So, it's an old style platform shooter, think Metroid, Mega man or kid Chameleon. That's quite a standard to live u to, but in it's own way, it does. The twist here is that you can go backwards in time, at your own will or when you die and go back and help yourself while the ghost of your yet to die future self still fights on until he meets his demise. This is where it gets more complicated (well, it sounds complicated but it all makes sense when you play it).
Okay, first I'll point out that there's multiple characters (more on that later) with their own specific skill set. The trick is to use the ability to have many of yourself on the screen combined with their individual skill sets to get through sections in the fastest time possible (there's a level timer by the way (more on that later too)). You get the added bonus that if you defeat whatever killed one of your former selves before he is able to do 'em in then you can collect them as sort of a 'second heart' if you catch my twist with the added bonus that their weapons combine with your current ones while you have this added protection, allowing you yo do extra damage. Get it? Got it? Good.
As you can see it's not the greatest looking game, but it's supposed to be that way with indie gaming breeding almost a retro revolution as in general indie studios could by now way keep up financially with the big publisher owned studios, so making them look like this is in their best interest as if they challenged them to a war of graphics or deep gameplay mechanics they would lose due to massive budget differences (that said Hello games look like they're going for it with the game that will probably make me buy a PS4 in No Mans Sky). As a gamer bought up mainly on the Mega Drive I have no problem with this, but I do at times wonder what younger gamers think of these kind of titles.
As I mentioned earlier there is a level timer, and this wound me up to no end at the start and nearly led to more broken-controller syndrome that I've suffered so many times before. I thought I couldn't carry on, but I forced my way through (I didn't really have anything to do yesterday afternoon) and I'm glad I did.The times is integral to the game, without it you could take your time and it would be so easy, but the urgency that the timer gives the game make it far more action orientated and manic which leads to that much more fun. There are collectibles and unlockable characters throughout the levels as well, and even though I did get all the characters (that you can find), I'm not one for meaningless collectibles (even if they do come with delicious achievement points AND more unlockable characters). Plus when you finish it there's an ultra hard mode (or something like that, I didn't bother as I'm not one for playing games twice (as you will notice in the winter games coming up when I don't play GTA V or the Master Chief collection)) so there is plenty for you to do in this game, if you want it.
The story is loose but fun, and the whole game is based on reference based comedy which you may have noticed by now is something I enjoy. Characters are named things like 'Melanie Gibson' (a woman) and Dolphin Lungren (a dolphin). As you can guess a lot of these references are to action films, but classics so it's fine. Every level starts with a pun about what day and time of day it is and your ship crushing some poor defenceless type. There's a repetitious style of comedy in this (at times) which is heavily featured in the final cut scene and if your a fan of Stewart Lee (or the many, many other comedians/ Comedy shows of the same style who I forget) then it's right down your comedy-bone-alley.
So, you travel through time fun inane reasons which keeps it fresh as your always in some crazy location with some ridiculous enemies and in a great touch, aside from the first and last levels, you can play them in whatever order you want (and re-visit old levels for collectibles you missed and etc.) which is a nice touch that just doesn't happen very much. This makes you feel like there's no real advance in difficulty, and that's probably true. If anything the game gets easier as you get more of an idea what you're doing and eventually start figuring out how to use the time differences to your advantage and not just using it like a quick re spawn on any other platformer (which was how I was doing it at first, probably hence why I got so annoyed), and you had better get used to it by the time you get to the last world/zone/set of levels.
Oh right, I never mentioned how it played. Well, perfectly well, it's hardly the greatest gameplay style ever made, I mean, it could let you control your aiming with the right stick or shoulder buttons or something as well as letting you duck (which I kept trying to do and forgetting you couldn't) would be nice. It's good though, and it's more of a way to get you to play this insane game that's brilliant and insane in it's execution. Some great ideas were put in to this game and at times you feel like it's just a pubes' width from brilliance and if there was to ever be a sequel it would probably be a 'home run' as the Americans would say.
I don't want to do a score, read it for yourself and figure out if you want it (pretty sure there'll be you tube videos too). It's £11.99 on Xbox one, 360 and Steam (Steam's has extra content too) so you're hardly forking out a fortune, plus, if you have an Xbox One (who doesn't after all...) it's free with Gold until the end of September.
So, I know this wasn't my usual standard of hilarious, but I'll try better in the game I'm 'Destined' (wink) to play next.
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