Is this the review of all time? My Time Master Switch Review tells you what I thought of this charming puzzle platformer!
Welcome to my Time Master Switch Review! I’ll settle you in with a bit of game lore and then waste no time getting into the review itself. The core story of this game is that you, Zeno, are a Time Wizard who accidentally banished Sophia. Your goal is to rescue her by visiting different platforms and gathering Fragments. So, what did I think of this game? Was it a waste of time?
My first impression of the game was hugely positive, with the opening cut scene feeding me the story via gorgeous animation full of life, colour, and a seasoning of retro vibes. Here I got to connect with the protagonist of this tale as well as learn of the game’s lore. The voice acting in this scene was immediately enticing, especially Zeno because of his cute and charming design.
I also thought it was a nice change to have the main character speak. Typically, games input text-speech for the player’s character so that they can connect to them better. But, hearing Zeno have quite the dorky voice made me adore him from the get-go. And how couldn’t I? He is so puny and unique.
Jumping into the game, the tutorial was easy to digest, with a gentle level of difficulty progression. The levels themselves are so nicely designed in a Minecraft-esque style that you can see each cube block that makes up the level. Also, the game ran great on Switch with no control complications or disruptions. Plus, controls were always listed at the bottom of the screen.
The gameplay itself is Minecraft meets Portal to be put simply. Essentially, you need to gather each Fragment and head to the Portal to visit the next level. The twist is that as a Time Wizard, you can run across the platform and then re-wind time so that your first copy repeats your first steps whilst you head elsewhere.
This mechanic is entertaining to mess with and figure out. I liked the challenge of thinking ahead as to what my physical copy of Zeno would do whilst the first Zeno I ran across the platform with repeated my previous steps. I thought I was clever the first time I had the copy head to the Portal whilst physical Zeno gathered the Fragments. However, I swiftly learned it has to be you who steps onto the Portal, which ignites only after each Fragment of the level is obtained.
Rewinding time to the voice acting note. Another nice feature of having Zeno chat was that he comments during the game if you seem stuck. For example, when I stepped on the portal using the first run copy Zeno and had my physical Zeno gather the Fragments, he was quick to say something along the lines of “Ah, so I have to be the one standing on the Portal”. I do wish that we had more dialogue, however, as sometimes the levels felt rather lonely even upon completion.
As I reached further into the game new areas and skills were unlocked which slowly amped up the difficulty. Spells, buttons, weird magnetic crystals, fragile bridges, there were so many fun elements added in a paced manner. I fully expected myself to be thrown into the deep end and curse all puzzles forever, but Time Master was surprisingly relaxing to play whilst still providing head-scratching levels.
Later game I found myself needing to tilt the camera to view the stage from each side, which is telling of the difficulty amplification requiring a keener eye. Incoming broken record repeating of myself, but I can’t stress enough how good the level progression in this game is. Time Master never felt overwhelming, yet was still challenging enough that every stage completed felt satisfactory and as though I’m some puzzle genius (I’m not).
Naturally, I encountered levels I simply didn’t have the brain power for. No matter how many times I re-angled the level or took a new route I was stumped. Of course, this feeling is frustrating, but that’s par for the course with puzzle games.
Honestly, no. By timing, I mean getting a good star count across each of the 61 Levels. I’m not the most savvy with puzzle games, and brain teasers tend to lovingly frustrate me. Each level awards a star count between 1-3 for how fast the level was completed. I won’t lie, as the game progressed I saw a lot more 1 and 2 stars than the elite 3.
Being slow didn’t bother me as I can revisit (and skip) levels as I please. I think this played a huge part in my enjoyment of this title as puzzle games can be irritating and unforgiving if you’re stuck. Where you are forced to halt gameplay until that golden moment of satisfaction when you finally figure it out.
Time Master succeeded in immediately grabbing me with story and style. Though puzzle games aren’t typically my style (because truthfully I lose patience quickly), I sat and played a good chunk of levels each time I opened the game. The smoothness of gameplay mixed with magic has broadened my game horizons. I’ll definitely be completing this game and sniffing out more puzzlers afterwards!
Time Master is a charming, whimsical game with easy controls, great replay value and engaging levels. Despite not finishing the game to completion I’m eager to get back on the game and seek out those later-game levels – that alone should be telling enough of the entertainment value of Time Master.
