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Chronofiends!! The Cooperative Time-Looping Adventure Game Kickstarter Review

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Quick Look: Chronofiends!!

Designer: Matt Hewes
Artists: Patrick Liddell
Publisher: Space Mole Games
Year Published: (Live on Kickstarter! Link at the bottom of review!)

No. of Players: 1-4

Ages: 14+

Playing Time: 60 – 120 minutes.

Find more info HERE.

From the Publisher:

Chronofiends!! is a thrilling sci-fi board game set on a space station trapped in a time loop, where players must navigate through chaotic environments filled with danger and excitement. The Hearthseekers, a fanatical group erased from history due to their reckless time experiments, have broken the flow of time, causing the station to loop in time endlessly. They’ve kidnapped and experimented on aliens from across the galaxy, who are now also loose and throwing the station into chaos. Meanwhile, the extradimensional Chronofiends—entities that consume paradoxes and everything caught within them—are slowly devouring the time loop, creating a tense race against time.

In Chronofiends!!, players explore the station, searching for essential items and room rewards needed to close the time paradox and escape before they’re erased. Each character possesses unique abilities that alter time and space, enabling them to interact differently with obstacles, allies, and the hostile aliens roaming the station. The game’s mechanics emphasize resource and time management, as players take actions by moving through connected rooms, resolving obstacles, and accumulating skill points that enhance their abilities. However, every encounter with a Chronofiend reduces the available time, accelerating the station’s collapse.

Adding to the tension, Chronofiends!! incorporates a countdown mechanic via the Time Track, where each player’s remaining actions are limited. If players can navigate through the challenging rooms, gather scenario-specific items, and use their skills effectively, they have a chance to fix the paradox and escape. But if the loop resets or time runs out, everything they’ve achieved unravels, and they must start anew with only the knowledge they’ve gained in prior attempts. This collapsing cycle tests teamwork, strategy, and quick adaptation, making Chronofiends!! a uniquely intense and immersive board game experience.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided the prototype copy of Chronofiends!! The opinions expressed in the review are completely my own. Note: This review is based on a demo copy of the game and may not accurately reflect all the elements of the final version of the game.

Review:

Initial Thoughts:

I don’t typically play cooperative games, but Chronofiends!! seemed to have an interesting concept and one that I could get behind in a cooperative way. I like techno, I like time dimensions, and I like cooperative games that aren’t one dimensional. Chronofiends!! looked like it would fit this well. If the gameplay works out, I might find being cooperative to be a good thing. Looking at the game pieces, they aren’t really your typical game piece, which is interesting, but they also aren’t so out there that they aren’t relatable. The game looks like it involves resource management, exploration / movement control, and hazard avoidance. Let’s see if we can win.

Rules & Setup:

The rule book is still a work in progress, but is extremely comprehensive, to include a graphic novel page giving you background on the game. All the components are described; how and when each is used since you may not use all of them. The basic setup information is provided, but the central components (board tableau) is laid out according to the scenario the player has chosen (included in a Scenario manual).

Since each player will be selecting a group to play, examples of how each group interacts with the game is included throughout the gameplay description. Players must be aware of the Chronofiends, game enemies, and the manual provides clear instructions on how the Chronofiends act throughout the game. Player boards include a Skill Tracker, which is thoroughly described in the instruction book.

Also included in the rule book is a listing of each of the room tiles, character ability sheets, and a general reference guide.

Note: Since this was a demo game the rule book was not in its final form.

Game setup is determined by the scenario players select from the Scenario book. The book includes 6 scenarios, but more scenarios are available online. Included scenarios are two that are Easy, two that are Medium, and two that are Hard. The first scenario, the easiest, is the Tutorial level. Each scenario provides a layout for the initial rooms as well as any game changes.

Theme and Mechanics:

In Chronofiends!! you are the representative of a particular group of aliens. The different aliens have come together to explore a ship for ways to defeat extradimensional beings, the Chronofiends. Players must work together to accomplish the goals of the scenario in which they find themselves. Some actions help everyone, and some only affect one player. Players must accomplish actions while dodging the dreaded Chronofiends. In addition, players are trapped in an ever-shortening Time Loop. Only certain skills and powers move from Loop to Loop, which makes performing actions better / easier, but with less time each Loop, players must use their time efficiently. If they succeed, they win; if not, they are lost to time.

The mechanic of the game is simply turn-based actions. Each turn a player moves into an unexplored room and attempts to accomplish the task described by the room. If the player has enough time to spend, they accomplish the task, otherwise the task is unaccomplished.

Chronofiends!! is played over an indeterminate number of rounds, called Loops. The game includes a Time Track that shows how much time each player has left in the loop. The player who is highest on the track takes a turn until they are no longer the highest on the track. Each room includes one or two goals with the associated amount of time it takes to accomplish. On a player’s turn, they move into a room and complete one of the goals, deducting the indicated time from the Time Track.

The Chronofiends are also on the Time Track, and when they are the highest it is their turn. A player rolls an 8-sided die which indicates the direction the Chronofiends move. If a Chronofiend enters a room where a player’s character is, the player is affected according to a set of rules.

Players continue performing actions until they all run out of time, ending the Loop. A portion of the Time Track is removed, the board is reset, and the players start performing actions again. If the players can complete all the Scenario Accomplishments prior to the Time Track going away, they win. If the Time Track runs out before all the Scenario Accomplishments are finished, the players lose.

The game provides a good deal of variability based on the additional rooms that can be discovered by exploring the space station. Players are not limited to a single set of actions or types of rooms they can resolve. Each player can resolve a room if that is what is needed by the group.

What some may find issue with:

The amount of time each room requires can be jarring. Some of the additional rooms can only be accomplished early in the game or with additional skill or powers. If a player doesn’t understand this, they can very quickly run out of time and get frustrated with the game.

It took a bit to figure out the game; each character has a different ability and how to interact with the space station. Some of the games I didn’t get until I had played the game to see how interactions really worked. Once I understood the game, it was quite interesting to play it. We were able to win in the games I played, but we didn’t try hard scenarios. Ultimately, I enjoyed playing the game and it is one of the few cooperative games I could see myself playing more often. I would recommend this game to anyone who really enjoys cooperative game play, has an interest in time-based gaming, and interdimensional themes.

Cooperative games, variable / looping game play, and time based games.

After reading Thomas Shepherd’s review, if this sounds like a game for you at the time of this posting Chronofiends!! will be launching on KICKSTARTER until Mon, November 24 2025 6:59 AM PST. It has surpassed its funding goal of $5,500. Check it out and back it HERE.

Enter their COOL GIVEAWAY TOO!(LINKED HERE SOON)

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Check out Chronofiends!! and Space Mole Games on:

Thomas Shepherd – Reviewer

Grew up loving to solve puzzles, play games. In younger years he had fun playing pencil games, playing D&D with friends, and hanging out with others. His favorite thing to do was to make puzzles, mazes, word games, picture games, etc. Sadly his career took him in a different direction. Gaming came back into his life, though, about 15 years ago & held onto it since. He enjoys designing games and has 9 published titles, through, Toresh Games. Sadly he wasn’t able to sustain the company. He would love to see a return to games as the best social media platform for the masses.

See Thomas Shepard’s Reviews HERE.