Time Recoil

Release Date: August 10, 2017

Action, science fiction, top-down, indie games, shoot 'em up, singleplayer

80%

Steam

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A top-down shooter developed by Finnish studio 10tons. The title features time control mechanics. The story presented in Time Recoil starts in 1987, where the main protagonist lands due to a time paradox. During the game she must complete a series of missions in the past. This will enable her to change the timeline, save no-longer living allies, obtain lost documents and eliminate important persons before they become a threat.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Time Recoil for PS4, PC and etc. is a shoot ‘em up game with time manipulation mechanics. The title was developed by a Finnish studio 10tons, creators of energetic shooters like Crimsonland, Neon Chrome and Jydge.

Plot

The adventure of the female protagonist begins in 1987. She appears in mysterious circumstances on a skyscraper, surrounded by complicated futuristic machinery. After a short prologue and going back to 1973, the player discovers that Time Recoil for PS4, PC and etc. is a time travel story. A mysterious researcher sacrificed his life to create a time paradox that took the female protagonist from prison to Paris – or rather, to what remained of Paris after a madman attacked it. In order to undo his actions, the player must complete a series of missions set in the past. During them they will change the timeline, for example by saving some allies, gathering lost documents and eliminating important people before they become a threat. The final objective is to kill Mr. Time who controls a time-based doomsday device.

Mechanics

Early in the game the gameplay is similar to gameplay of other titles of this developer. The action is presented from a top-down perspective. The protagonist can freely move and aim in all directions. When the first opponent is killed, the main mechanics are revealed – namely the time slowing. With each assassination the player gains a moment of slowed time. If he manages to continue the combo, he is awarded with more of this “bullet time”. This encourages the player to use a more puzzle approach to the shootouts. He should try to combine the kills to finish the action before the enemies will know what hit them.

By progressing in the game the player unlocks new skills that make it easier for him to survive the shootouts. The strength of the skills depends on the number of enemies killed in a single combo. For example, after gaining a long kill chain the player can use powerful skills with area of effect. A few kills is enough to perform a short charge that kills all enemies in a line. In addition to that, the charge enables the player to break through thick walls and eliminate enemies thinking that they are out of player’s reach. Sadly, this feature works in both directions. Most locations feature many destructible covers and player can never feel safe. Unwise stop behind a glass cover quickly ends in dying and having to restart the level.

Technical aspects

The graphics of Time Recoil for PS4, PC and etc. aren’t sublime, but the colors and contrasts were matched by experts. The game sometimes features cutscenes or dialogues presented as comic panels. The title features a cinematic experience similar to those from John Woo’s movies. For example, the player can run through the cloud of glass pieces, avoid bullets and jump between enemies simultaneously, while in slow motion. A strong, electric soundtrack is inspired by the eighties’ and is familiar to the music from Hotline Miami.

Last updated on September 23, 2017

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