Chronoscript: The Endless End is an upcoming exploration-based 2D action adventure published by Shueisha Games and developed by DeskWorks, the Japanese studio behind RPG Time: The Legend of Wright. Announced on September 25 for PC (Steam) and PlayStation 5, Chronoscript is an ambitious project led by a team of seasoned veterans from Japan’s game industry.
In Chronoscript, you step into the shoes of an editor who travels to a secluded Western-style mansion at the request of their reclusive author. But soon after arrival, a mosquito bite knocks you unconscious, and you awaken inside the novelist’s manuscript itself.
As the protagonist, you must then explore the strange world of the novel, unraveling “the endless end” of a story that has been continuously rewritten by its author for a thousand years. It’s an unusual, “story within a story” premise for what the developers describe as a “metroidvania plus” game – drawing from established hits like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, but innovating upon the genre.
At the heart of the project are Masami Yamamoto of Shueisha Games, and Tom Fujii and Nam Namba of DeskWorks.
Yamamoto, Chronoscript’s producer, has been in the industry for nearly 40 years, and has served as head of External Development at Sony Interactive Entertainment. He’s been involved in the development of a wide range of titles, from Tenchu: Stealth Assassins and Japan Studio’s What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord?, to Soul Sacrifice, Freedom Wars, and FromSoftware’s Bloodborne.
After leaving Sony to start his own company, Yamamoto eventually joined Shueisha Games, where he became fully dedicated to his role as Chronoscript’s producer. “DeskWorks is an incredibly talented team of creators,” he told AUTOMATON. “My role in development is to offer them ideas from an external, objective perspective and help figure out how to best market the game.”
Director Tom Fujii, who is handling Chronoscript’s story, level design and 3D design, started out his career working on the development of Ōkami at Clover Studio, before moving on to original RPGs and later Japan Studio’s rain, which is when he met SIE’s Yamamoto. Later, he went on to establish DeskWorks with Namba.
Update: Correction regarding Fujii’s career history
Namba serves as Chronoscript’s character designer, level designer and lead 2D animator. The two have been friends since their student days, working separately at different companies while collaborating on independent projects like RPG Time: The Legend of Wright.
For Chronoscript, the team set out to incorporate their distinct hand-drawn art style into a 2D action game. “We wanted to create a satisfying platformer that takes advantage of DeskWorks’ signature handcrafted visuals and animation,” Yamamoto explains.
Once development began, Yamamoto says he was struck by the duo’s endless creativity and their passion for reasearching what players enjoy and what resonates in the market. “They’re constantly overflowing with ideas,” he says. “I believe they can breathe new life into the Metroidvania genre and create what we call a ‘Metroidvania plus.’”
Chronoscript: The Endless End is set to release in 2026, for PC (Steam) and PlayStation 5.
