Temporality

About

Temporality is a single player action game with a warfare theme. It was developed by James Earl Cox III and was released on November 12, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

Short reflective music game in the Great War.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 80 reviews

music4 positive mentions

graphics2 negative mentions

Unique experimental gameplay focused on time control with only simple controls that provoke deep thought and reflection.
Powerful and emotional storytelling that humanizes soldiers and conveys the horrors and futility of war effectively through art and atmosphere.
Short, free, and minimalist experience with evocative music and pixel art that creates a haunting mood and leaves a lasting impression.

Very limited gameplay with little interaction beyond moving forward or backward in time, leading some to feel it is more an art piece than a true game.
Repetitive and brief with only a few scenes, which may reduce emotional impact and result in some players feeling underwhelmed or bored.
Lack of clear guidance or a defined ending can make the message ambiguous, and the simplistic presentation might not resonate with all players.

music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The music in Temporality is widely praised for its beauty and emotional impact, effectively enhancing the game's poignant portrayal of World War I soldiers' memories. Composed by Julie Buchanan, the soundtrack creates a perfect atmosphere for reflection and adds depth to the short, interactive experience.
- “A surprisingly affecting music video describing the memories of dying soldiers in the Great War.”
- “Nevertheless, I enjoyed this short game, especially the beautiful music which makes it perfect to chill out to and think.”
- “This game may be short, but nevertheless a poignant experience set to beautiful music.”
- “Four 'scenes' total of you just running forward while music plays in the background.”
- “You can't send a message by having pixels move and sad music play.”
- “Interesting that the composer, Julie Buchanan, also did the music for The Other Half.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story is praised for its minimalist yet deeply human approach, focusing on the inner thoughts of a soldier during battle. Presented more as an interactive story than a traditional game, it offers a compelling narrative experience enhanced by rewind mechanics. Overall, it delivers a thoughtful and emotionally engaging portrayal of war.
- “A nice example of competent minimalist storytelling in video games.”
- “Nice to see some really human storytelling in games when it comes to wars.”
- “It's a story about a soldier and the things that go through his mind as he charges into battle.”
- “Seen backwards by Billy, the story went like this:”
- “It isn't exactly a video game, rather an interactive story with an option to rewind (back & forward), but it has a deep story to tell you.”
- “It isn't exactly a video game, rather an interactive story with an option to rewind (back & forward), but it has a deep story to tell you.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay of Temporality is minimal and unconventional, limited to moving time forward or backward with just two keys, offering no traditional interactive elements. It functions more as a visual installation than a game, focusing on conveying a message rather than providing engaging gameplay. Users generally rate the gameplay very low or nonexistent.
- “There is not much to say about the gameplay, as you can only make time go forward or backward to visualize the character's lifetime.”
- “Despite the use of simple color palettes, art assets, and only two directional keys for gameplay, this short game depicts a visually profound message in each scene.”
- “The gameplay also reminds me of the movie Tenet.”
- “Temporality is a free 2D retro pixel art installation masquerading as a game, but it's important to note there is no gameplay here.”
- “Do not make the mistake of thinking it is a proper game, because the only gameplay consists of pressing 'd' to move forward in time or 'a' to revert time.”
- “There is not much to say about the gameplay, as you can just make the time go forward or backward to visualize the lifetime of the character.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, often evoking strong feelings and touching moments, particularly highlighted by its portrayal of women. Players recommend it as a compelling emotional art-piece within the video game medium.
- “Touchingly, it was mainly women who did this work.”
- “Surprisingly good, and somewhat emotional.”
- “Give it a try if you like video games that are 'emotional art-pieces.'”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users overwhelmingly criticize the graphics, describing them as extremely poor and unattractive, with some rating them as low as 0/10.
- “The graphics are as ugly as they could possibly be.”
- “Graphics: 0/10”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has extremely low replayability, with users rating its replay value as 0/10, indicating little to no incentive to play it more than once.