I cannot recommend Timespinner enough. The Switch port is fantastic and the game itself is special. My biggest disappointment is not being able to back the Kickstarter project because I had no idea about it then. I know most people who enjoyed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will likely be enjoying Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night right now but Timespinner is something you absolutely need to play.
A terrific Metroidvania, but terrifically short.
Clearly a lot of love went into the look and feel. Lunais controls exactly like a Castlevania character, especially Soma from Aria/Dawn of Sorrow once you have all the movement abilities. The graphics, while done in a colorful 16-bit style, still capture the ambience of a war-torn world (unlike Iconoclasts, where the bright aesthetics and the grimdark story are jarring). You get upgrades in the form of "orbs," each of which can be equipped to a melee, a spell, or a passive slot for different effects. The variety of combinations you can get makes switching things up a lot of fun. It's a joy to look at and to play.
On the other hand, the game is quite short and easy. If you've played Hollow Knight or even Guacamelee, I recommend starting at the hardest difficulty even on your first playthrough. You can easily beat the game in about four hours, and 100% it in six. Also all those orbs are not very well balanced, with the Iron Orb and its Colossal Hammer spell being notably overpowered for how early you get them. And since you gain experience points with each orb, you're rewarded for sticking to the "best" one.
The "time" mechanic isn't much of a mechanic. You have a limited ability to stop time and use enemies as platforms, but it's not that useful outside of puzzles. In practice it's more like Samus's Ice Beam. And changing the past to affect the present is really only used to remove one specific obstacle.
As for the "progressive agenda" other users complained about: most of the characters are **** or bi, and the protagonist's people are polyamorous. Nothing more is said about it--there's no value statements or contrast. The villains are all male, with one sympathetic exception, and one is a caricature of toxic masculinity. I didn't even notice at the time, though; that kind of character is a villain in all kinds of works.
So the game isn't perfect, but it is a lot of fun, and easily worth a purchase. I'll be looking forward to a sequel with a little more depth and balance.
Timespinner kept me wide awake in the late hours of the night. I simply couldn’t put it down until I defeated the final boss. Luckily, tons of collectibles and a new game plus mode give me a reason to jump back in. If you’re a fan of Metroidvania games, Timespinner is a must play on Nintendo Switch.
Timespinner is a Metroidvania-style game that displays some obvious 16-bit inspirations along with a marvelous visual environment. Fans of the style will be delighted and while it is not the most content-packed or longest game ever made, Timespinner knows when to draw the line and offers a good amount of exploration that doesn't force itself for too long, the result is an interesting game that is more than worthy of attention.
Timespinner is a wonderfully accessible and inclusive Metroidvania that does justice to the genre despite some missed opportunities and brief run time.
Gorgeous to behold and equally delightful to play, Timespinner is yet another top-notch Metroidvania on Switch. A lack of tough exploration challenges and an under-utilised time-freeze gimmick aside, it succeeds in using the popular genre as a vehicle for a genuinely intriguing science-fantasy tale that will motivate players to explore every inch of its fantastic pixel-art world.
Timespinner is an enjoyable game that stands alongside other good Metroidvanias, but not above them. It has an interesting story that somehow feels both epic and somewhat contained at the same time, but is full of background lore that is challenging to make sense of in its own right. Its visual style looks great, and in some moments really stands out, and features a wide cast of enemies to fight along the way, including some challenging boss battles. In the end, Lunar Ray Games delivers a solid experience - but not an exceptional one.
This game is incredible. A hidden switch gem! The sprites are polished versions of the old SNES games. The atmosphere is dense with a incredible sound track. You'll feel a lot like playing symphony of the night mixed with Megaman X. The maps are interesting and with a lot of secrets. However the difficulty is very low. The is a very funny game to play and will make you enjoy several hours since it has multiple endings..
Fun metroidvania game with some false, The music is nice even if some of the tracks sound a bit too much like Symphony of the Night , Combat is very fun and And you can get some crazy combinations that is totally fun , Downsize it takes a bit too long for you to get your movement Abilities So you're going to walk like a normal person for half the game, And the story is good for what I se I didn't read all of it because I couldn't be asked but good story, I would recommend it is always nice to get in the Metroidvania So you can just explore and listen to podcast and it's all good
Timespinner is a charming Metroidvania with a dash of classic JRPG storytelling that will keep you glued to the edge of your seat with its twists and turns as you travel through time in your effort to change the very outcome of your world.
You take on the role of Lanais, a time traveling messenger with a vendetta against the intergalactic empire that killed her family. The mainline story sets a quick pace, which affords you a small but compelling glimpse into a beautifully imagined world filled with morally grey characters and factions. However, the character writing is bland and filled with clumsy attempts at inclusivity that fail to complement the more compelling conflict at hand.
The game has a much heavier emphasis on the Castlevania side of its heritage, as you pick up new weapons and abilities that can be combined and empowered in different combinatory ways throughout your journey. Sadly, this system only really comes into its own near the end of the journey, when you have the least incentive to experiment with it. While the weapons themselves are fun, the more complex combat systems (combining weapons, damage types) are relics of past games that Timespinner could do without.
The subdued color palette used throughout never quite grew on me as I traveled back and forth the time, and the environmental art could have done more to remind me where (and when) I was - a lesson that some of Timespinner's cotemporaneous Metroidvania cousins have learned well.
All in all however, Timespinner still manages to be more than the sum of its parts. Alternative endings and a unique endgame kept me enjoying the game at a peak for a few hours beyond the credits rolling. Ultimately, Timespinner is a solid entry into the revitalized modern Metroidvania genre.
It's a quite decent 2D Metroidvania game, but unfortunately the shoe horned in identity politics ruins the game for me. I am so extremely tired of having political agendas shoved down my throat everywhere I go. One of the reasons I play videogames is to get away from all that for awhile.
It seemed like it would be a good game (if you enjoy the Castlevania/platformer genre) but unfortunately the story quickly devolves into feminist agenda and progressism jammed into your face every 5 minutes (effectively ruining the decent gamelay). If they had just correctly labelled it as propaganda, unsuspecting gamers like me wouldn't have had to waste our time and money on it.
If you have any self respect or any respect for the gaming industry at all, you'll have to pass on this social and political statement disguised as a game,
SummaryTimespinner is a story-driven adventure, inspired by classic 90s action-platformers. Timekeeper Lunais is on a quest to avenge her slain family, using time-bending powers to explore an interconnected world.