Game review
Chrono Robot
7.3 / 10
- Developer
- xem
- Publisher
- xem
- Released
- 1 June 2023
- Platforms
- desktop
- Genre
- platformer
- Monetisation
- free
- Players
- false
The short version
A tidy, time-travel-themed puzzle-platformer built for GameDev.js Jam 2023, with genuinely working arrow/WASD/ZQSD movement and a jump confirmed via real held-key testing that visibly lifted the robot into the air and onto a raised platform. Correctly and honestly shipped desktop-only, since the actual gameplay code only ever binds keyboard events, with no touch handling found anywhere in the source.
Biggest strengths
- Controls confirmed genuinely correct through direct testing - a real held "D" key moved the robot right across a level, and a real held "W"/Up-arrow press produced a genuine mid-air jump that landed the robot cleanly on a raised platform
- 20 levels plus a level editor (unlockable after level 17) and an optional leaderboard/shop link, giving more structure than a typical one-off jam entry
- A short, clear in-level instructions overlay (move with arrows/WASD/ZQSD, red button moves the platform, Space uses the time machine) that matched exactly what was tested in the actual keyboard-handling code
Biggest weaknesses
- No touch support of any kind, so it is unavailable to phone visitors by design rather than through an oversight
- Plain, functional pixel-art presentation rather than a visual standout - readable but not especially polished
- License status is genuinely unknown (no LICENSE file in the source repo), though the jam entry was submitted to an "Open Source" category with all source code visible
Who it's for: Fans of small, homage-driven puzzle-platformers (built explicitly in tribute to the Flash classic Chronotron) who want a quick, level-based challenge on a real keyboard.
Our recommendation: play
7.3 / 10
Opening
Chrono Robot is a small puzzle-platformer built by prolific jam developer xem for GameDev.js Jam 2023, tying for 7th place in the Open Source category. It's an explicit homage to the Flash classic Chronotron, tasking a tiny time-travelling robot with retrieving a Chrono Crystal and returning it to a time machine across a series of levels.
Correctly desktop-only, and confirmed why
The in-level instructions state it plainly: move with arrow keys, WASD, or ZQSD, use a red button to shift a platform, and press Space to use the Overlord's time machine. Reading the actual keyboard.js source confirms this exactly - keydown/keyup handlers bound to arrow keys, WASD, and ZQSD for movement plus Space for the time-machine action, with no touch or pointer handling anywhere in the gameplay code. A full source scan across every shipped file turned up zero genuine touch/pointer bindings (the only "touch" matches were unrelated code comments). Loading the game on a real phone-sized touch viewport confirmed the title screen renders fine, but the gameplay itself would have no way to receive input from a touchscreen. It's correctly and honestly shipped here under the desktop-only tier.
Controls, confirmed with real input
Movement and jumping were both tested directly with genuine held key presses. A held "D" key moved the robot right across the first level, walking it past the in-level time machine prop. A held "W" (with Up-arrow) then produced a real jump - the robot was clearly airborne mid-press and landed squarely on a raised platform ledge, exactly the kind of platforming action the level requires. Both core inputs work exactly as the in-game instructions describe.
A small but structured package
Beyond a single level, the game offers 20 levels total, a level editor that unlocks after level 17, and an optional (and entirely unintrusive) Web3-based leaderboard/shop link that only opens in a new window if a player explicitly chooses to click it after meeting unlock conditions - it never loads or runs automatically.
Final Verdict
A clean, correctly-labelled homage puzzle-platformer whose keyboard controls are proven to work exactly as promised. A solid pick for desktop players who enjoy short, time-travel-themed platforming puzzles.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Controls confirmed genuinely correct through direct testing - a real held "D" key moved the robot right across a level, and a real held "W"/Up-arrow press produced a genuine mid-air jump that landed the robot cleanly on a raised platform
- 20 levels plus a level editor (unlockable after level 17) and an optional leaderboard/shop link, giving more structure than a typical one-off jam entry
- A short, clear in-level instructions overlay (move with arrows/WASD/ZQSD, red button moves the platform, Space uses the time machine) that matched exactly what was tested in the actual keyboard-handling code
- Correctly and honestly shipped desktop-only - grepped the entire shipped source for touch/pointer handlers and found none; the game genuinely only responds to keyboard input during gameplay
- No license file exists in the source repo, so this ships honestly flagged as license-unknown rather than guessing; no third-party analytics found, and the one external link (an optional Web3 leaderboard/shop, gated behind an in-game unlock) only opens on an explicit user click rather than loading automatically
Cons
- No touch support of any kind, so it is unavailable to phone visitors by design rather than through an oversight
- Plain, functional pixel-art presentation rather than a visual standout - readable but not especially polished
- License status is genuinely unknown (no LICENSE file in the source repo), though the jam entry was submitted to an "Open Source" category with all source code visible