Stuck In Time
- December 9, 2021
- Housemade Inc.
- 65h median play time
Get on Steam"Stuck In Time" is a single-player, narrative-driven adventure game where you must help trapped souls move on from the mysterious house they inhabit. Utilize time manipulation abilities to solve puzzles, uncover secrets, and interact with the house's enigmatic inhabitants. With its unique gameplay and intriguing storyline, "Stuck In Time" offers a memorable and immersive gaming experience.
Reviews
- Unique gameplay that combines idle mechanics with exploration and puzzle-solving.
- Satisfying progression as actions become cheaper with repetition, allowing for deeper exploration.
- Charming pixel art and engaging story elements that unfold as you progress.
- User interface can become cumbersome with long action lists, making it difficult to manage loops.
- Game can feel grindy, especially in the early stages where progress is slow.
- Some players may find the requirement to kill NPCs for progression off-putting.
- gameplay146 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a unique blend of idle mechanics and active exploration, allowing players to optimize their actions and paths through a time-loop system. Many reviewers appreciate the innovative mechanics and the balance between challenge and progression, though some express concerns about the user interface and the pacing of gameplay. Overall, the game offers a compelling experience for fans of idle and puzzle genres, despite some criticisms regarding its depth and clarity.
“A really neat central mechanic here, it's an interesting mix of a programming puzzle game and an idle/incremental.”
“Great balance of game mechanics (optimizing loops) and exploration (discovering the story).”
“The looping mechanic is well thought out; the world develops as your character explores and completes tasks, enabling new approaches to old problems and progression to happen somewhat organically.”
“Not a fleshed out set of features or gameplay loop, seems rushed.”
“The gameplay loop is just too unvaried for the amount of effort you need to put in.”
“Gameplay is non-existent; I'm a software engineer in real life and I understand that the game is trying to teach kids programming.”
- story95 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its intriguing premise, character development, and the gradual unfolding of narrative elements through gameplay. While some find the story engaging and fun, others note that it lacks depth and can feel repetitive or grindy at times. Overall, the combination of story and mechanics creates a satisfying experience, though players express a desire for more exploration and lore in potential sequels.
“Great balance of game mechanics (optimizing loops) and exploration (discovering the story).”
“I loved the premise, story, and presentation.”
“The story and people are interesting, also the animation for each person is well done.”
“Not seen much of the world nor story to keep you going.”
“The grind emphasis would still be okay if what you discover on your journey was interesting or funny in some way, or if the story was well-written or clever; in my opinion, stuck in time has neither surprising discoveries nor a well-written story.”
“The story isn't complex, but the looping adds a fair amount of interest.”
- graphics85 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the detailed pixel art and stylized animations, which evoke a nostalgic and gothic aesthetic reminiscent of titles like "Loop Hero." While some players appreciate the art style, noting its charm and polish, others criticize it for being derivative and too similar to "Loop Hero," leading to confusion about the game's originality. Overall, the visuals are generally well-received, particularly for fans of retro pixel art, but the game's aesthetic similarities to other titles have sparked debate among players.
“The sprite work for the character portrait animations is some of the best stylized pixel art I have ever seen.”
“The graphics are pretty slick for this sort of game, comparing it to things like Groundhog Life and Increlution.”
“The artwork in Loop Odyssey is entirely original and it's no more ripped from Loop Hero than Loop Hero ripped off of say Castlevania or Actraiser.”
“If you want an average quality pixel graphics tileset playing on one of your monitors that you occasionally tab to to fiddle with while something downloads, be my guest.”
“I was very put off by how much the art style seemed to be imitating Loop Hero at first; it made me think this would be a rushed, low-quality knockoff.”
“Let's ignore for a moment the fact that this developer has shamelessly and blatantly ripped off the aesthetic and naming convention, and even copied the menu UI of Loop Hero, a much more praiseworthy game.”
- grinding57 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it both tedious and engaging. While some appreciate the idle mechanics and the opportunity for optimization, others feel that the grinding slows down the pace and can become frustrating, especially when exploring new areas or managing complex loops. Overall, it caters to fans of idle and time management games, but may deter those seeking a more action-oriented experience.
“I wish it was more incremental, more exploratory with a bigger world, or less grindy and more of a straight puzzle story.”
“Not very fun, the grinding kind of slows down the pace right away and though I know it's an idle game, why not give us a fast forward button?”
“After that it's mostly grinding for achievements and there is not much difficulty or thinking required behind most of them.”
