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[Archonn]

Temporal - http://www.potato-factory.com/temporal

For those who never heard of it, Temporal is a puzzle game disguised as a platformer, in which you control a little robot along 30+ levels across a crazy space station. The game's twist is that you'll find contraptions called Time Pads on most levels; they enable you to travel back in time in such a way you can interact with your past selves in order to solve whatever puzzles the game throws at you.

Of course, i wouldn't be saying what i'm saying at this topic's title if that was it. The strenght of the game is really how diverse the level design feels while mantaining the feel of a traditional puzzle game, by introducing new ideas every other level without messing with the simplicity of the controls or without making it feel like it's a different game every new level.

Coupled with that, you get a subtle, technobabble-filled story complete with love-it-or-hate-it ending, awesome music, clean graphics, all the good qualities of the puzzle genre (from the solutions that make you go "Ingenious!", to the fact that, this being a puzzle game, if you find yourself attempting something that requires absurd reflexes/timing, chances are you're doing something wrong), and much more!

Also, the game has various speedrun-friendly options, like replays, racing ghosts, and a couple of others. This is because the developer has kindly provided us with a very-easy-to-use online records page. And while it's not like most of us are going to go speed-crazy on the game, trying to get the levels optimized to the last frame, the system allows for some fun casual competition, complete with taunting messages if you are inclined to do so. I haven't played Temporal seriously in a while now (but i fire it up occasionally every once in a while), but back then when i finished the game, i felt very motivated to get my complete time to sub 2 hours and it was totally worth it!

And yes, the game's actually a full year old now, but even the few of you who already had the pleasure of playing this game are in for a surprise; just last July the developer released an update with a new game mode! While i'm not actually the biggest fan, since it's more for those of us with a collection mentality, it sure is a different challenge in case you thought the game was too simple. Still, i recommend you go through the normal game before it.

To finish the post, here's a couple of videos:

is the official trailer to the game, which i personally think it's too simple, and

, on the other hand, i feel that represents how crazy the game can get, even if no level in particular requires such a technique. It's actually a spoiler on how to solve one of the game's bonus levels, but since you probably won't be able to replicate it (or even understand half of it, as mentioned in the video description), you should watch it anyway.

EDIT: For a clearer idea of how good the game is, chew on this one for a while; even the beta testers are still playing it.

[Tanner]

I remember this game! It was pretty fun!

Also, make your second post in the Mancrib. Scroll allllll the way down to the bottom of the forum list. It's your only chance for a long while if you don't do it now.

[Gainsworthy]

 

WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US? I'M A LITTLE SCARED TO CLICK THAT LINK, TO BE HONEST? THAT'S A VERY BOLD POST, MAKING SWEEPING STATEMENTS? HYPE IS DANGEROUS? WHAT IS MOUNTAINS?

EDIT: Oh, Tanner knows about it? I guess I trust Tanner?

[Valter]

From the videos I watched, this looks a lot like A Helpful Tutorial for a Game that would Confuse Einstein

I think I will give this a spin. Odd, that I would not have heard of it at all.

[Archonn]

So someone remembers the game! Did you ever get to post any records at the game page, Tanner?

Also i lol'd at Valturkey's video, and i can definitively see one getting such a conclusion from the second video i linked. Don't fret! It's actually easy... well, the first stages, at least. (it's not really super-unique or anything like that, it does share various elements with the far more known Chronotron, for example)


The rest of this post is dedicated to answer Gainsworthy, as i've always had a thing for caps lock but yet had never realized it before.

WHO ARE YOU?

Why, the guy who somehow thought that appending an extra n to a starcraft unit name was a cool nick, that's who!

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US?

I thought about answering this one jokingly with "Your soul" but then i remembered indie developers often think their games carry a message deeply connected with themselves (or something like that) so i decided against it.

I'M A LITTLE SCARED TO CLICK THAT LINK, TO BE HONEST?

We all are on our own first time! That's why we're here to help.

THAT'S A VERY BOLD POST, MAKING SWEEPING STATEMENTS?

