pretty solid little Metroidvania, the gameplay that takes cues from Order of Eclessia works well, gorgeous pixel-art graphics and good enough soundtrack, great exploration that feels rewarding and fun boss encounters, everything that an good Metroidvania needs is right here and fans of the genre will feel right at home.
it's a bit too short though, having played other Metroidvania games I finished this in 4 hours with most of the endings done without breaking much of an sweat, the story was decent enough but difficult to follow, lots of time travelling nothingburgers.
nonetheless an solid game, I am excited for the sequel now, hopefully it comes out this year.
it's a bit too short though, having played other Metroidvania games I finished this in 4 hours with most of the endings done without breaking much of an sweat, the story was decent enough but difficult to follow, lots of time travelling nothingburgers.
nonetheless an solid game, I am excited for the sequel now, hopefully it comes out this year.
A really visually nice & mechanically competent Metroidvania that started to sour on me with more annoying backtracking due to how the abilities worked (felt like it was always hard to clear a room with returning enemies) & with the central gimmick being utilized kind of awkwardly to the point where it felt like it could have been stripped out pretty much entirely. Decent enough, but I'm not sure if I'll revisit it or just play more tightly made similar games.
A competent Metroidvania, not a good overall map, and there was too much story that made no sense.
I backed this game on Kickstarter back in June of 2014, and given that there haven't been suuuuper frequent updates (but frequent enough), it was one I'd often forgotten I'd backed. After how much La-Mulana 2 totally blew me away a couple weeks ago, I'd been expecting this game, whenever it finally came out, to be an okay Metroidvania. I woke up this morning to see that I had the backer key for the PS4/Vita/PS3 versions bundle in my email inbox, and I redeemed it and started to play. Some 9-ish hours later I had beaten the final final boss and was watching the credits roll after nearly 100%-ing the game. This game caught me TOTALLY off guard with how damn good it was, and it was compelling and fun enough to have me complete the whole thing in one sitting
Timespinner is a Metroidvania set in a fantasy/sci-fi world where an inter-galactic empire is trying to steal your tribe's time travel device for their own evil machinations. You escape through the time/space portal to their homeworld to start your plans for revenge. In the process, you end up traveling between the current world and 1000 years in the past to try and right wrongs and weaken the evil empire to the point where you can take down the emperor. It's a fairly basic story on the outset, but it is more than it appears on the surface.
If you're someone who hates political commentary or inclusivity in your games, you're going to hate Timespinner, because it has a lot of both done quite well. The story is full of commentary on the evils of fascism paralleled against commentary on the duality of justice as well as what being a hero really has to do with sacrifice. Granted their quests are more or less entirely optional, it has a well-fleshed out cast of characters of all colors and orientations who I thought were written really well. Hunting down the world-building is also more or less entirely optional, but I was so interested to see the history of the worlds involved and how my time traveling was affecting them that I hunted down every last one I could. The spritework is beautiful, the music is always appropriate and very atmospheric, and the presentation as a whole was an absolute joy for me.
The game is also a great joy to play! This game wears its inspiration on its sleeve, as basically all the UI and even the mini-map are straight out of any DS Castlevania title, but quite frankly if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and this game uses those fundamentals very well. The gameplay is like if Symphony of the Night had a baby with Order of Ecclesia, and the difficulty is somewhere in between. All they buttons are even rebindable :D
The Symphony of the Night DNA here is largely found in the way the map has many warps, as well as the present and past timeline maps serving as a kind of mirror. It's nowhere as massive as SOTN's map, but more akin to Harmony of Disonance's front-and-back castle design (although much better, imo, as that game is such a bitch to get around in because you don't have warps). The game definitely isn't as stupid easy as SOTN, but it's nowhere near as hard as OoE either. One of my main complaints, to be honest, is that the game locks hard mode from the start, and it really would've been nice to be able to pick a harder mode from the start.
The Order of Ecclesia DNA comes in how your character fights. Your combat, instead of monster souls, is based around magical orbs you find. Each orb has a certain main attack quality to it that can be equipped in one or both hands (although each hand are the same button and you attack in a fairly standard combo style, unlike OoE, iirc), with each main attack having a certain attack speed associated with it. You keep getting orbs throughout the entire game, and I was always finding new ways to experiment with them. A big help to how you can experiment with them has to do with how they can all also be used to infuse power (but not consume the orb) into a necklace for a special mana-consuming charge ability, or into a ring for a special passive ability. You can use the trigger buttons to swap between 3 different sets of them, and although there were about only 4 or 5 different attacks I really favored through my playthrough, there are like 15+ different orbs to find in the game.
The most unique mechanic to the game itself quite fittingly has to do with time, and this is a time-stop ability you can use whenever you have enough "sand" for it. You get more sand whenever you hit an enemy or break a passing candle stick. Sand is separate from mana, which they don't call mana but call "aura", and it can be REALLY helpful to beat a lot of the harder parts of the game with. That said, I'm so used to my Metroidvanias not having an ability like that, and the game plays so well during the fighitng without using it, I basically never used it for combat. I used it most during the puzzles that require it, as there are several areas you can get a nice treasure in a little early if you stop time just right to use an enemy as a platform to get to. It's a neat gimmick, but it's a very unintrusive and easily ignoreable one.
It also has RPG elements as many recent Metroidvanias do, but I wouldn't say all of them land quite so well. You have your standard level ups, as you get stronger for killing things, as well as the standard Metroidvania hard stat-increase items to expand your max sand, as well as your max aura or HP outside of your level-ups. The main things I took issue with are the somewhat Secret of Mana-style way that your orbs, that is your weapons, also have levels independent of your character. Use a weapon more, and it gets more powerful The power differences between them aren't THAT noticeable, but if you're going for the harder optional bosses or doing hard mode, sticking to one thing that works really well is really in your best interest, and this kind of thing discourages experimenting significantly with new orbs you find.
The last neat feature of this game are familiars you can find, kinda like SOTN. Better than SOTN, though, is that not only can your famliars fight for you, but a second player can hop in and control them as a flying invincible battle partner! It's super easy hop-in-hop-out local multiplayer, and I really appreciate when a game makes an effort to do that kind of thing, especially when it's done this well :D . The only thing about the familiars is that, like the weapons, they level up as you use them, so it kinda discourages trying out the new ones you get (even though there are only 6 or 7, and they're often very well hidden after the first one you can't miss). They also get only 1XP per monster killed, and they have to have landed a hit on that monster for the kill to count towards their XP, leading to often just waiting for them to bop the monster before you mince it if you're trying to level up a new familiar to see how you gel with it.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. This game was a delightful surprise and something I just didn't want to end. It gives most of the Igavanias a run for their money with its quality, and if you like Metroidvanias it simply cannot be overlooked. It's currently on PSN and Steam and apparently coming to 3DS later this year, but they're also apparently looking at other possible port options, so I wouldn't discount it coming to Switch eventually if you can wait that long for a game this good~
Timespinner is a Metroidvania set in a fantasy/sci-fi world where an inter-galactic empire is trying to steal your tribe's time travel device for their own evil machinations. You escape through the time/space portal to their homeworld to start your plans for revenge. In the process, you end up traveling between the current world and 1000 years in the past to try and right wrongs and weaken the evil empire to the point where you can take down the emperor. It's a fairly basic story on the outset, but it is more than it appears on the surface.
If you're someone who hates political commentary or inclusivity in your games, you're going to hate Timespinner, because it has a lot of both done quite well. The story is full of commentary on the evils of fascism paralleled against commentary on the duality of justice as well as what being a hero really has to do with sacrifice. Granted their quests are more or less entirely optional, it has a well-fleshed out cast of characters of all colors and orientations who I thought were written really well. Hunting down the world-building is also more or less entirely optional, but I was so interested to see the history of the worlds involved and how my time traveling was affecting them that I hunted down every last one I could. The spritework is beautiful, the music is always appropriate and very atmospheric, and the presentation as a whole was an absolute joy for me.
