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TimeMelters bursts onto PS5 with it’s time bending mechanics and strategy focus. Is it worth investing your time? Or are you left wanting to rewind the clock?
A Relic In Time
Developed and published by Autoexec Games, TimeMelters is a third-person strategy game that garnered my attention due to its setting and concept. Set in the fictional Kingdom of Hogendale in the 16th century, the story places you in the shoes of Teagan, a young woman sentenced to death after accusations of witchcraft. The opening to the game is told through in-game cutscenes and hand drawn storyboards, which are great and often underrated styles of storytelling. As Teagan is about to burnt at the stake, monsters start attacking the kingdom, resulting in the watching crowds being massacred. Just before she is about to die, the soul of the witch who was burned just before her, merges with Teagan and as she escapes, she sees a mysterious figure watching over her. This figure turns out to be Teagan herself from the future, setting up the time bending mechanics that are the main focus of the game. This opening for me was the best part of the actual story; it only goes downhill from here, unfortunately.
The rest of the story which is told over five acts is formulaic, boring and fails to build on the promise of Teagan as a protagonist. The story plays out quite predictably; as you gain more powers and save more towns of the kingdom, Teagan becomes revered and respected by the town that once hated her. Most of the story itself is told in written dialogue from characters. More often than not, this is only voiced in parts and not fully. This was frustrating for me as I love to see and hear the voice artists bring these characters to life and sadly it became a task of reading a drawl of text after every level to gain context for my next quest in the story. I wish the story had focused more on Teagan and her struggles with these powers, rather than just making her a powerful hero, with not enough emphasis on how this has changed her internally. There are some positives to the story though; the secondary characters are fun to engage with and learn more about with the interactions you can participate in throughout the game. I also loved the use of cutscenes showing the characters travelling along a map to their next destination. It reminded me of Indiana Jones travel sequences, which I adore.
The most brilliant concept in storytelling in this game is the option of adding more story or making it more streamlined for the player. Having the option of a more detailed story or more gameplay focused is a wonderful addition and allows players to choose a mode that caters to their needs. I wish more games would deploy this option: for someone who wants as much story as they can it get, it’s greatly appreciated.
Triumphant Time-Bending
Gameplay truly is king in TimeMelters. I had an absolute blast playing this game due to its truly wonderful innovative and intuitive design. Controlled from a third-person over the shoulder perspective, you begin the game like a basic shooter. You are given one spell which is basically an auto aim spell and you can continually hold down the shoot button and blast away your enemies, which is satisfying, but not the main course. After that, the game opens up and becomes so much more with its time bending mechanics. You quickly unlock the ability to teleport and create echoes. Essentially, you attack the enemies until you are about to die and then you rewind time, creating an echo of yourself that will attack the enemies alongside you. You can double, triple or even quadruple the amount of echoes to help you defeat the vast amount of enemies that can be on screen. It’s a fantastic concept and one the developers deserve massive amounts of praise for as it’s just so damn fun. I became quickly addicted to plotting and planning where I would send my echoes to help me navigate the battles, but it truly becomes a strategy game when you unlock the spirit sight ability.
Spirit sight enables you to fly up into the air and survey the area, essentially making the game a top down RTS at times. When in this sight, you are given spells such as enchanting trees to attack enemies, blocking paths by creating rock blockades or sending down a fire demon that sprays fire like a turret when foes enter its tracking path. All these abilities and elements truly transform the game into what the developers describe as its tower defence mode. Early on in the game, the levels feel like the simplest form of a tower defence mode but then, as the story deepens, you are tasked with unique missions like escort villagers, defeat waves and waves of foes like a horde mode and boss battles. Autoexec have done a great job at making the game feel varied and balanced.
Another great aspect of TimeMelters is the skill tree itself. As aforementioned, you start off with just a few mere spells but by half way through the game I had amassed an arsenal of spells to help me. The skill tree is deep and has upwards of forty spells for you to use and test out. I felt very weak and meagre during the opening of the game which is by design but near the end I felt almost unstoppable. Map design is also a strong point of gameplay, as the maps in which the enemies can come from and attack you, are vast and varied, creating multiple strategic conundrums you must overcome. Each map and mission felt like a puzzle within itself and made me really stop and plot my next move. There is also online co-op that can be played with a friend which helps make the time bending less daunting and it’s a fun way of experiencing the game with another player.
The Sights And Sounds Of The Forest
Autoexec are a small indie studio made up of a handful of developers, and unfortunately this shows in its presentation and graphics. The game doesn’t look terrible, but it doesn’t look great either. Environments are bland, dull and are not easy on the eye at times. Whilst the use of different biomes like the snow-covered maps are appreciated and diversify the levels, they also highlight how dull the forest can look at times. I know it’s a minor grope but grass and treelines look blocky and low resolution. It certainly isn’t a truly terrible looking game but it just doesn’t hold up well at times, particularly with its animations. Weather effects in this game look terrible at times, specifically rain; it just looks so poor. Characters and enemy design are solid enough to not completely derail the experience visually, with Teagan’s character design looking unique. But in my time playing, I suffered from quite a few framerate issues, which severely hampered my enjoyment. The previously mentioned hand drawn animation style for the cutscenes is fantastic and helps make the game feel like a classic fantasy tale. However, one of the poorest areas of the game itself is its UI design. Menus look ripped straight out of a unity game I could have made and are in need of much TLC but the same cannot be said about the soundtrack.
TimeMelters sports a fantastic soundtrack that truly encapsulates the game’s fantasy setting and medieval vibe. When picking my tactical options in spirit sight, the music dims and allows you to think, then once the combat is on, the music comes to life. It truly feels like you’re in a massive epic battle with its classic orchestral feeling and it’s to be commended how well the soundtrack fits within the setting and genre. Similarly, audio design is strong, with great emphasis on the sound design for the spells you cast. Each one feels daunting and powerful to cast and truly made me feel like a wizard or mage. Presentation in TimeMelters is not what will draw players to it, but I’m pleased that so much effort and time was made in its audio department to make it feel like a fantasy game.
Verdict
Whilst the story of TimeMelters is not much to shout home about, the game’s fantastic time-altering mechanics and strategy focus make this game unique and such damn fun at times! A robust skill tree and fun co-op help create longevity and great soundtrack and audio design help you immerse yourself in the fantasy world of Hogendale. Whilst it’s a shame its presentation is lacking and its enemy design is forgettable, it’s still worth your time due to how much of a blast the game can be. It’s rewind time!
