Chrono Odyssey: Everything You NEED to Know Going Into 2023

Chrono Odyssey is an MMO I’ve been covering since its announcement back in December 2020. Nobody else had covered it at the time, and the people that watched my video wrote it off as “just another crappy Asian MMO.”
Boy has the perception of the game changed since then. As of May 12th 2023, not only has every MMO creator covered the game or expressed interest in it, but the trailer uploaded on to the PlayStation Youtube channel is sitting at almost 3 million views since its reveal earlier this month.
Saying the game is eagerly anticipated would be doing it a disservice. But what is Chrono Odyssey, and should we be excited? Is it really just another crappy Asian MMO, or is there more to it than we originally expected?
That’s what we’re here today to discuss. I’m going to break down everything we know about the game. Business model. Beta tests. Races and classes. Release date.

Chrono Odyssey is an upcoming third-person open-world action MMO announced back in December 2020, developed by NPIXEL, the same studio behind the popular GRAN SAGA MMORPG. Not to be confused with the blockchain MMO GRAN SAGA UNLIMITED by METAPIXEL.
The game is set in the world of Setera – a land filled with unexplored regions.
Equipped with control over space and time, players will ally with a variety of different factions as you journey across the land in an attempt to save it from destruction against the Void, a war that has been going on since the beginning of time, that has been rapidly escalating to a point where we’re – you and I – are necessary to save it.
Examples of factions available are The Guardians, The Void, The Broken, The Outcasts, and The World Movers. Each of the factions have their own backstories, their own purpose.

When Chrono Odyssey was originally conceived, it was done so with “free to play” in mind. However, that was back in 2020, and the game has undergone a number of significant changes since its conception.
As a PC exclusive MMO, I would’ve said it was all but a guarantee that we’d see it launch free for players, but given their confirmation of a simultaneous console release, that guarantee is no longer.. well, a guarantee, rather, it’s still the more likely outcome.
And given NPIXEL’s singular other game – GRAN SAGA, is fully free to play it makes sense. NPIXEL have expressed in the past that they wanted to keep their games accessible for the larger market, and the investments they’ve obtained to develop these games are proof that game-sales are unnecessary for them.
This could also be due to the fact that GRAN SAGA is a Gacha MMO and made a billion dollars roughly in its first year of release, and Chrono Odyssey might feature a similar style of monetization.

Earlier this month a full gameplay trailer showcasing everything from world exploration to characters to combat was released, which also confirmed exactly which platforms the game was releasing on to.
Originally, NPIXEL stated that Chrono Odyssey was going to be a PC MMO with mobile cross-play functionality. However, after a lengthy development process, it seems as though they’ve changed direction, instead opting to release on to PC, PlayStation 5 and XBox Series.
There will be absolutely no mobile cross-play functionality implemented, with no mobile ports, no mobile features. This is a breath of fresh air as we all know the kind of game we’d expect if it were targeting the mobile audience in conjunction with PC.

Chrono Odyssey features a full action combat system. As we saw in the trailer, the game utilizes dodges, parries, counters and blocks. When blocking you can mitigate damage for a period of time, after taking a certain amount of damage your block is broken and you’re staggered.
This means players will be presented with a number of ways to combat encounters. You can move with a tank and have them hold aggro while you DPS from a safe distance. You can go it solo and utilize dodging and parrying to minimize damage and stay alive.
The combat looks incredibly fast and will likely require pretty decent reflexes if you want to be competitive. If there’s a functional PvP system in place, I’d imagine it would be much more skill-oriented as opposed to CC-oriented given the use of real-time combat mechanics.

The studio did confirm there is a functional class system in place, but it’s deeper than what we’re typically used to. At the time of release, there will be a grand total of 6 classes: Swordsman, Ranger, Sorcerer, Paladin, Berserker, and Assassin.
Swordsman, Ranger, Sorcerer, Berserker and Assassin all sound like full DPS, where the Paladin is likely the human punching bag we saw in the trailer.
This is interesting though as unless the Ranger can apply a type of support, the Sorcerer can heal, or the Paladin is self-sufficient, I can’t imagine the game being easy without a dedicated healer. Judging from what we know thus far, there isn’t a “holy trinity” of sorts, but that’s the direction the MMO genre is moving.
Additionally, each class is going to be able to utilize a number of unique weapons that drastically change the type of class it is, allowing players to swap weapons in real-time to change not only your utility to the team, but also your role.
Which leads me to believe there will be a support type weapon for one of the classes that allows the use of reactive, real-time healing between DPS, which could honestly be a very, very cool playstyle.

