So I heard about this game many years ago, but I never cared enough to know about its genre or gameplay. I got No Time to Explain from one bundle a while ago, and I only reached it in my backlog today. I tried the game with low expectations and I have to say I'm impressed!
No Time to Explain follows a guy who was enjoying his time home, until the roof collapses and his future self tells him that "there's no time to explain he has to-- Aaaaagh!" The future self was cut-off mid-sentence and brutally attacked by a giant crab-monster-thing. You start the game by having to save your future self without knowing anything about the story or the gameplay.
It's a puzzle game with platforming elements. The player character has only two options. Jumping and using his weapon. The first weapon the game presents you is a beam gun with which knocks you back in the other direction when used. The normal jump is too short but when used with the knock-back effect of the weapon it can be used to overcome obstacles and change the direction mid-jump.
This is something you're supposed to learn by the second level of the game using trial and error. The game's title describes the gameplay perfectly in that you're given no time for explanation and you're expected to die over and over until you reach the end of each level/segment.
In my short play time of the game, one segment had me changing character, (I assume the new one to be the same character from a different timeline.) The other character has a different weapon that creates explosions instead of firing beams.
That new weapon was hard to adapt to, but just the existence of another weapon, and it's introduction this early in the game made me quite hopeful that this game has more depth and customization as we progress more.
Surprisingly, my most favorite aspect of the game is when the future self talks about his pain at the start of each segment of a level. Which rotates few lines that you'll hear dozen of times if you keep dying while trying to solve the puzzle. These screams can get graphic sometimes but most of time they're too funny to feel bad about hearing them.
"My insides and outsides are in pain!"
"Why I can't feel my legs?"
"My ribs, they're in front of my eyes?"
-- Future self
Backlog Status
Had Fun! (Deleting it to free space though...)
While I'm deleting the game from my PC as I don't have time for every game I want to play. I think it's a good puzzle game that requires fast reflexes (or insane repetition) to solve.
No Time to Explain is fun in both gameplay and presentation. The difficulty of the levels only adds to the happiness you feel after finishing them (and the solution is usually simple too.) The sense of humor reminds me of Manual Samuel which I reviewed last month.
What do you think?
Did you play No Time to Explain? If not, did my article made you more interested in the game? Is there a similar game you recommend for me? I'll be waiting for your comments.
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