No Time To Explain Remastered Review (PC)

In the last few years many different independent game developers have sought and successfully gained funding via platforms like Kickstarter. While there have always been some big record-breakers, like Double Fine's Adventure or the more recent Shenmue III, there have also been smaller titles that gained a passionate following.

No Time To Explain is just such an example, as developer tinyBuild got the attention of enough people to secure initial funding, but due to various behind-the-scenes issues, the end result didn't impress all of its backers.

After working on other projects and helping other developers bring their games to Steam, tinyBuild is back at its original work, bringing No Time To Explain as a remastered experience on PC and as an all-new title on the Xbox One.

The new game is completely rebuilt in Unity, boasts local cooperative play, and packs the same Steam Workshop support that allows players to build and experience new levels made by the community.

Does No Time To Explain Remastered manage to successfully deliver what its predecessor promised many years ago or should tinyBuild just move on to other things? Let's find out.

Story

No Time To Explain starts in a pretty explosive manner, as a futuristic version of yourself crashes in and urges you to follow, as there's no time to explain. Unfortunately, a giant crab monster grabs him and you have to follow, using a big laser rifle not just to damage the enemy but also to propel yourself in different directions.

The game's main plot is composed of different versions of yourself that need to be rescued, as all sorts of alien monsters or giant animals have decided to capture various incarnations of yourself.

The whole story doesn't take itself too seriously, and thanks to the solid and varied writing that mostly consists of hilarious pleas for help, you'll laugh many times throughout your futuristic adventures.

Rescue yourself No Time To Explain Remastered

Gameplay and Multiplayer

While No Time To Explain Remastered is a side-scrolling platformer, don't expect to time your jumps, as your character can barely make it off the ground. Instead, you have to employ different weapons, from the basic laser rifle to shotguns and other such things in order to gain momentum and reach the time-space wormhole at the end of each level.

The mechanic is certainly interesting in theory, but in reality, you need a lot of practice before you're actually able to reach your destination. Throw in the fiendish platform design, not to mention the ever-present dangers like endless pits, sharp spikes, and so on, and you'll often have to retry a jump or a stage until you make it.

Fortunately, you have endless lives during the regular levels, but once you reach the boss, you have just three lives so make them count. If all of them get eradicated, you have to begin the battle from scratch. This isn't so bad but many of the boss fights consist of vast multi-stage affairs that require perfect timing, constant movement, and a navigation of the tricky environment. As such, if your platforming skills aren't up to par, you'll spend a lot of time trying to take down the giant crabs, sharks, and other entities thrown at you by the game.

The regular levels are designed relatively well, but there are some downright impossible to pass unless you time everything to the last microsecond. The basic laser rifle is also a bit finicky as its physics effects don't always stay constant. Some of the other weapons, like the shotgun, behave much more accurately, but you're only allowed to use them for small periods of time.

While the levels are pretty fiendish, those with a hunger for even trickier platforms can try to find the various hidden sections that hold fresh unlockable hats for your character. These range from the amusing to the downright hilarious, but unlocking all of the 60+ items can prove very tricky.

Playing alone can get a bit frustrating at times, especially when you keep missing your jumps, but bringing in a friend can help alleviate some of the frustrating portions. The actual local co-op system is pretty good and adding in up to three other playable characters is a recipe for both chaos as well as lots of fun.

While the game has been remastered in a proper engine in the form of Unity, it doesn't bring that many actual options relating to its visuals. You can run it in full screen, but its resolution appears to be fixed at 1280x720, which is quite small.

All owners of the original No Time To Explain get the remastered version for free on Steam and this also allows the title to use the levels made by the community for the original in the latest edition. Unfortunately, at least for now, they don't work as intended in the new title.

Use your laser in No Time To Explain Remastered

Visuals and Sound

Even if No Time To Explain Remastered's visuals can't be tweaked, this doesn't mean that it's not a pretty title. The game retains its Flash-game style but also a smooth framerate, and its effects are pretty well done.

The soundtrack is quite intense and manages to complement the insane action of the screen, but it can get a bit repetitive depending on how long you're stuck on a stage. Some of the audio effects can also wear on your nerves.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion