Enter the Chronosphere launches in Early Access on May 14 [Update: Delayed to May 25]
Turn-based tactical bullet hell game dated.
Turn-based tactical bullet hell game Enter the Chronosphere will launch in Early Access for PC via Steam on May 14 for $14.99, publisher Joystick Ventures and developer Effort Star announced.
Update 05/05/26: Joystick Ventures and Effort Star have delayed the Early Access launch of Enter the Chronosphere to May 25 following the announcement that Subnautica 2 will also launch in Early Access on May 14. “We are a simple publisher,” said Joystick Ventures fund manager Ivan Carrillo in a press release. “When we saw the Subnautica 2 trailer and [Early Access’] release date on the same day as Enter the Chronosphere, we decided to change our release date. We don’t want to draw attention away from the most wishlisted game on Steam.”
Here is an overview of the game, via Joystick Ventures:
About
In Enter the Chronosphere, nothing moves until the player does. Between turns, bullets hang frozen inmid-air and enemies wait, showing their next move. Act, and everything moves together. Shoot, move, reload, dodge roll, use an ability. Stop, and everything else does, too.
Key Features
- Six characters bring their own abilities, from Urtar’s enemy-launching Kinetic Surge to Marcia’s clutch dodge roll, plus unlockable tactics that any crew member can use.
- Every biome brings unique enemies, objectives, and items.
- Gear and skills from different worlds stack into crazy builds that shouldn’t work as well as they do.
- Unlock new abilities, threats, and secrets in the game’s between-run hub, The Starseer.
What to Expect in Early Access
- Move-when-you-move tactical mastery: you may be in bullet hell, but you’ll have time to plan through some truly slick maneuvers.
- Five biomes, each with their own weapons, gear, bosses, and unique challenges: explore areas with inspirations ranging from Australiana to the classic science-fiction insect hive.
- Three playable characters: select from Marica (last human in the whole universe), Urtar (a bear!), or Lillypilly (a cool frog)
- Procedurally generated chronospheres: every run begins with a selection between three procedurally generated spheres, which will have different missions and modifiers
- Over 40 hours of metaprogression at launch, with average estimated run time taking 30 to 45 minutes.
The game was originally inspired by classic roguelikes, and asks the question: “What if you took the gameplay off the grid, and showed the player what was happening?” Exploring this question revealed frenetic action gameplay that remains deeply tactical, while having an extremely low barrier of entry for new players.
Effort Star will share more details on what is planned for the game through its Early Access period closer to launch.
Watch a new trailer below.