Now that game design and digital distribution is “relatively” easier and more accessible than ever, indie game developers have stepped up to make what has long been a popular genre of us old-timers: classic 2D “metroidvania.” Explore an open world, collect powers, and use those powers to open new areas.
La-Mulana 2, Heart Forth Alicia, Shantae, I’ve backed more than my fair share of these games over the years on Kickstarter, and just when I think I have found my breaking point, another marvelous game just has to crop up. This time, we have Timespinner.
Timespinner definitely leans more towards the “vania” of the “metroidvania” moniker. It’s inspirations by Konami’s classic series are more than obvious with the massively animated weapons, digital damage display, and gothic atmosphere. Like most games in the genre, it features gorgeous pixelated gameplay and incredibly intricate animation in its rich levels design.
What sets it apart though from Castlevania though is its theme of time manipulation. Lunais, our heroine, is on a quest of revenge against a technologically advanced empire, and her family’s mysterious ability to stop, speed up, and control time will be her ultimate weapon. She can complete simple tasks like freezing enemies and using them as platforms to jumping eons through her world’s violent history to manipulate outcomes of certain obstacles.
Lunais’ power comes in the form of “orbs” which she will collect to unlock not only her time manipulation abilities, but also a wide variety of projectile and melee attacks.
Sounds like a grand undertaking, but like most metroidvania games, it has already proven to be a hit with the Kickstarter crowd. A day after going live, developer Lunar Ray Games surpassed $25,000 of its requested $50,000 for a promised PC, Mac OS X, and Linux release. Stretch goals were added that will see the game arrive on the PlayStation 4 at $65,000, and on the PS Vita at $75,000.
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