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Game Design Document

Project Chrono-Rift (Time-Loop Co-Op RPG)

Designed by mete0rs | Platform: Roblox

1. The 4-Minute Time Loop

Players drop into a dungeon that resets every 4 minutes. The goal is to collect Temporal Keys scattered around the dungeon and escape before the loop runs out. When the timer hits zero, everything resets and you start the loop again.

Time Echo: Every time a loop resets, a ghost of your previous run spawns alongside you and replays exactly what you did. If you hit an enemy, the ghost hits that enemy. If you ran a certain path, the ghost runs that same path. So you can actually use that to your advantage and set up your runs so your ghost does something useful on the next loop.

2. Classes

There are three classes and none of them are your typical Tank, Healer, or DPS. Each one controls a different part of time and movement, and the team has to figure out how to use all three together to get through a run.

Class Core Mechanic Key Ability What It Does for the Team
Chrono-Knight Damage Storing Rewind Guard: Takes all incoming damage for 3 seconds and then converts it into a heal for the whole team. Keeps the team alive without needing healing potions. The timing of when you activate it is what matters.
Rift-Stalker Positional Anchors Shadow Anchor: Places an anchor at your position. Press it again and you teleport back to it, leaving a stun trap where you just were. Great for skipping floor traps and pulling enemy attention away from the rest of the team.
Paradox Weaver Time Dilation Stasis Field: Freezes everything inside a bubble for 4 seconds, including enemies and any projectiles already in the air. The only way to stop certain boss attacks that would otherwise wipe the whole team.

3. Boss Fight: The Clockwork Archon

The Clockwork Archon is built around the loop timer. The fight has two phases and each one requires a different thing from the team. It is not just a health sponge you burn down, the team has to actually coordinate around the mechanics to get through it.

Phase 1: 0:00 to 2:00

  • The boss fires laser beams shaped like clock hands that sweep clockwise across the floor. Players have to jump over them or use movement abilities to get out of the way.
  • Front Immunity: The boss takes zero damage from the front. The Rift-Stalker has to use Shadow Anchor to get behind it and break the armor core on its back before anyone else can deal damage.

Phase 2: 2:00 to 4:00

  • The boss starts speeding up time in the room so skill cooldowns come back 50% faster, but everyone's health slowly drains the whole time this phase is active.
  • Wipe Mechanic: At 3:45 the boss starts charging a full room explosion. The Paradox Weaver needs to get a Stasis Field over the whole team before it goes off. If the Weaver is dead or the ability is on cooldown, the run is over.

4. Progression

Health and position reset every loop, but players keep their Echo Artifacts in their permanent hub inventory. These carry over between runs and are the main way to get stronger over time.

  • Chronometer Upgrades: Each one adds 15 seconds to the loop timer. So the more you upgrade it, the more time you have to work with each run.
  • Ghost Capacity: By default only one ghost from your last run is active. This upgrade lets you have up to three ghosts running at the same time, which makes a real difference in boss fights.
  • Rift Banking: Before a loop resets you can lock up to 2 rare items into a vault and they stay there permanently. Everything else resets as normal.