Chronomancers is a 4-player cooperative boss rush game whose bosses emulate raid encounters that can be found in MMORPGs. The game uses an isometric camera perspective and a relatively simple control scheme that is found in many Action RPGs.
Chronomancers is a student game that was created with the goal of taking the experience of raiding in an MMORPG and boiling it down into something that is accessible to a broader player base while still providing what is engaging and fun about raiding. In order to keep the game accessible, we threw out the idea of a rigid class-based system and instead went with a load out system that still allows players choice in how they play, but without having to force players into specific roles that not all groups of friends might fit into. Removing classes from a game that is meant to emulate MMORPG raiding seems a bit like suicide, and while there are some inherent drawbacks, it gave us the unique opportunity to design in a space where we had to come up with clever and interesting problems for players to solve without relying on roles that are born out of having classes. The biggest hurdle we faced while designing encounters was trying to make sure that they were keeping all 4 players engaged without actually having the boss attacks rely on four players being alive at all times to solve a problem. To get beyond this hurdle we use a combination of attacks that: threaten all players individually, require at least two players to solve a problem, and epic moments that always happen at certain parts in the fights that are made easier by more players helping. Chronomancers was fun and challenging to make. We hope that you enjoy it.