Developer: Maniax
Publisher: WhisperGames, Stray Fawn
Platform: PC, Switch, Mac
Tested on: PC
Retimed – Review
Ever since about 2010, we saw an explosive increase in everything involving the party and couch games. From the Dungeons and Dragons franchise flaring up again with its classic board game experience to the Jackbox Games that were there at every party because up to eight players could join on their phones. Retimed fits perfectly into this party game flare-up, so it’s best to get some friends in your house or try this one with the relatively new Steam remote play together function.
Story
Retimed doesn’t have a story and this immediately is one of its biggest weaknesses in a way. There is a single-player option for those who don’t have a lot of friends at the ready, and since you can even play this mode while you wait for online matches (which took us ages to find) it could be a great way to spend some time. That being said, this is not really the case. The single-player mode has a few maps available that are also available in multiplayer, and you just fight some enemy spawns in a few waves on one of three difficulty levels with mechanics clearly designed for multiplayer. If anything, single-player is a good way to get to know the basic controls for those uncertain players who want to try everything out first, but with some story and more carefully designed progress and stages it would mean more in a game like this.
Graphics
This does not mean that without a story Retimed has little to offer. Starting with the graphics, it’s a very approachable and modern piece that has the allure of modern cartoons such as Rick and Morty or Netflix’s Final Space. It’s wacky in the colorful approach that brings it all together, which is nice. However, some of the animations and the eventual simplicity of the platforming level design also make it feel a bit like a flash game. This is enhanced by the lack of proper hitboxes every now and then, as well as the way the platforms and other surroundings your run upon remain rather static. It’s still nice, but the game feels inherently lazy by the lack of content.
Sound
Even though the main menu track has something catchy in it, the rest of the music used in each level of Retimed is a rather chaotic smashed arrangement of instruments. Partially, this reflects the chaos that is Retimed, but on the other hand, it’s just that; chaos, without much melody that seems to be memorable or structured in a way that makes game music great. The sound effects are on point but not numerous enough to provide you with a large variety, but they aren’t annoying either.
Gameplay
The mechanics in Retimed are pretty straight-forward. It’s a party game where you have to try to shoot each other, and to accomplish this you could use the environment where possible. Using the environment, in this case, means shooting at icicles or using a bouncy wall to give your shot an angle that makes for an unexpected kill after it seemed to be way off. When a bullet gets close to a kill though, there is a moment where everything surrounding the soon-to-be-killed slows down and that player gets a chance to dodge the bullet-hell coming for him by jumping, sliding, ducking and deflecting. It’s a cool concept that doesn’t feel gimmicky fast, but the lack of variation in levels and overall gameplay does bore one after a bit. This is a shame, cause the game actually has great potential and is fun to play, provided you have people to play with.
You can only have up to six bullets in your gun, and there are short breaks between each shot, so you have to aim and plan wisely to get a proper kill. If you don’t, you might find yourself with an empty barrel and way too close next to your enemies to still escape and find new ammo. These tense and tight moments make for most of the fun in the game, which is more than enough to enjoy yourself multiple times. However, since the online lobby is heavily dependent on how many players are active, you probably would want the other players to be your friends. In that aspect, it’s worth mentioning that Retimed supports Steam remote play anywhere function.
So what is it all about in the end? Well, Retimed is just some fun that’s best played with friends to truly feel how it should play. You can do this by choosing between a few multiplayer championship modes, and even divide into two teams. But despite the great fun this is, it feels like the single-player and/or two-player games are a bit neglected. As much of a blast as it can be, the game just feels like it needs some increase in… something. This something can be more content, more wacky game modes, a reworked single-player mode, but just essentially anything more than a few rather bare maps, appealing graphics, and the core mechanics.
Conclusion
Retimed is a fun concept that has some great slow-motion combat going on. However, the game clearly is meant to be played by more than two players, where four is the golden number. The graphics are rather cool, but the music has little to offer and the lacking story makes for a poor singleplayer experience. This means that the game really is most fun if you have a committed group of friends you regularly play (other games) with, or if you find yourself in a place where there is no lack of people such as a student dorm. Eventually, Retimed plays great but feels like it’s been rushed for a market release without going the extra mile that could keep people entertained for a lot longer.
Retimed - Review,
No Comments