The game is also a great joy to play! This game wears its inspiration on its sleeve, as basically all the UI and even the mini-map are straight out of any DS Castlevania title, but quite frankly if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and this game uses those fundamentals very well. The gameplay is like if Symphony of the Night had a baby with Order of Ecclesia, and the difficulty is somewhere in between. All they buttons are even rebindable :D
The Symphony of the Night DNA here is largely found in the way the map has many warps, as well as the present and past timeline maps serving as a kind of mirror. It's nowhere as massive as SOTN's map, but more akin to Harmony of Disonance's front-and-back castle design (although much better, imo, as that game is such a bitch to get around in because you don't have warps). The game definitely isn't as stupid easy as SOTN, but it's nowhere near as hard as OoE either. One of my main complaints, to be honest, is that the game locks hard mode from the start, and it really would've been nice to be able to pick a harder mode from the start.
The Order of Ecclesia DNA comes in how your character fights. Your combat, instead of monster souls, is based around magical orbs you find. Each orb has a certain main attack quality to it that can be equipped in one or both hands (although each hand are the same button and you attack in a fairly standard combo style, unlike OoE, iirc), with each main attack having a certain attack speed associated with it. You keep getting orbs throughout the entire game, and I was always finding new ways to experiment with them. A big help to how you can experiment with them has to do with how they can all also be used to infuse power (but not consume the orb) into a necklace for a special mana-consuming charge ability, or into a ring for a special passive ability. You can use the trigger buttons to swap between 3 different sets of them, and although there were about only 4 or 5 different attacks I really favored through my playthrough, there are like 15+ different orbs to find in the game.
The most unique mechanic to the game itself quite fittingly has to do with time, and this is a time-stop ability you can use whenever you have enough "sand" for it. You get more sand whenever you hit an enemy or break a passing candle stick. Sand is separate from mana, which they don't call mana but call "aura", and it can be REALLY helpful to beat a lot of the harder parts of the game with. That said, I'm so used to my Metroidvanias not having an ability like that, and the game plays so well during the fighitng without using it, I basically never used it for combat. I used it most during the puzzles that require it, as there are several areas you can get a nice treasure in a little early if you stop time just right to use an enemy as a platform to get to. It's a neat gimmick, but it's a very unintrusive and easily ignoreable one.
It also has RPG elements as many recent Metroidvanias do, but I wouldn't say all of them land quite so well. You have your standard level ups, as you get stronger for killing things, as well as the standard Metroidvania hard stat-increase items to expand your max sand, as well as your max aura or HP outside of your level-ups. The main things I took issue with are the somewhat Secret of Mana-style way that your orbs, that is your weapons, also have levels independent of your character. Use a weapon more, and it gets more powerful The power differences between them aren't THAT noticeable, but if you're going for the harder optional bosses or doing hard mode, sticking to one thing that works really well is really in your best interest, and this kind of thing discourages experimenting significantly with new orbs you find.
The last neat feature of this game are familiars you can find, kinda like SOTN. Better than SOTN, though, is that not only can your famliars fight for you, but a second player can hop in and control them as a flying invincible battle partner! It's super easy hop-in-hop-out local multiplayer, and I really appreciate when a game makes an effort to do that kind of thing, especially when it's done this well :D . The only thing about the familiars is that, like the weapons, they level up as you use them, so it kinda discourages trying out the new ones you get (even though there are only 6 or 7, and they're often very well hidden after the first one you can't miss). They also get only 1XP per monster killed, and they have to have landed a hit on that monster for the kill to count towards their XP, leading to often just waiting for them to bop the monster before you mince it if you're trying to level up a new familiar to see how you gel with it.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. This game was a delightful surprise and something I just didn't want to end. It gives most of the Igavanias a run for their money with its quality, and if you like Metroidvanias it simply cannot be overlooked. It's currently on PSN and Steam and apparently coming to 3DS later this year, but they're also apparently looking at other possible port options, so I wouldn't discount it coming to Switch eventually if you can wait that long for a game this good~
Short and consistent metroidvania with a lot of personality. Kinda easy, but I really enjoyed it.
