After our interviews with COVER Corporation CEO Motoaki Tanigo and Holoearth producer Yuuki Oooka, I was able to experience the expansive universe of hololive in Chrono Gear: Warden of Time, a brand-new holo Indie action platformer by Freedom Planet developers GalaxyTrail. The game focuses on the Warden of Time herself, Ouro Kronii, as her power to become the strongest in the universe backfires and creates quite a conundrum for everyone’s favorite VTubers.
With my limited but growing hololive knowledge in tow, I can safely say that Chrono Gear: Warden of Time is a really great game that will immediately pique someone’s curiosity for VTubing. The game also delivers on the fundamental systems that platformers need to have to make them replayable and fun, just like Freedom Planet. Although there are some flaws to the game in its current form, Chrono Gear: Warden of Time is one that unfolds beautifully in a 15 to 20-hour playthrough with a lot of elements to discuss.
Everyone is Here in Chrono Gear: Warden of Time
As Kronii, the player is tasked with traversing various realms that were once part of a whole and complete universe. These realms are overseen by Kronii’s fellow English -Council- members Tsukumo Sana, Ceres Fauna, Nanashi Mumei, and Hakos Baelz, along with -Promise- unit member IRyS. Since the universe was fragmented by the Chrono Gear, an artifact with the power to preserve timelines, it’s up to the Warden of Time to correct everything herself. In the process, she pursues Alter Laplus, the culprit that attempted to control the Chrono Gear and the space-time continuum.
The many pieces of the Chrono Gear, known as Golden Gears, are scattered throughout the realms in the side-scrolling levels that players will explore and fight enemies in. Typically, Golden Gears are found at the very end of a level after solving a puzzle, completing a challenge, or defeating a boss. However, there are occasions where a Golden Gear can be a acquired from completing a story-related subquest, such as finding an item in a level and giving it to a certain VTuber.
In terms of VTubers, you’ll encounter many, if not most, of the prominent hololive VTubers around today, and even those that already graduated like Minato Aqua. Although the story is rather straightforward and simple, Chrono Gear: Warden of Time feels like a celebration of all things hololive-related, and it certainly comes across as a labor of love. Most of the unforgettable moments come from the dialogue between Kronii and the many Hololive VTubers, NPCs, and interactable objects that are in the hub areas.
A Simple Mix of Platforming and Swordfighting
On Normal difficulty, slashing through enemies and traversing the levels in Chrono Gear: Warden of Time was really easy. Kronii is able to execute simple slash attacks, aerial attacks, and drilling attacks with the use of the dash button. Outside the boss fights, it doesn’t take much effort to take down enemies on Normal, so experienced action game fans may want to turn it up to Hard for more enjoyment.
There’s also Haste and Stasis abilities, which accelerate and slow down time respectively. Specifically, Haste is helpful for speeding up attacks and movement, while Stasis slows down objects and enemies to give Kronii a better window for action. You will be alternating between Haste and Stasis to pick up color-coded musical notes for a higher score, and the abilities really do give you an edge in combat.
There are over 75 pieces of collectible music in the game, often found as CDs in hubs and levels. A brief sound and flicker will play whenever Kronii gets close to a CD, and it’s definitely worth seeking out. There are remixes of popular and original hololive songs that are retro-inspired and complete the aesthetic of Chrono Gear: Warden of Time. It’s worth noting that spending too much time looking for CDs can decrease your score at the end of a level, but there’s no pressure. The game caters to your playstyle, whether its speedrunning or casual play.
Fun and Colorful Presentation
Chrono Gear: Warden of Time is set in the vast cosmos, but there’s plenty of color and vibrancy to observe. The pixel art isn’t outstanding by any means, but I really think the hololive VTubers, Kronii included, are very expressive and cute in the game’s style. I also appreciate that the game as a 4:3 aspect ratio with interchangeable borders, making the game feel like it launched in the 90s instead of 2025.
Moreover, the levels are quite diverse along with the enemy variety. For example, one of the levels has a raging icy tornado in the background, and that level culminates in a battle against a dragon. In another level, Sana is the size of Galactus and views Kronii from afar. Despite the game being relatively easy, the developers didn’t skimp out on enemy and level design, making this one of a very eye-catching game.
Chrono Gear: Warden of Time is A Charming Game That Doesn’t Waste Time
hololive fans will definitely have some fun with Chrono Gear: Warden of Time, and even those who’ve never watched a single minute of a VTuber can find some enjoyment here. The game is humorous with simple and fun gameplay that makes for some great bursts of action on a Steam Deck or at a PC after work. The game’s runtime isn’t long enough to be a major time investment, but it’s also has enough content and characters to make the hololive universe shine outside live streams and music videos.
That being said, Chrono Gear: Warden of Time will be an easy game for experienced action game players. Chrono Gear: Warden of Time doesn’t innovate or bring anything new to the table either, but I don’t think it has to in order to be a fun game. It’s clear that GalaxyTrail and the other talent involved wanted to make a game that celebrates hololive and everything that makes it appealing. They’ve certainly achieved that in Chrono Gear: Warden of Time and made me laugh in joy more than a few times, too.
Disclaimer: holo Indie provided a Steam key of Chrono Gear: Warden of Time to Final Weapon for review purposes.
