Although not exactly rich in narrative, Chronon is an excellent model for the study of the time element in game design. Chronon refers to a quantum of time, proposed by the theory that time is discontinuous. Hence, the title of the game already suggests the modularity of time, which then forms the basis of interactivity in the game.

In Chronon, the player is thrown into a spatial puzzle beginning with a very short prelude revealing that your little yellow protagonist has been trapped by a big grey monster. Obviously, with a generic plot like this, the player has only one goal, which is to escape. The question is how.

Time is represented in Chronon by units and not via the usual continuous linear order. Yet, time still flows in a chronological way. Players are expected to shuttle back and forth between 8 different units of time, to engineer an escape by clicking and arranging items (at the right time), which would then develop in accordance to the passing of time. Although point-and-click games like these are usually considered very low on the interactivity scale (because there is only one solution to get to the only successful ending), the whole temporal twist elevates it to a higher level: a seemingly insignificant action taken now might produce a vastly different ending – the butterfly effect.

With the ability to 'go back in time' there is no 'past or prior' and we see a convergence of story time and discourse time - they cannot be separated. The entire story takes place from 6:00 to 19:00, and the narrative is told at the exact time the events are taking place, albeit not in a linear fashion. Also, the ability to randomly travel through time continuously changes what had happened, or is going to happen, which makes for a continuously changing narrative that can be very confusing.

The game's use of time provides a platform for free-play, and hence the interactivity. Chronon brings out the essence of the 'save' mode in games, by allowing the user to 'go back', which encourages the user to experiment and not be hindered by the possibility of losing. Along the way, the score indicates what was done right/wrong, ultimately leading to the ideal solution (view the walkthrough).