Gran metroidvania, divertidísimo, y con una historia interesante. Completado al 100% simplemente por lo divertido que era hacerlo. 9.58/10
It's a fine game. The world building was nicely done. I liked learning about the world as you progress. The weapons were cool in theory but I was annoyed by the range of my attacks. I felt it was pretty short range and I had to get uncomfortably close to hit things.
Also the style of the world was not very appealing to me.
Also the style of the world was not very appealing to me.
I thought this was an alright Metroidvania. I liked the pixel art as well as some of the enemy designs. However, I found the map design pretty annoying and I also didn't like some of the platforming.
Amazing, no nitpicks. Love this game. It's a reasonable length Metroidvania with some neat mechanics.
I forgot when I started this, but I got right to one final boss option and just put it down for a month or so, for no good reason. I was enjoying it, I was just done a little bit before the game was.
The boss fights were probably the weakest part, so once I got through all the exploration stuff, I didn't really feel like I had to finish it, even though I was enjoying the story.
I did finish it, though, at least the first final boss option. I did that twice to see both endings, then I went to the other ending section and that area looked to be a perpetual dungeon where the prizes for winning are just... more stuff? But I'm at the end? So I don't know that there's much of a point to that, except to get one more boss fight I'm not going to have fun doing, so I think I'm good.
But the game part of the game was great! Exploration was fun, areas were varied enough, the time travel stuff was fun, and the artwork and music were beautiful. There's a nice variety of weapons to play with, and there are lots of fun combinations to play with.
Everything has a level, the familiars, the spells, and the weapons, but they go fast and you can buy them to more quickly catch up, so it's actually fun to experiment with new tools.
The writing was a little rough here and there, and it was weird to see all the characters have their stories all be about romantic relationships with other characters, but it was fine enough.
For a little independent Metroid clone, this is a pretty good one.
The boss fights were probably the weakest part, so once I got through all the exploration stuff, I didn't really feel like I had to finish it, even though I was enjoying the story.
I did finish it, though, at least the first final boss option. I did that twice to see both endings, then I went to the other ending section and that area looked to be a perpetual dungeon where the prizes for winning are just... more stuff? But I'm at the end? So I don't know that there's much of a point to that, except to get one more boss fight I'm not going to have fun doing, so I think I'm good.
But the game part of the game was great! Exploration was fun, areas were varied enough, the time travel stuff was fun, and the artwork and music were beautiful. There's a nice variety of weapons to play with, and there are lots of fun combinations to play with.
Everything has a level, the familiars, the spells, and the weapons, but they go fast and you can buy them to more quickly catch up, so it's actually fun to experiment with new tools.
The writing was a little rough here and there, and it was weird to see all the characters have their stories all be about romantic relationships with other characters, but it was fine enough.
For a little independent Metroid clone, this is a pretty good one.
Timespinner is a very solid Metroidvania that threw me back 15 years ago with its nostalgic feeling that is all around it. Its most unique aspect is that it has some light RPG mechanics in the form of different weapon types that you can mix and match to your liking, a leveling system and companions. Considering that it is quite short, I did enjoy these little additions to your standard Metroidvania. I didn't catch much of the story, it obviously involves time travel, but that felt more like it was included to jump between the same map at different times than to have a deep story or characters.
Metroidvania (más vania que metroid) muy majo, con viajes en el tiempo, temas LGTB y, eso sí, algo cortito (aunque tiene muchos endings, que eso es algo que siempre mola).
It's basically Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia with time travel. If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably really enjoy this one.
It's a solid metroidvania. It doesn't really break the mold but it makes up for this by being a solid, well polished experience. There's a decent amount of content too. I didn't feel shortchanged by the experience.
It's a solid metroidvania. It doesn't really break the mold but it makes up for this by being a solid, well polished experience. There's a decent amount of content too. I didn't feel shortchanged by the experience.
