A fall-trigger collider or a vertical reset check could help with consistency.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Another great platformer from Sanj1t, and a strong showcase of the skills and refinements they’ve been building with each jam. I loved the nod to Greek mythology, and the overall presentation of the project was tight. Keep pushing forward—you’re improving fast, and it’s exciting to watch your dev journey unfold.