History VideoGame / ChronoArk

The game was [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1188930/Chrono_Ark/ released on Steam]] in early access on December 19, 2019 and is still in early development.

* FogOfDoom: A black fog is the apocalyptic force that annihilated human society. In-game, it's present in every battle that takes too long, dealing increasing damage every turn once a turn limit is met.

** Before the apocalypse, their predecessor state was The Ashen order, a cult of terrorists raiding major corporations 'for justice and equality'. No-one treats them as anything but a bunch of crazies wearing stupid masks and flinging Molotovs.

* OutOfTurnInteraction: Your investigators have higher initiative than most enemies, but ultimately all enemies and allies play in the same turn. Every time you play a card with a purple mana-cost indicator, the enemy's action timers will tick down, and they'll perform their corresponding actions when a timer reaches 0. In addition, some enemies are even ''faster'' than the player and can attack at the start of the turn. Conversely, some enemy attacks take ''so'' long that they can only perform their final action when you end the turn.

* StopHittingYourself: The Pharos cult leader has weak attacks, but her unique passive forces you to play an attack card on your own investigators ''at least once per turn''. Ending the turn without attacking yourself and with attack cards in hand will cause her to select and use an attack card at random. During the mid-game, she'll outright brainwash an Investigator to fight for her, who then uses a random skill from the entire deck per turn for four turns, and the worst part is that almost nothing can prevent or cure the brainwashing.

** Before the apocalypse, their predecessor was a cult of terrorists raiding major corporations 'for justice and equality'. No-one treats them as anything but a bunch of crazies wearing stupid masks and flinging molotovs.

* RevivingEnemy: Snow Giants turn into Snow Giant Remnants upon death, and you have a short time to kill the remnant before it regenerates back into a full health Snow Giant.

* AmusementParkOfDoom: The Bloody Park stage is an abandoned amusement park filled with [[MonsterClown Monster Clowns]] and LivingToys.

* DoubleJump: Every swiftness or vitaly scroll used gives Lucy the ability to jump one more time. Both jumping and double jumping are entirely useless features, but it does give you an achievement if you can jump four times.

* SadisticChoice: The Witch enjoys putting Lucy (and the player) through this. Her gimmick is giving a "Horrendous Pain" curse card to the player every turn, who must choose a hero to cast it on. It causes a painful DamageOverTime effect. The heroes will respond to your mouseover, some confidently accepting it while others protest quite passionately. A few heroes will even cry out in pain. The Witch doesn't hold back from taunting your dilemma throughout the fight.

* TimeMachine: The ClockTower is said to be this. Because the operators disappeared and no one knows how to run it anymore, Lucy and the investigation team are forced to collect "time shades" to get it to run.

* One Hit Kill: Two playable characters have access to a skill which one hit kills any regular enemy, and bosses from 40% of their health. However, one of them costs 4 mana to use this way and has a delay, and the other is permanently removed from the deck on use and becomes more expensive with each completed stage.

* The Mole: Trisha was this while operating undercover inside the Pharos order, collecting intel for the investigation team. [[EtTuBrute The Pharos bosses call her out on it]].

* LightIsNotGood: The Sacred Karaela, in contrast with the rather dark bosses and enemies who make up the rest of the White Grave stage, is a bright, sun-colored, almost angelic being who summons [[CreepyCoolCrosses Christian crosses]] and purifies her foes. She's just as dangerous and violent as the other White Grave bosses.

The gameplay is a combination of deck-building roguelikes (such as VideoGame/{{SlayTheSpire}}) and party-based rpgs. You command a party of up to four heroes with unique abilities and playstyles who can be leveled up and given skill cards individually but they all share a single mana pool and their skills are shuffled into the same deck.

* DoubleJump: Every swiftness or vitaly scroll used gives Lucy the ability to jump one more time. Both jumping and double jumping are entirely useless features but it does give you an achievement if you can jump four times.

* LastChanceHitPoint: Heroes don't die instantly when going below 0 hp. Instead, they will be considered at "Death's Door", a system fans of the roguelike genre [[VideoGame/DarkestDungeon might recognize]]. Any further damage will cause the hero to faint unless something is granting them the "Faint Resist" stat and luck is on their side. Life can go ''negative'' so it often takes some work to get allies back to 1 hp.

* ScienceFantasy: Includes the likes of a [[ThePhoenix Phoenix]] and a [[OurWitchesAreDifferent witch]] but also includes [[TimeTravel time travel]] and a [[DomedHometown domed city]]. Science and research play a central role in the plot as does [[ReligionIsMagic faith]]. Technology is modern to futuristic but most characters still fight with archaic weapons and they are often glowing in ways that imply some modern technology went into their design. Sources of power are usually vague, so it's often left unclear if something has a mystical source or if it's just WeirdScience.

* SigilSpam: The longer you look at a character that's related to the Pharos Cult, the more instances of the Pharos Cult symbol you'll find. This sigil has also made its way to some unexpected places such as the expert difficulty icon.

* UnknownItemIdentification: Potions and scrolls have unknown effects and must be identified by either using the item, using a scroll of identification, or paying to have them identified at a shop. Potions and scrolls look different but the textures given to each potion and scroll type are randomized every run.

** While fighting the Witch boss, if you refuse to choose an ally to curse (see SadisticChoice below), she casts the curse on ''everyone''.

* SigilSpam: The longer you look at a character that's related to the Pharos Cult, the more instances of the Pharos Cult symbol you'll find.This sigil has also made its way to some unexpected places such as the expert difficulty icon.

The game was released for PC in early access on December 19, 2019 and is still in early development.

* CityInABottle: The Ark is a [[FloatingContinent floating]] [[DomedHometown domed city]] and remains the only known safe place in the world. With the exception of the investigation team, very few people ever leave the Ark.

* FogOfDoom: A black fog is the apocalyptic force that annihilated human society. In-game, it's present in every battle that takes too long, dealing increasing damage every turn once a turn limit is met.

* {{Cult}}: The Pharos Cult is a major antagonistic group found on every single level except the last. They all sport similar grayish-purple attire and display the cult symbol somewhere. Almost every member except the leader wears a mask or otherwise [[TheFaceless conceals their face]].

* {{Cult}}: The Pharos Cult is a major antagonistic group found on every single level except the last. They all sport similar grayish-purple attire and display the cult symbol somewhere. Almost every member except the leader wears a mask or otherwise [[TheFaceless conceals their face]].

* CityInABottle: The Ark is a [[FloatingContinent floating]] [[DomedHometown domed city]] and remains the only known safe place in the world. With the exception of the investigation team, very few people ever leave the Ark.