I enjoyed myself a lot playing this game. The music in it is very well made, and the art is incredibly good. Thing is, though, that while it passes as a metroidvania, the game is incredibly easy. And a lot of the orbs are just objectively worse than the others even if you get them later on in the game, so you'll more than likely just stick to what you get earlier which makes getting new options feel irrelevant. The story isn't anything TOO incredible, but it does it's job well, and I think that a time-controlling tribe is a pretty unique concept that fit well into the world of the game. You also start out-scaling most enemies pretty quickly, so not only do you kill them way easier, but you can stop time for a pretty long amount of time, ontop of the game being easy in the first place. After you figure out the movement and controls, and then get used to them, the game's difficulty basically vanishes. Despite that, it's a pretty fun short & sweet game, and I enjoyed playing through it once more via local co-op, even if I was forced to play as a weak minion.
I like this game a lot, pretty good Metroidvania
Metroidvania muy justito. A ver que tal la secuela.
Timespinner is a very well made and fun metroidvania with good level design and mechanics. With a compelling story of two planets at war and a clan that uses the timespinner to reset the timelines, it keeps you interested throughout. Combat and exploration are enjoyable and I very much enjoyed my experience overall with my only complaint being that I found it too easy to become overleveled.
Gameplay - ★★★★★
Game mechanics are your typical metroidvania faire, but it's all done very well. The map isn't huge but it's fun to explore and there are plenty of warp points to fast travel which really cuts down on the amount of aimless wandering that you have to do. Not only that, but soft dead ends (locked behind abilities you don't have yet) occur pretty early on in the area so you don't waste a lot of time exploring only to find a spot you can't access yet. As I'm writing this I feel like it's difficult to explain but the point is, you feel like you're making progress in your exploration the majority of the time.
Combat consists of melee attacks as determined by a number of equipable orbs that change the attack style, like a blade orb that acts like a sword or a fire orb that splits into two fireballs. You can equip two of the same ones or two different ones that might complement each other or spread out your damage types (enemies are resistant or weak to types). Additionally you equip necklaces that give you different spells, and a ring that adds a passive ability. The best part of this system is that you get 3 different equipment sets that you can quickly and easily swap between. This adds a really nice level of customization and is particularly helpful to change to a long range spell or a defensive spell as the situation calls for it. There are also several familiars to choose from that all have different attacks or effects!
Lastly, there is a time stop mechanic that I feel was unfortunately underutilized (or at least I didn't think to use it as often as I could have). It stops enemies and turns them into platforms that you can use. There were only a few times when this was used to it's fullest potential and a few times when I needed to use it in order to avoid big boss attacks. I feel like if had used it more than I did it would have made the game easier than it already was.
One additional note is that I appreciated the relative abundance of useable items. I often don't feel comfortable using items in Castlevania games because they are pretty much only available from enemy drops based on luck. The early parts of Timespinner have a good number of chests with healing items in them which encourages you to use them a bit more liberally.
Story - ★★★
The story centers around a clan of people who train Time Messengers to use the Timespinner to return to the past to reset the timeline any time that the bad guys are about to destroy them. I think, this is part of the problem. Time travel things are always a bit confusing and I don't think that Timespinner does a great job of explaining what's going on. You've got two planets that are connected by a portal, you have two if not three difference races of people who are at war with each other, and then you have a past and a present. It's a lot to take in and remember. I do appreciate the worldbuilding that was attempted though, with letters, memories, and downloadable files that you can find that tell the backstory through the viewpoint of the three factions.
In true metroidvania fashion, there are multiple endings, at least 4 and they are all fairly positive. The true ending was kind of out of left field for me but it does make sense in the context, just not what I expected.
Characters - ★★★
The main character is a bit one-note. She is sent back in time right as her clan is attacked and everyone is killed. Her mission is revenge and that's basically it, and she's not afraid to say so.
You find a little familiar friend who talks to you here and there and I like it. Very cute.
The NPCs are all pretty fleshed out but you don't really get a lot of dialogue with them so it doesn't amount to much.
