Project Temporality

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 68 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Project Temporality Game Cover
Project Temporality is not particularly original but it does provide a few leisurely hours of thoughtful time-clone puzzling. If you’ve already played all the excellent independent and AAA puzzle games of the past eight or so years, then Project Temporality may be the diversion you’re looking for while waiting for The Witness or Portal 3. Just don’t expect to see anything done that you haven’t already seen before.
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Project Temporality is a single-player puzzle-adventure game that challenges players to manipulate time. Utilizing a unique time manipulation system, players must solve complex puzzles and navigate a twisting narrative by rewinding, pausing, and recording actions. The game features a variety of environments and challenging puzzles that will test players' critical thinking skills and spatial awareness.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 68 reviews
story10 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features clever and mind-bending puzzles that challenge players to think creatively about time manipulation and cloning mechanics.
  • The graphics and overall aesthetic are appealing, providing a visually engaging experience that enhances the gameplay.
  • The game has a humorous narrative style, with entertaining dialogue that adds charm to the overall experience.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with collision detection and game mechanics that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • There is a lack of voice acting and immersive storytelling, with much of the narrative conveyed through text that can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • The controls can feel clunky and imprecise, making it difficult to execute jumps and maneuvers, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the puzzles.
  • story50 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it intriguing and well-integrated into the gameplay through notes and character commentary, while others criticize it for being underdeveloped and poorly executed. Many reviews highlight that the narrative is primarily delivered through text rather than cutscenes or voice acting, which can detract from engagement. Overall, while the story has potential and some interesting elements, it often feels overshadowed by the puzzle mechanics and lacks depth, leaving players wanting more context and character development.

    • “The backstory is also great, and you have to learn about it by reading notes left behind by the researchers and other people working there, which is really cool.”
    • “There is also a deeper story lurking behind all the puzzle solving for players interested enough to delve deeper.”
    • “The gameplay is really good, the main thing I was afraid of when I heard about it was that it would be another silent, story-less (or practically story-less) puzzle game, but it delivers in the story, there are little easter eggs about what happened where you are, and why throughout the game and the story so far is pretty good.”
    • “The story is on the background mostly, so don't expect something akin to Portal 2 here.”
    • “The general game setting also could use a lot more narration; many topics sketched throughout story progression beg for details, and the whole mystery-stuffed campaign leaves one craving answers.”
    • “The story is badly written.”
  • gameplay33 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by solid mechanics and clever level design, featuring unique time manipulation elements that encourage strategic thinking and puzzle-solving. While some players appreciate the innovative use of temporality and multiple clones, others find the implementation awkward and the mechanics somewhat dated, leading to frustration in certain puzzles. Overall, the game offers a captivating experience with a mix of humor and challenge, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its complexity and occasional hiccups.

    • “The gameplay is solid, the story is simple, and the music is excellent.”
    • “The game manages to impress with clever puzzles and rewarding gameplay.”
    • “It puts together multiple puzzle mechanics to bring a complex new type of gameplay not found in any other game I've played.”
    • “The solutions to the last two puzzles in level 13, for example, hinged on a mechanic that had only briefly been mentioned early in the game (maximum number of clones).”
    • “The entire record-rewind-replay mechanics are just awkwardly implemented and more often than not I would do something that conceptually was fool-proof but the actual mechanics of the game didn’t translate correctly.”
    • “It's just that the set of actions the player can do is so small that not much interesting could be built around it, and the time-rewinding mechanics doesn't really save it.”
  • graphics25 mentions

    The graphics in the game are generally well-received, showcasing vibrant colors and a unique aesthetic that fits its futuristic setting. However, some players noted technical issues such as graphic bugs, limited model variety, and a lack of fine control over graphical settings, which detracted from the overall experience. While the visuals are solid for an indie title, there is room for improvement in terms of polish and artistic style.

    • “Excellent concepts which they've pulled off wonderfully, amazing visuals, and a setting that is both fantastic and confronting.”
    • “The visuals are very colorful and shiny, and do a good job showing a futuristic setting.”
    • “Graphics are very good for an indie game as well as generally for a game and truly for what this game is you don't need better.”
    • “I can't say it's amazing nor top-notch, but it has certain aesthetics.”
    • “However, there are some technical aspects that are rather disappointing, such as the lack of fine control of graphical fidelity.”
    • “Again, a very high-polygon count game unfortunately marred by the lack of anti-aliasing, fine graphical control, and unique art style lead me to give this game a 2/5 for the visual side.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as excellent and relaxing, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. However, some players find the music repetitive, noting that the limited variety can detract from immersion, especially since sound effects are often too quiet or absent. Overall, while the music is a highlight for many, its repetitiveness and lack of diverse sound effects are common criticisms.

    • “The gameplay is solid, the story is simple, and the music is excellent.”
    • “The music is great and relaxing.”
    • “Even though I got the game for the music, I ended up loving the game as well.”
    • “The music was decent.”
    • “The in-game running sound effects are super quiet; basically, you can only hear them when a new song is being selected.”
    • “I absolutely love the music - especially how it befits the mysterious deep-space environment, but find it highly repetitive.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to repetitive puzzles and similar level designs that diminish initial excitement. While some puzzles are clever, the overall execution leads to a sense of monotony, making the experience feel laborious over time.

    • “Main reason for dislike: puzzles are tedious with the little wiggle room given.”
    • “It's just really tedious; an example of a really great idea executed not very well.”
    • “Pretty much every level looks the same, and even the at-first very impressive sight of Jupiter through the windows becomes rather tedious after the ninth or tenth time.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its floaty jump physics and the amusing dialogue, particularly from the narrator who delivers serious critiques in a comedic manner. Players appreciate the game's clever writing and the humorous tone reminiscent of titles like Portal, which enhances the overall experience while teaching mechanics through engaging and funny scenarios.

    • “I thought the general's ending dialogue was funny.”
    • “The serious way in which the narrator/lab person describes what you did wrong and what to do is hilarious.”
    • “There's a lot of humor in this game - a humorous overlord, a set of intro levels that do a great job of teaching the basic mechanics, and a good challenge in a world with unfamiliar rules.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive and captivating design, enhanced by well-crafted levels and a beautiful soundtrack. Players appreciate the balance between puzzle difficulty and the engaging environment, with tiny hub rooms that further enrich the experience. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal as a compelling puzzle experience.

    • “The game's levels are well designed, and the atmosphere is nothing short of immersive and captivating.”
    • “The balance between the game difficulty and the puzzle solving, the tiny hub rooms between levels which immerse you even more, the lack of game-breaking bugs, and the beautiful atmosphere, and last but not least, the soundtrack!”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game experiences occasional stability issues, including glitches that can lead to unintended deaths and character clones. Players have reported specific problems, such as time-lock puzzles failing to reset and a graphics error that necessitated restarting a level.

    • “The game glitches sometimes, resulting in unexpected deaths and clone characters.”
    • “There were a few glitches, such as time-lock puzzle components not resetting as they were supposed to when I rewound time, and one graphics error that forced me to restart a level.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting poor controls and a lackluster story and map design.

    • “Unfortunately, the controls are garbage; it's poorly optimized, and the story/maps are awful.”
    • “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
    • “I found the optimization to be lacking, resulting in long loading times and unresponsive gameplay.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

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