| Chronotron | |
|---|---|
The main menu for Chronotron. |
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| Developer(s) | Scarybug Games[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Scarybug Games[1] |
| Designer(s) | Joe Rheaume[1] |
| Artist(s) | Bogdan Ene[1] |
| Composer(s) | Helge Krabye[2] |
| Version | 1.03[3] |
| Platform(s) | Adobe Flash[4] |
| Release date(s) | May 2008[5] |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle, Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | web page |
| System requirements | |
Chronotron is a flash video game developed by Scarybug Games.[6] Chronotron launched on the Kongregate website in May 2008.[7] It is notable for having been selected as one of ten games in the PAX 10 2008 out of over eighty entries.[1] It has been described as innovative.[8] The protagonist is a robot named Chronotron which travels back in time to cooperate with himself.[4] The main character must fetch an item before moving to the next room.[1] Solving the puzzles requires sending the main character back in time to coordinate with previous selves.[1] The gameplay requires thinking ahead.[4] Chronotron records the control input, not the protagonist's position.[9] As a result, actions by later selves can interfere with earlier selves.[9] A number of web sites have licensed Chronotron, including Kongregate and MTV's AddictingGames.[9] It was featured on the front page of Kongregate.[5] The game appears on over 2,000 web sites[5] and has been played more than seven million times.[5] The developer splits advertising revenue evenly with Kongregate and has made more than $1,000.[7] The developer has made nearly $15,000 in profits from the game.[5]
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Chronotron was developed by Madison, Wisconsin based[4] Scarybug Games, which consists of a single person: Joe Rheaume.[4][6] Rheaume was the sole developer of Chronotron.[9] Development for Chronotron took seven months.[1] Chronotron's sponsorship support was handled through FlashGameLicense.com.[1] Interest in sponsoring Chronotron allowed Scarybug Games to hire Romanian artist Bogdan Ene to replace the graphics.[1][5] Royalty free music was purchased for the game.[6] The music's author is Helge Krabye.[2] Sound effects came from the Freesound Project.[2]
Chronotron's time travel elements was inspired by advertising for the Xbox game Blinx: The Time Sweeper[1] and an article on Braid.[1][9] Rheaume claims to not have played Blinx.[1] Chronotron was released before the release of Braid.[10] Rheaume claims to have "thought of the idea of recording input and going back looping on yourself."[9] Rheaume wanted there to be no limit on how many times you could travel back in time.[9] The game contains references to time travel stories including Back to the Future, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and Doctor Who.[1] The puzzle platformer elements were inspired by The Lost Vikings.[1] Rheaume notes the similarity between cooperating with your self to the cooperation between the three Vikings in The Lost Vikings.[9] Puzzle pacing, with later puzzles building on what is learned earlier, was inspired by Portal.[1] Portal also inspired the use of humorous signs in game as hints.[1]
Rheaume is a Flash developer for his day job.[4] Chronotron was built as a hobby.[4] As a hobby, Rheaume can develop ideas which don't fit the ideas, time constraints, and budgets of his regular job's client projects.[4] Chronotron was developed because Rheaume thought it would be fun to play.[1] Rheaume developed it further because he "thought it really had legs."[9] Interest from other people kept Rheaume going.[9]
The name of the game and the protagonist comes from "chrono" for "time" and "tron" as a generic term for "robot."[4]
The game was selected as one of the ten games for the prestigious PAX 10 in 2008.[4] Joe Rheaume was an invited guest to show Chronotron to the Penny Arcade Expo in 2008 as part of the PAX 10.[1] Chronotron was selected as one of ten games from over eighty submitted.[1] Chronotron is the only browser-based Flash game in the PAX 10 2008.[4]
Chronotron has been described as "a very deep, complex game involving time travel and past selves."[6] Game designer Greg Costikyan described Chronotron as "a simple, satisfying, and enjoyable exploration of the effects of one novel mechanic on a well-established form."[11] A review on Jay Is Games described Chronotron as "a platform puzzler with a really innovative (and addictive) twist." [8] The same review said of the "rewind mechanic", "the concept is refined—and executed almost to perfection."[8] A reviewer on Rock, Paper, Shotgun said "Certainly I feel worn out after wrapping my head around a few levels, but also satisfied and pleased — you really should go play this."[10] Kotaku called it "a hell of a fun flash game."[12] Gawker.com rated Chronotron "Pretty pretty good" and said "If you loved Portal, you'll like this enough for two lunch breaks."[13] Jamie Fristrom of Torpex Games, a fellow honoree at the PAX 10, said, "Chronotron is actually my favorite of the PAX 10."[14] A GameCyte author "wholeheartedly recommend[ed] Chronotron to any and all puzzle fans." [15] Hecklerspray described Chronotron as "incredible" and "so impressively playable that it'll probably kill your productivity for the day stone dead."[16]
The developer believes the "biggest" and "fairest criticism" are problems with synchronizing robots actions between time loops.[6]