Art - ★★★★
The portrait pixel art when someone is talking is really nice and I love the design of the pause menu. It's very artistic and has a nice big portrait of the main character and your equipped familiar. The backgrounds are also really nice. Enemy art style is great and most of the enemy designs are cool, but some are weird, especially in the early areas.
Music - ★★★
The music was hit and miss, some was great, like directly out of a Castlevana game, while other areas had very forgettable music. Put simply, I had the sound on the whole time I was playing and I enjoyed it.
In summation, Timespinner was a very enjoyable experience and one that I did not want to put down, beating it in only a few days. I would happily recommend it to any metroidvania fans as a good entry into the genre, especially from a small first time developer. I see that there is a Steam page for a sequel and I really hope that it gets made! I'll definitely get it.
Gameplay - ★★★★★
Game mechanics are your typical metroidvania faire, but it's all done very well. The map isn't huge but it's fun to explore and there are plenty of warp points to fast travel which really cuts down on the amount of aimless wandering that you have to do. Not only that, but soft dead ends (locked behind abilities you don't have yet) occur pretty early on in the area so you don't waste a lot of time exploring only to find a spot you can't access yet. As I'm writing this I feel like it's difficult to explain but the point is, you feel like you're making progress in your exploration the majority of the time.
Combat consists of melee attacks as determined by a number of equipable orbs that change the attack style, like a blade orb that acts like a sword or a fire orb that splits into two fireballs. You can equip two of the same ones or two different ones that might complement each other or spread out your damage types (enemies are resistant or weak to types). Additionally you equip necklaces that give you different spells, and a ring that adds a passive ability. The best part of this system is that you get 3 different equipment sets that you can quickly and easily swap between. This adds a really nice level of customization and is particularly helpful to change to a long range spell or a defensive spell as the situation calls for it. There are also several familiars to choose from that all have different attacks or effects!
Lastly, there is a time stop mechanic that I feel was unfortunately underutilized (or at least I didn't think to use it as often as I could have). It stops enemies and turns them into platforms that you can use. There were only a few times when this was used to it's fullest potential and a few times when I needed to use it in order to avoid big boss attacks. I feel like if had used it more than I did it would have made the game easier than it already was.
One additional note is that I appreciated the relative abundance of useable items. I often don't feel comfortable using items in Castlevania games because they are pretty much only available from enemy drops based on luck. The early parts of Timespinner have a good number of chests with healing items in them which encourages you to use them a bit more liberally.
Story - ★★★
The story centers around a clan of people who train Time Messengers to use the Timespinner to return to the past to reset the timeline any time that the bad guys are about to destroy them. I think, this is part of the problem. Time travel things are always a bit confusing and I don't think that Timespinner does a great job of explaining what's going on. You've got two planets that are connected by a portal, you have two if not three difference races of people who are at war with each other, and then you have a past and a present. It's a lot to take in and remember. I do appreciate the worldbuilding that was attempted though, with letters, memories, and downloadable files that you can find that tell the backstory through the viewpoint of the three factions.
In true metroidvania fashion, there are multiple endings, at least 4 and they are all fairly positive. The true ending was kind of out of left field for me but it does make sense in the context, just not what I expected.
Characters - ★★★
The main character is a bit one-note. She is sent back in time right as her clan is attacked and everyone is killed. Her mission is revenge and that's basically it, and she's not afraid to say so.
You find a little familiar friend who talks to you here and there and I like it. Very cute.
The NPCs are all pretty fleshed out but you don't really get a lot of dialogue with them so it doesn't amount to much.
Art - ★★★★
The portrait pixel art when someone is talking is really nice and I love the design of the pause menu. It's very artistic and has a nice big portrait of the main character and your equipped familiar. The backgrounds are also really nice. Enemy art style is great and most of the enemy designs are cool, but some are weird, especially in the early areas.
Music - ★★★
The music was hit and miss, some was great, like directly out of a Castlevana game, while other areas had very forgettable music. Put simply, I had the sound on the whole time I was playing and I enjoyed it.
