Time Rifters
- October 21, 2014
- Proton Studio Inc
- 1h median play time
"Time Rifters" is a unique single-player co-op shooter where you become your own teammates, starting with 4 lives and being joined by ghosts of your previous lives with each new one. The game features 6 upgradable weapons, 3 episodes with 5 arenas each, and highscore boards. You can also play with other players' ghosts through the Let's Replay mode and customize your experience with user-created rooms and arenas from the Steam Workshop.
Reviews
- Time Rifters offers a unique gameplay experience by allowing players to strategize and play alongside their past selves, creating a fun and engaging mechanic.
- The game features vibrant graphics and a great soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere, making it enjoyable to play.
- There is a good amount of replayability due to community-created content and daily challenges, providing players with new experiences even after completing the main campaign.
- The game is relatively short, with only 15 levels across 3 episodes, which may leave players wanting more content.
- Some players have reported issues with the user interface and controls, making it difficult to switch weapons or navigate menus effectively.
- The lack of a tutorial or clear instructions can lead to confusion for new players, making it hard to understand the game's mechanics initially.
- gameplay80 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is widely praised for its unique mechanics, particularly the self-co-op feature that allows players to control multiple clones in an FPS setting, creating a refreshing and enjoyable experience. While some reviews note a lack of depth and frustration with the upgrade system, the overall consensus highlights the fun, smooth mechanics and inventive level design, making it a standout title for those who appreciate replayability and score attacking. The combination of engaging gameplay, cool music, and appealing visuals contributes to its positive reception.
“The actual game is extremely fun, and a lot of effort has been poured into the game's levels and gameplay.”
“Inventive and high-quality gameplay, and one of the best soundtracks I've ever seen in a game.”
“Really fun mainly single player game with very unique mechanics.”
“Gameplay is lacking but the visuals are there.”
“This was a lot of fun while it lasted, but it doesn't have much gameplay. I know people are gonna say things like download off the workshop.”
“Firstly, the aiming mechanics are somewhat ill-considered.”
- music54 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its fun and engaging quality, with standout tracks like "Dragonfly" receiving particular acclaim. Reviewers appreciate the unique style and thematic consistency of the soundtrack, although some express a desire for more variety. Overall, the music complements the game's visuals and gameplay, contributing to a polished and enjoyable experience.
“The music is on theme and entertaining.”
“It has a really good soundtrack, and it certainly has a unique style that I quite like.”
“Inventive and high-quality gameplay, and one of the best soundtracks I've ever seen in a game.”
“Why is the music so loud when you first open it?”
“More music variety would be appreciated.”
“The soundtrack is pretty much all okay dubstep; the sound design is alright, but the guns sound like standard future-y pew pew fare.”
- graphics44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as vibrant and visually appealing, with a unique art style that impresses many players. While some elements, like the design of guns and environments, may feel underwhelming or simplistic, the overall presentation is polished and complemented by engaging music. Despite mixed opinions on gameplay, the visuals are often highlighted as a strong point, contributing to a fun and casual gaming experience.
“Beautiful visuals, nice addicting retro style gameplay and all that with no motion sickness.”
“The presentation, music, visuals - they're all slick and polished making for a great overall package.”
“Amazing visuals”
“The graphics for the actual guns, cubes, etc., aren't anything extremely impressive.”
“Graphics: visually very vibrant, although somewhat underwhelming in terms of area design.”
“Gameplay is lacking but the visuals are there.”
- replayability30 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, primarily through user-created content, daily challenges, and the opportunity to experiment with different strategies and loadouts. While the main campaign is relatively short, players can enjoy high replay value by aiming for better times and tackling various challenges across multiple levels. Overall, the combination of fast-paced gameplay and diverse content keeps players engaged, despite some critiques regarding the depth of replay options.
“The replay value is practically infinite with tons of challenges, crazy strategies, and workshop integrated maps which adds a great open feel to the game.”
“This is a fun little game that has a good amount of replay value due to the daily challenges and user-created content.”
“For a game where the majority of the replay value is in experimenting with different loadouts and upgrade combinations, this is slightly disappointing.”
“The main campaign is pretty short, but there's a lot of replay value in trying out new strategies and maximizing your cube destruction.”
“There's 3 sets of 5 levels, plus the workshop content, and each level is pretty replayable for faster kills; you're never in any danger; this is target shooting at its finest.”
- story20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and unclear, with many users noting that it feels almost non-existent or unimportant. While some hint at potential narrative depth, the overall consensus is that the lack of a coherent story detracts from the experience, leaving players wanting more.
“A large foreshadowing, or a story untold?”
“A full FPS campaign, with enemies that shoot back, and a story built around this awesome mechanic, could be one of the best games of all time.”
“Does anyone have a clue to the story behind this game?”
“There is barely any story, and while the game eludes to one existing, I barely understood it.”
“Story: no story at all, not worth reviewing.”
“Does anyone have a clue to the story behind this game??”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a cohesive blend of techno and dubstep tracks that enhance the mood of each level, with distinct sounds that set them apart. This consistency in atmosphere is a hallmark of the "time xxx" series, where different games maintain a unified feel. Overall, the music effectively complements the gameplay, creating an engaging and immersive experience.
“It's a lot of techno and dubstep tracks that really fit the game's mood and each level's atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is just coherent.”
“Each has its own distinct feel and atmosphere, making them stand out from one another.”
“Also, it's worth mentioning the entire 'time xxx' series, different games, same atmosphere.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding in the game to be tedious and a significant contributor to the inflated difficulty, particularly when having to restart from level 1. However, some users appreciate the challenge of mastering unfamiliar weapons, which adds a layer of enjoyment to the grinding experience.
“Most of the 'difficulty' in the game is inflated by this problem, and it is simply tedious, especially when you have to start over from level 1.”
“Most of the 'difficulty' in the game is inflated by this problem, and it is simply tedious, especially when you have to start over from level 1.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, particularly for the DK2, making it a smooth and enjoyable experience for players looking to casually destroy blocks.
“Incredibly well optimized for the DK2.”
“Pretty nice time killer to destroy some blocks, really well optimized.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a cash grab, particularly due to its failure to adapt from the DK2 to modern headsets, leading to dissatisfaction among users.
“The game feels like a cash grab, as it never adopted for modern headsets after the DK2.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by playful teasing among players, particularly highlighting moments of clumsiness and helplessness that evoke laughter. This dynamic adds a lighthearted and entertaining element to the gameplay experience.
“They would split up and take on different groups, laughing at me for flailing around so helplessly.”