Time Master Review (PC)

Fire melts ice barriers. But they don’t scratch barrier blocks. So, my past self needs to reach a button to make that barrier transparent before my actual character, working in the present, launches the fireball that opens up the way to the level exit. In the meantime, both versions of my wizard need to find the best way to pick up crystal shards. If they manage to execute everything in about 12 seconds, even better.

Time Master was developed and is published by MorpheusZ. I played it via Steam. The title is bringing time manipulation mechanics to the world of platform-based puzzles, offering plenty of levels with engaging moments.

Zeno is the protagonist of the game’s story, a capable wizard who knows how to mess with time. He has abandoned magic because he apparently banished his sister, Sophia, when he meant to teleport her to a castle. A mysterious being promises him that there’s a way to bring her back, by dealing with the very hard trials of the Ancients to get all the shards of a time crystal. Zeno is a bit of a non-entity as a protagonist, but his motivation is pure and good enough to power moving through levels. A big bad named Lucix also fails to become an interesting character.

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And if there’s something that Time Master can deliver is a lot of levels. The Ancients have created plenty of pocket worlds made up of blocks, with strategically placed crystal shards. They also have a variety of special conditions to work with, which turn the small areas into complex spaces to navigate. There are buttons to activate that open up access to certain locations. There are wooden bridges that crumble. Snow-covered blocks allow Zeno to slide fast but rob him of control. There are also fireballs, ice balls, and more.

All these obstacles quickly increase the difficulty level of the puzzle and increase the time Zeno needs to get the shards and reach his exit. The wizard cannot complete the levels without using his limited but powerful time magic. The player can rewind time at any moment, bringing the character back to his starting location after he completed a set of actions. He can then interact with the level in the present while his older self goes through his own circuit. Shards collected in the past count for the present self. Paradoxes can happen because of various interactions. And, more importantly, cool solutions to difficult puzzles open up.

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The first few levels are very easy to complete, although it quickly becomes clear that good planning and solid execution are required to get a three-star time. As difficulty ramps up it becomes more important to think before acting. I often move around the level a little, rewinding just to see how I might complete it. Once I settle on a solution, I then try to run it once to make sure everything works before making tweaks to lower the overall time. Most of the time, it is a decent challenge to get one star, but three stars seems impossible, which is a good level of difficulty for such a title.

Time Master does not have any in-game hit system, instead pointing stuck players to the Discord channel to get clues. This is a failure for a modern puzzle game because it allows gamers to become frustrated. And that is a big problem for a game that lives or dies based on its unique time manipulation approach to gameplay.

Time Master is a good-looking platform and puzzle experience, even if there’s nothing unique about the presentation. It’s always easy to read levels and understand what the opportunities and dangers will be. The main character is too nondescript for my taste and the trials are only made of blocks, but it all works with the mechanics. The sound design is limited, with some good voice work and a soundtrack that’s pleasant enough to listen to but never felt like it was adding anything to the experience.

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The Good

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