Timespinner Reviews
Timespinner has a great art style and the music is excellent, but a five-hour crawl through relatively bland maps isn't enough in a year with incredible games such as Guacamelee 2, Dead Cells, and Celeste. I spent another hour with Timespinner after finishing the story but didn't quite get 100% and felt no desire to finish it off. Timespinner is decent, but when compared to other titles that came out this year it comes up lacking. It needed more abilities and more interesting ways to use them in puzzles. Doubling the length would have also helped because it felt over way too soon.
With some great pixel art and a story that takes you through a variety of eras to change things up, Timespinner has its strengths...
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Displaying a mish-mash of influences, Timespinner's action and controls make up for its occasionally bland time travel story and game features, both of which could have done with a bit more polish.
At first, Timespinner feels like a splendid new contender in the Metroidvania genre. It has some trong visuals and music, combat feels good, it offers maps we definitely want to explore and its story and characters are great. But this game feels a bit too easy, should have pushed the time manipulation idea and lacks epicness in its boss fights, among other things.
Review in French | Read full review
The pixel-art is faultless and the gameplay is pleasingly reminiscent of the classics, but Timespinner doesn't offer much that feels new.
The shortcomings of Timespinner revolve heavily around the fact that the game is so short. It creates beautiful environments and combat systems, but by the time we've gotten into a solid groove the game is already over.
Though the map is too constrained at first, Timespinner's characters, traversal, and avenues for exploration make it worth checking out
Though I only spent 7 hours with Timespinner, there are features to keep players coming back for more. One is that there are 4 different endings in the game. Towards the climax you can make a choice, and depending on it, you will unlock different paths towards the final battle. The catch is that doing so locks you out of the other choices in the same save file, which provides good incentive to try out the New Game+. Another reason to keep playing is that there’s a super dungeon called the Temporal Gyre. It’s totally optional to tackle, but after beating the game once, I am very tempted to play again. If you truly want to challenge yourself, there’s also the unlockable Nightmare Mode, which is sure to make those less difficult boss fights much more of a struggle. This is one of those Metroidvanias that does many things right, and it inspired me enough that I’ll keep on playing til I get 100%. I really want to get all those achievements as well, since after beating it I only had about half of them. Overall, I was quite pleased with Timespinner. It’s hard to go wrong for $19.99, especially if you’re a fan of the genre. It wasn’t perfect, but it satisfied this longtime Metroidvania fan. I find myself eagerly looking forward to what else Lunar Ray Games has up their sleeves with future projects.
Timespinner opens a portal in our room and automatically takes us back to the 1990s. An adventure with a vintage flavour in which almost everything has been designed with great care. A must for any Castlevania lover.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
"Any fans of Castlevania clock towers?"
Review in Finnish | Read full review
If you enjoy Metroidvania games then you'll love what Timespinner has to offer with its addictive exploration and combat.
Timespinner is a fantastic example of an excellent Metroidvania that mixes great character upgrades, a fun and diverse overworld, and a beautiful 16-bit look. The story not only combines the personal tragedy of a chosen one but adds grey to what's normally a black and white debate.
Timespinner may not be the most phenomenal Metroidvania-type game ever made but a game doesn't need to carry an encyclopedic amount of content to stand out. Timespinner knows how to draw the player's attention with the right classic inspirations and a fun combat system, as well as with an interesting plot that never feels too heavy or forced. A work that has more than earned its right to the players' dedication.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Timespinner is a wonderfully accessible and inclusive Metroidvania that does justice to the genre despite some missed opportunities and brief run time.
Gorgeous to behold and equally delightful to play, Timespinner is yet another top-notch Metroidvania on Switch. A lack of tough exploration challenges and an under-utilised time-freeze gimmick aside, it succeeds in using the popular genre as a vehicle for a genuinely intriguing science-fantasy tale that will motivate players to explore every inch of its fantastic pixel-art world.
Aside from a few mishaps in dialogue, Timespinner distinguishes itself with an absorbing story with interesting underlying themes. It stands out with a refreshing time travelling spin on combat that reflects the diversity of the level designs. Exploration, sans the tiny map, is enjoyable, with the past and present boasting unique music and mechanics to keep things fresh. Overall, this solid adventure is a great use of your time.
Timespinner wears its influences on its sleeve, but it wears them proudly and manages to pay tribute to the 2D RPG Castlevania games and other great metroidvanias. It crafts a unique and often engrossing new world, and by the end, I felt like I had really relived the classics, and not in a bad way.
undefined.Timespinner is a highly enjoyable Metroidvania that plays wonderfully on Switch. While it'd be even better if the time travelling theme felt more integral to the gameplay, the game gets so much else right, ranging from the exploration to the dynamite soundtrack. It's highly reminiscent of its Castlevania inspirations, but through an engaging story and diverse abilities, Timespinner weaves its own path through the annals of Metroid-inspired video games.