Updated Andrii Kovalenko2 min read

KUTO: The Lock of Time — Everything We Know

What KUTO: The Lock of Time is — the story, the Scythe of Kronos, the time powers, and the run-based loop. The full rundown on the time-bending game.

KUTO: The Lock of Time is a single-player time-bending action Metroidvania, built in Unity by CPCS and coming to Steam Early Access. You play Jokoan Kuto — an outcast time guardian, betrayed by the gods and bound to the titan Kronos — cutting his way back through a crumbling Rome with the Scythe of Kronos and a command over time itself.

Here's what the game is and how it plays.

The genre, in one line

It's a time-bending action Metroidvania — physical melee combat, runs you restart when you die, permanent progress between attempts — built on a 2.5D map you learn and reopen as you grow stronger. If you want the longer version of how those genres differ and combine, we wrote a separate explainer on roguelikes vs Metroidvanias.

The premise

Jokoan Kuto belonged to the Order of the Time Guardians until the gods turned on him. Cast out and left for dead, he survives the only way left to him: by merging with the essence of Kronos, the titan of time. That bond is the whole story. It keeps him alive, it hands him the Scythe of Kronos, and it lets him bend time — and now his only way forward is through the ages, with the gods' forces in his path. The full story is in our lore deep-dive.

The Scythe, and time as a second weapon

Combat has two halves. The Scythe of Kronos handles the close work — fast, heavy swings that cut through hordes. Kronos' power handles everything the scythe can't: drop the room into bullet-time, rewind a hit that should have killed you, dash forward through space.

Those time powers come in five flavors, and you carry two at a time:

  • Recall rewinds you a few seconds.
  • Dilation drops the world into slow motion.
  • Leap dashes you forward through space.
  • Fracture breaks gravity, so you can move along walls and ceilings.
  • Stillness stops time while you keep moving.

Two slots means every run starts with a loadout decision. We broke down each power and the best pairings in a full guide to the five Time Keys.

The run-based loop

You will die. When you do, you lose the run, not your progress — you come back to push deeper, into a world that has shifted while you were gone. That mix of fast combat, time powers, and run-by-run progress is the heart of it, and it makes KUTO worth a look alongside the action roguelikes worth watching.

Setting and tone

The game runs against the backdrop of a falling Rome, rendered in 2.5D, and it does not take itself entirely seriously — there's a dark, dry humor running under the story-rich campaign. It ships in English and Ukrainian.

Where you can play it

KUTO: The Lock of Time is coming to PC via Steam Early Access. The Steam page and trailer are live now, and the best way to follow development — and to help the game get made — is to wishlist it.

If a time-bending Metroidvania about an outcast who fights the gods with a stolen titan's power sounds like your kind of game, add KUTO: The Lock of Time to your wishlist on Steam.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of game is KUTO: The Lock of Time?
A single-player time-bending action Metroidvania — fast melee combat, run-based death, and an interconnected world you reopen as you grow stronger.
Who is making it, and when does it release?
It is developed by CPCS and is coming to Steam Early Access. The Steam page and trailer are live now.
What platforms and languages does it support?
PC via Steam (Windows), in English and Ukrainian.
Who do you play as in KUTO: The Lock of Time?
You play as Jokoan Kuto, an outcast from the Order of the Time Guardians who was betrayed by the gods and survived by merging with the essence of the titan Kronos.
What is the main weapon in KUTO: The Lock of Time?
The Scythe of Kronos — a fast, heavy melee weapon Jokoan wields for close-quarters hack-and-slash combat. The time powers complement it but the Scythe is always in hand.
What are the five time powers in the game?
Recall (rewind a few seconds), Dilation (slow motion), Leap (time-dash forward), Fracture (break gravity and direction), and Stillness (stop time while you keep moving).
Do you keep progress after dying in KUTO: The Lock of Time?
You lose the run but not your overall progress. Each death pushes you back to the start of a run while permanent improvements carry over, letting you push deeper on the next attempt.
Is KUTO: The Lock of Time only set in Rome?
No. Rome is one era, but the game spans many periods — including ancient Egypt, the Viking age, the Old West, a neon cyber city, and the far future.
What does the 2.5D Metroidvania structure mean in practice?
The world is rendered in 2.5D and built as an interconnected map. Areas you can not reach early become accessible as Jokoan grows stronger, so there is exploration and backtracking alongside the run-based loop.
Is KUTO: The Lock of Time story-driven or purely gameplay-focused?
Both. The game is tagged as story-rich, and the lore — Jokoan's betrayal, the Kronos bond, the gods in pursuit — is built into the campaign, not dropped in cutscenes and forgotten.
What is the tone of the game?
Dark fantasy with a dry humor running under it. The premise is grim, but the game does not play it entirely straight.
How is KUTO: The Lock of Time different from a roguelike?
It is a time-bending Metroidvania, not a roguelike — even though it shares a run-based structure (you die, restart the run, but keep meta-progression). What sets it apart is the combination of time-manipulation powers, an interconnected Metroidvania world, and a story-driven campaign. The five Time Keys also give each run a genuine loadout-building dimension.
Where can I wishlist KUTO: The Lock of Time?
On Steam — the page is live now at store.steampowered.com/app/4755510. Wishlisting helps the game get visibility at launch.

Keep reading

Designing Bullet Time for 2.5D Action

Bullet time is easy to add and easy to ruin. The only interesting version is the one that still has to fight for its place in the loop.

The Five Time Keys in KUTO: The Lock of Time

Recall, Dilation, Leap, Fracture, Stillness. Five keys that bend one rule of time each — and you only carry two at a time. Here's what each one does.