The Watchmaker
- May 17, 2018
- Micropsia Games SpA
Get on Steam"The Watchmaker" is a puzzle-adventure game where players control Alexander, a watchmaker in a steampunk world of giant clock mechanisms. When time mysteriously goes mad, Alexander must repair his clock tower, face obstacles, and search for the saboteur while aging rapidly, with only a limited amount of time to fix the damage. Armed with a magnetic glove and time-controlling abilities, players must navigate the clock's intricate puzzles to uncover the truth.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The steampunk style and unique concept of aging and de-aging the character are visually appealing and intriguing.
- The game features creative puzzles and a well-constructed story that encourages exploration and engagement.
- The core mechanics, including time manipulation and the age-based life system, add a fun twist to the gameplay.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, poor optimization, and frustrating controls, leading to a lack of polish and playability.
- Level layouts are confusing, and the platforming mechanics are often unresponsive, resulting in frequent deaths and frustration.
- The absence of essential features like an Exit button in the main menu and long loading times detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Gameplay in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the time manipulation mechanics intriguing yet frustrating due to numerous bugs and inconsistencies. The age-based life system offers a unique twist, but its implementation feels vague and underutilized, leading to a lack of meaningful impact on gameplay. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements, many players report significant issues that detract from the overall experience.
“Fun and challenging, The Watchmaker is an action-puzzle game, which visuals and mechanics pleasantly remind me of American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns.”
“The core mechanics of the game work well and the time-based abilities are fairly fun to use.”
“The age-based life system also adds a welcomed change to the classic health formula that makes gameplay feel more fun and like you need to progress.”
“There's barely any response to any attacks the protagonist receives during the game, and these either do nothing, very little damage, or completely wipe you out. There's no metric to know how much damage you are receiving aside from the age gauge, which, even by being a core mechanic, is pretty vague, easy to cheese, and hardly used throughout the game itself.”
“The player's own time mechanics are fun for a while, but they are buggy. For example, the time stop doesn't really 'stop' time, and a lot of objects (basically anything that moves) still move in very irregular patterns, making platforming extremely difficult.”
“Time rewind is also buggy and works in different durations. Sometimes you can rewind for like 30 seconds, other times you get stopped at 2 seconds and instantly die; there's no telling how the mechanic works.”
- story16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as charming and intelligent, particularly when explored through collectibles, though it suffers from poor delivery within the game itself. While the narrative is well-constructed and coherent with the game's themes, it ultimately leaves players feeling that it is merely average, with some expressing frustration over gameplay mechanics that can disrupt the experience. Overall, the story has potential but is hindered by execution issues.
“A wonderful game with an amazing style and rare ideas about the way of playing and controlling a story that attracts the player with many collectibles of hours, letters, and stories, but the most beautiful thing in it is the story and the way it is told.”
“The story itself is enjoyable to experience, although it's not going to knock you out of the water.”
“What really did it for me was that you can actually lose quest objects (like the battery) which then never return, so you break the game :(”
“The story is well constructed, and all the aspects of the game are coherent with the concept of time: from the personality of the characters to the visual aspect of the scenarios.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their beauty and aesthetic appeal, with many players appreciating the visuals and sound effects that enhance the experience. However, despite the attractive design, the game is noted to be graphically demanding, leading to performance issues such as low frame rates even on minimal settings, which can hinder playability. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight, technical performance may detract from the enjoyment for some players.
“The graphics are lovely and the accompanying sound effects work really well most of the time, matching the expected sounds of the materials of the objects.”
“It's a very beautiful game, I really like the aesthetics.”
“Love the concept, the visuals, and the neat puzzles.”
“Got some 25fps even on lowest resolution and graphic settings, which made the game unplayable.”
“From all the games I've completed and currently play, this is one of the most demanding ones despite its simple aesthetic.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is severely lacking, with numerous bugs affecting core mechanics such as time manipulation and platforming, leading to an unpolished experience. Players report inconsistent behavior of objects and mechanics, making gameplay frustrating and unpredictable. Additionally, collectible tracking is flawed, with players unable to achieve certain milestones due to these bugs.
“Very unpolished experience; a lot of things just don't have sounds, platforming feels odd, and there is lots of buggy behavior.”
“Time rewind is also buggy and works in different durations; sometimes you can rewind for like 30 seconds, other times you get stopped at 2 seconds and instantly die. There's no telling how the mechanic works.”
“Even when you know the solution, sometimes they just don't behave as you expect or they are a bit buggy, resetting themselves to their default state, or you fall to your death unexpectedly.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is poorly optimized, with frequent frame rate drops, particularly noticeable during the final level where performance significantly deteriorates.
“The game is terribly optimized.”
“The game has constant FPS dips, especially during the last level where the performance tanks.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game features collectibles tied to achievements that promote exploration and enhance replayability. However, some players express that the overall frustration experienced during gameplay may deter them from pursuing a second playthrough, despite the potential for an easier experience.
“There are collectibles tied to achievements which encourage exploration and add to replayability.”
“While there are collectibles tied to achievements encouraging replayability, and a second playthrough will be easier than my first, the overall frustration when playing the game makes it unlikely I'll do that.”
“While there are collectibles tied to achievements encouraging replayability, and a second playthrough will be easier than my first, the overall frustration when playing the game makes it unlikely I'll do that.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy for the game primarily involves a one-time purchase, which has garnered positive attention from players who appreciate supporting local developers. Users have expressed excitement about the game's concept and its local roots, indicating a willingness to invest in it.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by its excellent music, which effectively adds tension and depth to the overall experience.
“The music was also really good, adding tension and atmosphere to the game.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for effectively enhancing tension and atmosphere, contributing significantly to the overall experience.
“The music was also really good, adding tension and atmosphere to the game.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be frequent and engaging, often highlighting the amusing reactions of a popular YouTube walkthrough host as a notable example. The comedic elements contribute positively to the overall experience, making it enjoyable for many.
