⧗ THE ONE NEW THING: CHRONO SURGE (BULLET TIME)
Every part you bank charges the CHRONO meter (+3 each, +25 per Chrono Gear, +8 per
hazard discharged). At 100% the meter blazes and you press X (or the ⧗ CHRONO pad):
the entire clockwork world drops to 28% speed for 4.5 seconds while you keep moving at full speed,
and every point you earn pays ×3. The mainspring clock slows down too, so a well-timed surge also buys you
air. Dump a full magazine of grabs into frozen time and watch seven figures land.
◆ AIMING IN 10 SECONDS
The reticle IS your cursor — the system pointer is hidden, so
where you point is exactly where you hit. When the reticle touches a part a 3D ring
snaps around it and the brackets flare: that ring is the true grab radius, so click and that exact part
flies to you. HOLD the button and sweep to vacuum a whole shelf — the ring hops part to part.
◆ THE JOB
You are a horologist-thief in a full-face chrono mask, working the inside of a cathedral-sized clock
that has been running since before the city above it existed. The floor is its giant dial. Salvage drifts
through the gearworks above you. Aim and fire the grapple line to rip cogs, jewels and coils out of the
movement into your pack. Fill the cog quota before the mainspring runs down. Every 5th chamber a
CHRONARCH wakes on the arbor — grab Winding Keys and drive them into its escapement.
5 spare springs per run.
◆ CONTROLS
DESKTOP
MOUSE aim · DRAG look
LEFT CLICK grab · HOLD = auto-repeat
W/↑ forward · S/↓ back
A/← step LEFT · D/→ step RIGHT
Q turn left · E turn right
SPACE jump (clears time pulses)
X CHRONO SURGE
SHIFT quickstep (parries bolts)
F gearstorm · L FPS mouse-lock
ESC/P pause · M mute
MOBILE / TOUCH
◉ TAP a part = ring + GRAB it
◉ HOLD + drag = sweep and vacuum
◉ Left stick = walk
◉ ⧗ CHRONO = bullet time when the meter is full
◉ ▲ JUMP = hop the time pulses
◉ GRAB = grapple line (hold to chain)
◉ DASH = quickstep + parry + i-frames
◉ GEAR = gearstorm, pulls parts / shoves automatons
◉ ❚❚ left edge = pause / restart / map
◆ THE MAINSPRING IS YOUR TIMER
The great clock is winding down. The mainspring drains constantly and the only way to buy more is to keep
working: every brass cog adds a fraction of a second and a Mainspring Coil dumps +6s straight back in.
Keep collecting and you can stay in the tower almost forever. When it empties the clock stops, you lose a spring,
and you re-run the same chamber with your haul intact.
◆ SALVAGE & HAZARDS
BRASS COGBase value · counts toward the quota · +0.35s mainspring
RUBY JEWEL≈3.6× value · not part of the quota
MAINSPRING COILHuge value + +6s mainspring
CHRONO GEAR ⧗Good value + +25 CHRONO meter · +0.5s
BRASS BULWARK ⛨Absorbs one hit · stacks to 3
OIL FLASK »+65% run speed for 9s
GRAND COMPLICATION ×2Value ×2 (then ×3) for 12s
SPARE SPRING ♥+1 spring (max 7)
CHIME BAR ✦+5 chain and extends the chain timer
WINDING KEY ⚿Chronarch chambers only — grab to damage the boss
GEAR MINE ✖Touch = −1 spring. BEAM IT = DISARM for big points
AUTOMATON ☠Brass spider that hunts you. Dash through it or beam it apart
◆ CHIME CHAIN (COMBO)
- Anything banked within 4.5 s of the last grows your CHAIN: ×1 → ×2 (5) → ×3 (10) → ×5 (20) → ×8 (35) → ×12 (60+).
- CHRONO SURGE multiplies everything by ×3 on top of chain, complications and your mask.
- BEAM BONUS: line-pulling a part pays +25% over walking into it.
- DISARM a Gear Mine with the beam for a massive risk payout.
- PARRY a Chronarch bolt by dashing into it — big points plus real boss damage.
- Chamber clear pays a mainspring bonus (seconds left × 2,500 × chamber), a no-damage bonus and a surge bonus.
- Chronarch bounty = chamber × 60,000. Values scale with depth, so deep chambers print millions.
◆ CHRONARCH TACTICS
- The colossus hangs above the arbor: gear volleys, expanding time pulses along the floor (JUMP them or dash through) and summoned automatons.
- Only Winding Keys hurt it — grab one and it drives itself home.
- Keys keep respawning, so the fight can never become unwinnable.
- Below 50% HP it OVERWINDS: faster volleys, double pulses, more summons.
- A CHRONO SURGE during a boss fight is the single biggest payout in the game.
◆ WORLD RANKING
After a run, enter your horologist name and flag — your haul enters the Global Top 100 (saved on this
device, merged with the worldwide crew list). Beat rank #100 to qualify.
◆ YOU CAN NEVER GET STUCK
- Edge chevrons always point at the nearest cog / key / Chronarch.
- The chamber auto-refills if salvage ever runs low.
- Slow motion is recomputed every frame and force-reset on every state change — it can never get stuck on.
- ESC/P (or ❚❚) any time: RESUME · RESTART CHAMBER · CHANGE MASK · FPS MOUSE · TOWER MAP · HELP · END RUN.
- Internal watchdogs recover automatically from a lost frame or a stuck transition.