In horror adventure Cronos: The New Dawn, the ultimate fate of the hero—and humankind as a whole—is in your final choice after the final boss fight. The game has three different endings, which are classically titled Ending A, Ending B, and Ending C.
The first two are not so hard to unlock, and the third, secret ending is under specific conditions and only in New Game+. Each ending not only retcons the narrative, but also gives players an exclusive achievement.
To be able to play them all without having to do multiple full playthroughs, it’s reasonable to make a new save just before the final boss.
The Shoot Ending
Shooting the Pathfinder is an acknowledgment that the end of humankind is inevitable. The game offers it as a dark freedom: the Travelers weren’t to blame for the Change—humanity’s own hand destroyed it. Regardless of how much of the past is deciphered, the future cannot be unraveled.
In this alternate ending, ND-3576 causes a final tear, sending Weronika back to Edward’s era and condemning humanity. Weronika will not face the end alone, knowing what lies ahead. The novel ends with the final flames of hope dying out.
The Spare Ending
If you rescue the Pathfinder, the cycle begins anew. The Pathfinder discovers Weronika already showing signs of the Change. He is unable to liberate her, and he extracts her, sentencing her to a life she did not choose.
This is perhaps the darkest destiny for Weronika herself. She lives, but her opportunity for a new life is lost, exchanged instead for an eternity she did not ask for. The distinction between the Pathfinder and mankind is then clear: while humans would at least want nothingness over never-ending suffering, the Pathfinder clings to life no matter the cost.
Both default endings ultimately confirm the same thing—Weronika dies of the Change, and humanity’s fate is sealed regardless of what the Collective does.
The Secret Ending
Ending C, the most evasive ending, is only possible in New Game+, after defeating the Pathfinder for a third time. Unlike the other timelines, this ending finally shatters the cycle.
It is here that Pathfinder begins to understand—prompted by the insistence of ND-3576—that Weronika’s fate lies elsewhere. ND-3576 opens a rift and takes Weronika with her, leaving Pathfinder behind.
The game ends on a hopeful note:
“Weronika awakens as a Traveler, ND-3576 extending her hand to start anew. It is the only ending that makes true promise, that humanity may yet save itself from the endless cycle of despair.”
