Tempus Bound

About

Tempus Bound is a single player platformer game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Jasonsumm and was released on May 3, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Tempus Bound is an artistically-driven pixel platformer with physics, puzzles and a speed running mode. In a desolate world, you play as a mysterious bushbaby/owl/fox hybrid with a dark past. Scramble across the world of wind temples & swamplands to reach your ultimate destination.

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 31 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Beautiful and unique pixel art style with excellent lighting and atmospheric effects that captivate players.
Immersive sound design and music that complement the game's mysterious and dreamlike world.
Short, focused experience with interesting puzzles and exploration rewarding player curiosity and experimentation.

Gameplay can feel minimal and primitive, with some platforming sections being frustrating due to unclear visuals or physics quirks.
The game is very short with limited replayability and lacks features like save systems or difficulty settings.
Certain design choices, such as pitch-black areas and disappearing platforms, can annoy players and detract from enjoyment.

graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
48%
13%
The game features a stunning pixel art style that brilliantly blends retro Game Boy aesthetics with modern lighting and effects, creating an atmospheric and visually captivating experience. Each level showcases unique, artistically crafted environments with dynamic parallax and carefully designed detail, although some visuals can become overly complex for low-resolution style, occasionally causing confusion. Overall, the graphics are praised as beautiful and immersive, effectively complementing the game's dreamlike and interpretative narrative.
- “This is not a game, this is an artwork someone made out of pixel art and animated it to life in a game engine.”
- “Every level has a distinct art style, each one made up of only 4 colours, giving it a retro Game Boy aesthetic fused with modern effects elements and gameplay.”
- “A charming little indie game - beautiful art style using dynamic parallax and interesting lighting effects helping the player become captivated in the world and the environment design.”
- “The Game Boy Color graphic/art style can look quite nifty when walking about in forests and swamps, but for tasks and puzzles that require some discernment, some objects can feel overly detailed for a low-res style like this, making them more confusing than they need to be.”
- “It might be the graphics and a bit of the platforming.”
- “If you love the aesthetic and want to support a solo indie dev, yes, pick it up; but if you want an actual fun gaming experience to go along with that, I wouldn't recommend this game.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The game features a striking and immersive atmosphere, enhanced by its unique art style, thoughtful lighting, and carefully placed audio that complement its exploration and storytelling. While some found the platforming frustrating and certain jump scares out of place, the overall atmosphere is praised for being gripping and distinct across its varied, themed levels.
- “I wouldn't say it's much of a test of skill, but the visuals and audio design are striking and incredibly atmospheric, which helped make the game gripping even during segments that amounted to just walking right for a while.”
- “The atmosphere was fantastic, the use of lighting was great.”
- “The design is really strong, love that the different levels all have unique themes - very atmospheric.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The gameplay is simple, straightforward, and concise, typically lasting less than an hour without feeling stretched or like filler. Each level offers a distinct art style and unique design, blending retro Game Boy aesthetics with modern effects, creating an engaging experience.
- “Every level has a distinct art style, each one (somehow!) made up of only 4 colours, giving it a retro Game Boy aesthetic fused with modern effects and gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is less than an hour.”
- “Simple and straightforward gameplay - walk right until you can't, then backtrack and find a new way to go right.”
- “As with graphics and sound, the gameplay varies as well and no part of the game feels stretched or like filler content.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is atmospheric and subtle, encouraging exploration and interpreting its narrative without explicit text. Players appreciate the intriguing art style and the sense of mystery, with hints of deeper plot elements that invite further discovery.
- “If you like to wander around, search for secrets, if you like atmospheric games where you have to decipher the story without text, and you enjoy the interesting art style as shown in the trailer.”
- “I really enjoyed the time I spent playing it and, honestly, wasn't really ready for it to be over and done, until I spotted the allusion to potentially a loop, meaning there's more story for me to unravel.”
- “I'd probably refund it, but unfortunately I completed story mode, and would feel very silly for refunding a completed game.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's music is thoughtfully placed and enhances the atmosphere without overpowering it, complemented by a rich and immersive soundscape that players highly appreciate, especially when experienced with headphones.
- “I’m a player who disabled music, e.g., in Fallout just to listen to the sounds of the environment, and Tempus Bound satisfies me very much with its rich soundscape - I recommend playing with headphones!”
- “There is music here and there, but it’s placed with care, and it supplements the atmosphere of the game in a wonderful way.”
- “This game is great, I love the sounds/music and the colours are minimal but effective.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers very limited replayability, primarily restricted to speedrun mode or chasing achievements, with no save system and minimal gameplay options to encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “No save system, barely any options, no replayability other than the 'speedrun' mode or to get achievements.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game does not require grinding to achieve progress or unlock achievements, resulting in a more enjoyable and streamlined experience.