In summation, Timespinner was a very enjoyable experience and one that I did not want to put down, beating it in only a few days. I would happily recommend it to any metroidvania fans as a good entry into the genre, especially from a small first time developer. I see that there is a Steam page for a sequel and I really hope that it gets made! I'll definitely get it.
I was really excited about the game at first. To date, I think it's the prettiest pixel art game I've ever played - the backgrounds, character portraits, animations, everything is just beautiful. The music was also promising at first and really enchanted me.
However, the game has presented a few weaknesses over time. There are a lot of repetitive enemies, with slightly different looks but very similar behavior. Some of the levels are just too long and monotonous and don't offer much variety towards the end. My "main problem", however, was the difficulty of the game. Towards the end, I was so overpowered that I was able to beat all the boss fights on my first attempt and without any major problems. This is all the more tragic as these battles are really well designed. If the difficulty level had been a little higher, I would have had to tactically anticipate and learn every attack from my opponent in order to survive, which could have been a lot of fun. As it was, however, I could mostly just stand there, take hits and simply shoot until my opponent was lying in the dirt. There is also a so-called "nightmare mode", which might balance the whole thing out a bit, but I still have to try it out.
The side quests were also mostly rather boring and typical alá "kill x enemies" or "collect x items", only later did they become a bit more interesting when it was more about the characters. They were also quite well written. I was a bit surprised at how many rather "progressive" topics were discussed in this game. Everything from transgender issues to homo- and bisexuality to polyamory was addressed here, which I found quite refreshing (maybe a bit contrived at times but still nice to see).
Despite the weaknesses, I would recommend the game. It's a thoroughly well-made Metroidvania with a nice story, super nice art style and good music, you can definitely give it a try.
However, the game has presented a few weaknesses over time. There are a lot of repetitive enemies, with slightly different looks but very similar behavior. Some of the levels are just too long and monotonous and don't offer much variety towards the end. My "main problem", however, was the difficulty of the game. Towards the end, I was so overpowered that I was able to beat all the boss fights on my first attempt and without any major problems. This is all the more tragic as these battles are really well designed. If the difficulty level had been a little higher, I would have had to tactically anticipate and learn every attack from my opponent in order to survive, which could have been a lot of fun. As it was, however, I could mostly just stand there, take hits and simply shoot until my opponent was lying in the dirt. There is also a so-called "nightmare mode", which might balance the whole thing out a bit, but I still have to try it out.
The side quests were also mostly rather boring and typical alá "kill x enemies" or "collect x items", only later did they become a bit more interesting when it was more about the characters. They were also quite well written. I was a bit surprised at how many rather "progressive" topics were discussed in this game. Everything from transgender issues to homo- and bisexuality to polyamory was addressed here, which I found quite refreshing (maybe a bit contrived at times but still nice to see).
Despite the weaknesses, I would recommend the game. It's a thoroughly well-made Metroidvania with a nice story, super nice art style and good music, you can definitely give it a try.
It's frustrating when a game sticks very closely to what another game does, and doesn't do enough to distinguish itself and be different. This does not apply to anyone who wants to make a Castlevania game with the serial numbers filed off. This is allowed and encouraged. Konami won't do it so someone's gotta.
Timespinner did an excellent job filling the Castlevania-shaped hole in my heart, especially since it clearly takes a lot of influence from Order of Ecclesia, one of my favorite games of all time. The presentation isn't outstanding, some of the enemy designs in particular are just... ugly, and not in a gross fun way, but the fundamentals are all here. Moving around is great, combat is fun, and though I found the game very easy, that didn't stop me from enjoying myself.
I found the story quite engaging, with its mostly well-handled depiction of warring nations. The game taking advantage of its time travel premise to offer multiple different endings that can't be definitively sorted into "good end" and "bad end" is very nice. I also always have to applaud good queer representation when I see it, especially when it depicts things I don't see as often in games, such as asexuality and polyamory.
