A TACTICAL MANEUVER INTO A NEW WEEK
MELBOUNE, MAY 5, 2026 - Developer Effort Star and publisher Joystick Ventures, who announced their May 14 Early Access release date for their upcoming turn-based tactical bullet hell game, Enter the Chronosphere, mere hours after Subnautica 2 also announced their May 14 release date, is now excited to share that….they’ll be releasing on MAY 25 instead! Enter the Chronosphere will still be available for $14.99 on Steam while in EA, as originally planned.
"We are a simple publisher," says Ivan Carrillo, Fund Manager at Joystick Ventures. "When we saw the Subnautica 2 trailer and EA's release date on the same day as 'Enter the Chronosphere,' we decided to change our release date. We don’t want to draw attention away from the most wishlisted game on Steam."
While the game does contain innovative stop-and-start combat that was well-received during its demo period, it does not include any Leviathans. Those of us with thalassophobia will be alright.
NEW Enter the Chronosphere Early Access - 25 May 2026
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Reviewer's Note: The game will have about 40+ hours of metaprogression at launch; average estimated run time takes 30-45min
What to expect in Enter the Chronosphere:
- 🤔 Move-when-you-move tactical mastery: you may be in bullet hell, but you’ll have time to plan through some truly slick maneuvers
- 🌎 Five biomes, each with their own weapons, gear, bosses, and unique challenges: explore areas with inspirations ranging from Australiana to the classic sci-fi insect hive
- 🐸 Three playable characters: select from Marcia (last human in the whole universe), Urtar (a bear!), or Lillypilly (a cool frog)
- 🔴 Procedurally generated chronospheres: every run begins with a selection between three procedurally generated spheres, which will have different missions and modifiers
The game was originally inspired by classic roguelikes, and asks the question: “What if you took the gameplay off the grid, and showed the player what was happening?” Exploring this question revealed frenetic action gameplay that remains deeply tactical, while having an extremely low barrier of entry for new players.
Effort Star will share more details on what is planned for the game through its Early Access period closer to launch.
Effort Star will share more details on what is planned for the game through its Early Access period closer to launch.
📂 Press Kit 📂
About Enter the Chronosphere
In Enter the Chronosphere, nothing moves until the player does. Between turns, bullets hang frozen in mid-air and enemies wait, showing their next move. Act, and everything moves together. Shoot, move, reload, dodge roll, use an ability. Stop, and everything else does, too.
Features:
- Six characters bring their own abilities, from Urtar's enemy-launching Kinetic Surge to Marcia's clutch dodge roll, plus unlockable tactics that any crew member can use.
- Every biome brings unique enemies, objectives, and items.
- Gear and skills from different worlds stack into crazy builds that shouldn't work as well as they do.
- Unlock new abilities, threats, and secrets in the game’s between-run hub, The Starseer
For more information on Enter the Chronosphere, visit https://www.joystickventures.com/portfolio/enter-the-chronosphere.
Find the game on Steam.
About Effort StarFind the game on Steam.
Effort Star is an indie game developer based in Melbourne, Australia with a gameplay-first approach to design. Their penchant for facilitating individual play styles is paramount to their game design philosophy, promoting learning and player growth via personalized gameplay to creatively solve procedural problems and overcome in-game obstacles.
About Joystick Ventures
Joystick Ventures is a California-based investing and publishing company whose main goal is to encourage indie developers to stay honest and promote experimentation to push the limits of game design across all genres, styles, and geographies. They are most known for titles like StarVaders, Antonblast, Lost in Play, Mandragora, Chicken Police: Into the HIVE!, and upcoming games including Enter The Chronosphere, Trailblazers, WILD Tactics, and Runeomicon.
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