- optimization26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization features are a mixed bag; while players appreciate the depth of route optimization and the strategic elements it introduces, many express frustration with the manual nature of route building and performance issues, particularly during late-game scenarios. Some users noted improvements following updates, but significant optimization challenges remain, especially regarding frame rate drops and unnecessary background rendering. Despite these issues, the game remains engaging for fans of the incremental genre, offering satisfying progression through exploration and optimization.
“An excellent blend of time management, optimization, and idle grinding to improve your stats and enable new routes and strategies that improve your runs.”
“It's 50+ hours of exploration, optimization, thinking, laughing, setting goals for yourself, and reaching them.”
“As the game progresses, your paths & plans evolve; a lot of the fun comes from optimization & discovery --- different stats become more or less valuable depending on your stage of development, and fundamentally change things up.”
“Having to build new routes from scratch is pretty annoying and there is very little route optimization or automation. You have to do that all by hand, and it's very easy to lose track of every single function in your route, especially if you finish a route and want to fix something in the middle of it; it gets messy.”
“The worst part is the poor optimization. Maybe my inexperience is showing, but when a strong PC build drops to 0-5 fps for 2-3 seconds every time a single change is made to a large loop, something needs to be looked at.”
“There is some strong indication that map screens have active render routines despite not being displayed, which may account for some of the performance issues.”
- music23 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its quality and nostalgic feel, likening it to classic Super Nintendo soundtracks. However, some users expressed frustration over the lack of looping and the limited frequency of music playback, which detracted from their overall experience. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, players desire more control over music options and a more consistent auditory experience.
“The soundtrack is sooooo good.”
“Pros: music is great and fitting.”
“As if this wasn't enough, the game is complete with a soundtrack that feels like a love letter to half the Super Nintendo games I played growing up.”
“The music does not loop, and the developer has actively chosen to make it that way.”
“I don't know if it was an issue on my end, but the music playing over the game ironically stopped after one duration rather than looping.”
“Sound effects fulfill their goal while the music is too repetitive and feels really unfitting.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many players expressing a desire for additional levels, a new game plus option, or more content to encourage repeated play. While the main story is enjoyable, the absence of features that enhance replay value has left players feeling that the game offers limited long-term engagement.
“I'm only sad that it doesn't have different levels or a whole lot of replayability, though its main story is well designed and a lot of fun!”
“I just beat the game; it really needs a new game plus or prestige system. Without it, the game has zero replayability, but 186.1 hours for $11.50 AUD isn't bad, although half of that was asleep grinding.”
“I don't think this has much replayability, but I'd certainly be interested in other games with a similar approach.”
“There isn't much replay value, if any.”
“Not replayable (I want additional maps!).”
“I just beat the game; it really needs a new game plus or prestige system. Without it, the game has zero replayability. However, 186.1 hours for $11.50 AUD isn't bad, although half of that was spent asleep grinding.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a key element that enhances the overall experience, providing a lighthearted counterbalance to the grinding gameplay. While some players appreciate the comedic aspects and engaging story, others feel that the humor is lacking, particularly in comparison to other games known for their clever writing and surprising discoveries. Overall, the humor contributes to a mix of exploration and goal-setting, making the lengthy gameplay more enjoyable for many.
“All while uncovering a fun story with mystery and humor to offset the idling and grinding, making it a very engaging and pleasant experience.”
“Having multiple endings is funny considering that a single ending itself takes thousands of 'runs'.”
“It's 50+ hours of exploration, optimization, thinking, laughing, setting goals for yourself, and reaching them.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization model is highly praised for its absence of microtransactions, energy systems, and advertisements, providing a seamless and uninterrupted gaming experience.
“No microtransactions, no energy.”
“No ads.”
“The game is riddled with microtransactions that feel exploitative.”
“I can't enjoy the game because it constantly pushes me to spend money.”
“The monetization model is frustrating and takes away from the overall experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for deeper emotional engagement through quest lines that explore the perspectives of female characters, emphasizing the need for trust and shared struggles within the game's time loop narrative. This addition could enhance the game's emotional depth and player connection.
“This game will receive a full and heartfelt endorsement when the developers add quest lines for the women, allowing players to earn their trust and explain that they are also trapped in the time loop, and will never see tomorrow unless they choose to provide the blood to help break the loop.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its intriguing lore, particularly through diary entries that not only enrich the narrative but also provide essential hints for progression, making the world feel unique and immersive.
“The lore is surprisingly interesting and atmospheric if you choose to read the diary entries (and you should, because they contain vital progression hints), and in the end, it sets this world apart as something that stands on its own.”