A lot of love clearly went into this game, even though not everything works for me. I'm interested in playing the sequel when it comes out.
Timespinner did an excellent job filling the Castlevania-shaped hole in my heart, especially since it clearly takes a lot of influence from Order of Ecclesia, one of my favorite games of all time. The presentation isn't outstanding, some of the enemy designs in particular are just... ugly, and not in a gross fun way, but the fundamentals are all here. Moving around is great, combat is fun, and though I found the game very easy, that didn't stop me from enjoying myself.
I found the story quite engaging, with its mostly well-handled depiction of warring nations. The game taking advantage of its time travel premise to offer multiple different endings that can't be definitively sorted into "good end" and "bad end" is very nice. I also always have to applaud good queer representation when I see it, especially when it depicts things I don't see as often in games, such as asexuality and polyamory.
A lot of love clearly went into this game, even though not everything works for me. I'm interested in playing the sequel when it comes out.
La historia está piola y como buen metroidvania indie (90% de los indies) entretiene. Garpa comprarlo en descuento para jugar en un par de sentadas.
jogo divertido mas bem simples dentro do gênero metroidvania
Alright little game. Loved the level design, And the Upgradeable Weapons were fun, a shame they dont evolve though.
I'd been interested in this for a while, as I do enjoy these type of games. Everything about this should tick all the boxes, the gameplay, art style, music etc, but something just left me a little underwhelmed.
The time travelling aspect, time stopping, different weapons and familiars were all neat touches, and enjoyed progressing through it for the most part, but I just didn't click with it like I was expecting too.
Still, it's a good action platformer with some great snes style sprites and some lovely scrolling back grounds. Pretty decent.
The time travelling aspect, time stopping, different weapons and familiars were all neat touches, and enjoyed progressing through it for the most part, but I just didn't click with it like I was expecting too.
Still, it's a good action platformer with some great snes style sprites and some lovely scrolling back grounds. Pretty decent.
Que jogo incrível! Metroidvania de primeira classe, sensacional. Curti mais que o próprio symphony of the night...único ruim é que não da de fazer um backup do save pra fazer todos os finais em uma única jogada.
A sweet and simple metroidvania. Took me just under 20h to 100% the game on steam. I enjoyed the mechanics but I felt that all things considered they lacked a certain level of depth. That being said I think that most of the weapons are balanced, and I enjoyed finding new familiars and trying all the possible gear combinations. Newgame+ barely added any challenge, and anyone looking for more than a walk in the park should consider using a password to enable nightmare mode by default.
Little nice metroidvania that plays really nice and has a nice map and twist. Kinda finished on one day, but I really didn't care for the story..
It was kinda refreshing finishing a simple (but very very well done) game like that :D
It was kinda refreshing finishing a simple (but very very well done) game like that :D
A great MetroidVania that took a lot of inspiration from Symphony of the Night.
Fun game with great sprite visuals (reminiscent of SNES RPG sprites) and atmosphere.
Also, going with Megaman X inspired controls was the perfect fit for this MetroidVania.
Fun game with great sprite visuals (reminiscent of SNES RPG sprites) and atmosphere.
Also, going with Megaman X inspired controls was the perfect fit for this MetroidVania.
a very fun metroidvania throughout! though the story feels slightly... off. it could use some more expression sprites or. rather, anything to show more emotion, in the characters, i think.
L'ambiance globale était cool mais il était tellement court.
This is the most Igavania-like indie game that I've ever played and that's a double edged sword. The fact it reminded me so strongly of Symphony of the Night and the GBA and DS Igavanias had me thinking of superior games, but it also executed on these concepts fairly well. The sprite work is gorgeous, weapons and spells are satisfying, and there are some neat enemy designs. The map felt strictly horizontal instead of being a more intertwined world, which hindered exploration slightly. I also found it to be pretty easy, with only a couple of accidental deaths when I wasn't paying close attention to my health. Last thing that stuck out to me was the story, which was all over the place and crammed with jargon--I didn't feel as though it executed well on its strong premise.