Time Recoil Review (Xbox One)

INTRODUCTION

Being able to travel through time is an idea that has always intrigued me. Not only because of the attractive sci-fi theme, but also because of the possibility of exploring a same environment through different perspectives. With that being said, Time Recoil has been a great top-down option for players who enjoy a fun story placed in the 80’s setting. In this title, you will be able to play as Alexa, an agent that is able to travel back in time, change events and manipulate the story of the game in order to achieve her goals. As an engaging twin-stick shooter, Time Recoil's creative game style does not disappoint and is well-developed in multiple senses such as a great soundtrack, an easy gameplay, and a pretty nice difficulty progression. Despite a few details that could improve the presentation of the game in a more attractive way, players can definitely have a positive experience when joining Alexa in her missions.

Time Recoil was developed by 10tons and is available for Xbox One for $13.99.

STORY

Thinking about trying a game that covers a fun rebellion theme? In Time Recoil, players will have the chance to join a secret organization and work hard to complete challenges against Mr. Time, a well-known scientist that has been taking control of dictatorship actions that surround your world.

The intention of bringing the time machine into the story is the most important element to make the gameplay fun at most times. Going back in time could allow members of your organization to alter events, complete important missions and finally defeat Mr. Time. When I first read about this plot, I instantly felt compelled and interested to start playing and getting into action. Joining the adventure as Alexa gives you incredible power to manipulate time and change other character’s faith, which can result in determining who lives and who dies in current time. Actions taken in the past make all the difference in everything that you will experience moving forward. It is up to the player to take control of all the interesting missions that come up and extend Alexa’s abilities to unimaginable limits.

There is a lot to accomplish until the story reaches its end. For example, going back in time will require you to complete a set of requested tasks, such killing a selected number of enemies, rescuing scientists and collecting material that will improve time traveling technology even further. Because of that, it is not hard to find yourself completely engaging in this crazy timeline of events. On the other hand, the fact that several levels are very similar to each other can represent an issue for players that prefer to explore different environments and a more dynamic transition of sets. The good news is that even when missing some depth in the adventure, Time Recoil does a good job catching the attention of the player, who is constantly trying to complete the next level, one after another.

Another important detail to mention is that the story reveals a quick cutscene right after entering the timeline machine, showing exactly what year you should be moving to. This is a nice feature that lets you rapidly check where you are going to when traveling through time. You will notice that this happens after every mission and after taking requests from by allies in present time.

One thing that I deeply missed in Time Recoil is a better distinction of areas and environments when going back in the past. The similarity among levels can make the player not really feel like the story is truly advancing. It is true that once you complete a particular mission, Alexa will be ready to move on to the following task, however, I really wish there was a larger variety of details that would help the player easily recognize that they have moved a few years forward or back from 1980.

GAMEPLAY

As previously mentioned, Time Recoil is centered in missions that require the player to travel in time, explore other environments in past years and change the course of the story based on their actions. Alexa begins that journey with a powerful pistol and a limited amount of resources.

Even though enemies can easily be killed with single shots, it was not hard for me to really get eager to reach more targets and end up wasting ammunition faster than I should have. As long as you know what you are doing, there should be plenty of chances to refill your pistol and get back into action. For example, each level is designed with specific rooms and areas where you can collect resources. Also, one of my favorite details of the gameplay is the fact that you may unlock certain special abilities the more you kill enemies. These abilities include a few seconds in slow-motion that allow Alexa to better move around the while targeting opponents and a powerful dash move that lets you quickly tackle walls and strike nearby enemies at once. If I were to pick the most cost-effective ability or move, it would be the this dashing ability. It is really impressive to see how much damage you can do after shattering walls, glasses, computers and of course, all the opponents that are trying to kill you back.

Talking about getting killed, you must also keep in mind that similarly to enemies, Alexa can die with one single shot. A major mistake can cost you a precious life and the chance to complete important missions. If you happen to die, the game will take you back to where you came from in that particular level and you will have to start all over. Besides slowing time and performing powerful dash attacks, Time Recoil’s gameplay introduces a set of special moves that feel more like a combo reward for actively killing enemies and getting closer to your goals. Finally, the easy mechanics of the game allow payers to easily learn these controls and quickly advance in each level.

AUDIO AND GRAPHICS

Time Recoil is a super fun game to play that honestly has met most of my expectations for a top-down game in this style. One thing that I would mention is the lack of a better presentation. That is associated with some important visual elements for the title. For example, when going through the story, you will see that environments are very repetitive and captions do not really catch the players attention. Unfortunately, this experience makes you feel like you want to quickly advance the conversation and move on to the action. On the other hand, fighting is a whole different thing. Leaving the repetitive art style aside, you will see that killing enemies can be very messy and eye-catching at the same time. The game brings a good blend of colors and fluid movements, especially when taking advantage of the slow-motion features. For those reasons, trying to complete missions are visually satisfying, as graphics are filled with simple details that enrich the content of the game.

One of my favorite highlights in Time Recoil is the fact that it is a game based on the 80’s. Because of that, those who are playing the title for the first time can expect a fun soundtrack filled with nothing but 80’s electronic music. The fact that I am a huge fan of this particular music genre had me hooked into every stage the entire time. The pop culture referenced in audio features gave me an extremely positive experience, even when other characteristics of the game presentation were not so great. For those reasons, I can assure that Time Recoil will let you feel like you are truly going 30 years back in time, especially if you have never played other similar games before.

CONCLUSION

Time Recoil is a fluid game that can easily provide hours of fun. Although visual elements can become repetitive, actions are pretty engaging and filled with attractive features to keep the player interested at all times. With easy controls and a fantastic 80’s style soundtrack, Time Recoil could have been one of my favorite top-down titles after a few improvements in the story presentation. Overall, this is a remarkable fast-paced game with great puzzle elements in a creative approach.