The devs confirmed via their website that Chrono Odyssey is a “large, open-world MMO.” They didn’t, however, confirm whether the game will be a seamless open-world game, like Black Desert Online or a segregated open-world game like Final Fantasy XIV or Guild Wars 2.
Regardless, one thing is certain: It is NOT an instanced MMO, nor is it a hub-MMO.

According to a press release made on the PlayStation website, not only will players be able to choose between 6 distinct classes, with a variety of different weapons to select from, but you’ll also have a number of character customization options.
These include “gender and appearance,” allowing you to “express your unique personality and create a personalized combat style that is truly your own.” Now this is still pretty vague, but given this is a Korean MMO, it’s a safe bet to assume not only is it going to be a gorgeous game, but the character customization is going to be enviable.
If there’s one thing Korean games do well: It’s making hyper sexualized female characters that guys would rather pay more attention to than getting their pickle tickled IRL.
At the time of recording, there only seems to be Humans available as a playable race, but given this is a fantasy game, there is definite potential for additional races – like Elves in the future.

GRAN SAGA, NPIXEL’s previously released MMORPG is a Gacha game which means more powerful characters – weapons, are locked behind essentially a pay-wall, meaning paying players will have access to more powerful heroes than free players.
It is unconfirmed if any of the weapons available in Chrono Odyssey will be locked behind Gacha, but it’s a safe bet to assume if it is in fact a free to play title, there will be a degree of pay to win present.
Whether it ultimately effects you or not is another question all together, however, since I would really only see it having a substantial effect on PvP, which might not exist, or be entirely togglable.

Chrono Odyssey is a Korean MMO, not a Chinese MMO, which means it’s much less likely for censorship to be an issue. However at the same time, if NPIXEL choose to have another publisher publish the game Globally – outside of Korea, then it is entirely plausible the game could suffer from censorship.
I believe GRAN SAGA hasn’t released Globally yet, but NPIXEL don’t plan on publishing it outside of Korea themselves, which means they’re likely going to look for a Global publisher – of which there aren’t very many options. Probably Amazon, after seeing how much anticipation has been built for the game already.

A large open world has been promised, with a plethora of multiplayer options.
According to the press release posted on to the PlayStation website, the studio’s vision for Chrono Odyssey “is to continue the legacy of beloved MMORPGs that have stood the test of time,” “as well as the real-time MMO content enjoyed by hundreds of players to provide a dynamic social experience unlike any other.”
“Prepare to engage in epic battles alongside hundreds of other players, where strategy, skill, and teamwork determines the outcome. Whether you’re facing off against colossal beasts or competing for dominance against other factions, you’ll need to bring your all and find trusted allies to support you in your quest for victory.”
Evidently, pretty “massive.”

The devs have confirmed that there will be massive world-bosses to combat out in various zones, but they haven’t touched on the kinds of instanced content – dungeons or raids, which means we’re also uncertain of how one goes about gearing themselves.
Since there is a multi-weapon system present, I wonder if they’re going to have gear drop from world bosses, if you’ll be required to craft them or if they’ll be locked behind real-life purchases.

Chrono Odyssey has a Global release planned. Companies like to throw the term “Global” around quite a bit, Amazon did it with Lost Ark and New World, yet IP blocked a number of regions.
So while “Global” is confirmed, it’s very plausible that it ends up being a little more difficult to access than one might hope for certain regions. Like South East Asia, or certain parts of Europe.

It is currently unconfirmed when Chrono Odyssey plans on rolling out their first Closed Beta tests, but many players are speculating they will begin at some point in early 2024.
Given how far through development Chrono Odyssey currently is, I wouldn’t say that’s entirely out of the question.

And that’s everything we currently know about Chrono Odyssey. This is a gorgeous upcoming MMORPG with a lot of potential, but there have been many an MMO with equal potential that have crashed and burned, and just as many underdogs like Albion Online and even Final Fantasy XIV that have done the exact opposite, and have found lasting success.

Much like the Global Beta, a full Global release date is unconfirmed. Given the Beta test is likely going to take place at some point in 2024, it’s unlikely we’ll see a release date at any point in the first half of 2024.
Rather, Chrono Odyssey is going to be at least a 2nd half 2024 release at the earliest, maybe even a 2025 release depending on who they decide will be in charge of Global localization.