Nope! The topic title is a question, thus, if the opening post is to be a natural extension of its title, it therefore is a question and not a statement at all! Ooh, i am oh-so-smart!

HYPE IS DANGEROUS?

Hype? Indie? Hype? Indie? 

WHAT IS MOUNTAINS?

A miserable big pile of- damn, it's not "a mountain", it's just "mountains".

Eh, i never really had a good "sense of humor" anyway.

[Gainsworthy]

 

You're awwwwright Archonn! I'll play yer game soon.

[udm]

Archon, I demand you un-fry my brain this instance!!!!    If this does not re-define "win" I don't know what else does.

I'm gonna download it tonight. Sick stuff, I consider myself well-informed of indie games and yet I've never heard of this. Mind boggling, simply mind boggling.

[Botulino]

I can only answer yes at the thread title!

[Aquin]

Geeze I never even heard of this one.  I hate it when I miss a good game!

Thanks man 

[Xion]

Do you mean underrated or overlooked?


Never heard of this. Was playin' yatterday. Approve of. Will play more today. Gratitude for pointing out.

[Syrion]

It's really odd that it is so unpopular. All I remember is watching a trailer of it some time ago, which made it seem to me like it's a tedious Chronotron clone. Probably that's even the problem, because I've played it now and the beginning is pretty slow. I found it nice and charming, because this thread gave me a proper positive attitude towards it. But, I guess if you play it not knowing what to expect, you might just stop playing before it gets interesting.

Anyway, apparently it does get interesting, and with the ability to go back to any time it seems to be even more complex than the likes of Chronotron. On the other hand time paradoxes leading to some of your former selves not reaching the timepad aren't punished as much, so it's also a bit different.
So, thanks, I'll go on playing this for at least a while

[edit]
And, of course, the ability to play "Simon says" while holding down a switch for your future self is priceless

[Lynx]

I really enjoyed this game myself, the graphics add a lot of charm!  It can get very difficult, be forewarned, but it's very satisfying when you manage to figure it out and pull off a tough level.

[Aquin]

Ah man, this comes from the same guy that made Silence of the Chicks!  It just hit me too.  Man, I really did like that game.  That must have been like 8 years ago now.  I'm liking this one too, although I get stuck *a lot*. 

[Blaizer]

Well this is one of my most loved games. One of the things I find so amazing about it is that it's so well done and flawlessly thought-out/programmed.

The other thing that makes it stand out is that the puzzles are so... in-depth. After I finally finished this game I looked around for more games like it. When you play a game like Chronotron after playing Temporal it seems REALLY easy and well... bad.

So it's a fun and hard-but-rewarding game. It also has a nice storyline!

[Syrion]

Speaking of getting stuck: I have no idea how to do that puzzle in the level "Solitude". Also, I have no idea what it's doing in this game, anyway.

[Blaizer]

Where in the level are you stuck? If it's at the start you'll need to know that you can reach extra heights if you're standing on a past instance that is flying up.

If it's anywhere past that, this thread will help you: http://www.potato-factory.com/forum4/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31

Good luck!

[Syrion]

I was stuck where there are 4 doors and 3 buttons which operate 2 doors each. As someone posted in the linked thread, the level's picture in the menu shows a hint. I actually thought about that solution, but when I tried it the first time, it didn't work. Ah well, I got it now

[Blaizer]

Ah... that bit.

I just mashed random buttons the first time to pass that .

[Syrion]

In case anyone didn't notice, yet: You can skip dialogues and some other scenes by pressing the spacebar. Had I just found out about this earlier..

The game really tests your patience with how often you have to restart and redo large portions of a level until you manage to get it right. Still, it's just rewarding enough to keep me playing, and I like it. The puzzles are very nice.

Come to think of it, with its rather extensive (and a bit frustrating) puzzle design and the look, Temporal reminds me a lot of another great puzzler I hardly ever hear of, but that I can wholeheartedly recommend: Logi-Gun. There's more to read about it here, the creator doesn't seem to have a webpage (anymore).

[Aquin]

You can also outright skip all dialog with the Enter key.  It makes it a bit easier to swallow.