Timelapse

I had some nostalgia for this from playing this back when it was originally release in the 90s. It's more or less playable on Linux (with Proton 9 at the time of review, Manjaro with mouse and keyboard), but you need to alt-tab out and back into the game periodically whenever the screen goes completely black. Puzzles range from awful to decent, acting is mediocre to horrible (especially the "archeologist"). Only recommended for those who played it before or those and/or have a odd desire to play dated Myst clones from the 90s

Developed by GTE Entertainment and published by Nightdive Studios and Atari, Timelapse is a classic first-person puzzle adventure that represents one of the more ambitious attempts to blend archaeology, mythology, history, and science fiction into a single interactive experience. Released during the height of the point-and-click adventure boom, the game follows the tradition established by titles such as Myst while carving out its own identity through its globe-spanning journey across ancient civilizations and its fascinating mystery surrounding Atlantis. Although the game is undeniably a product of the 1990s, its imaginative premise and emphasis on exploration continue to give it lasting appeal for fans of cerebral adventure games. The narrative begins with the mysterious disappearance of Professor Alexander Nichols, an archaeologist who has spent years researching connections between several ancient civilizations. His investigations suggest that cultures separated by geography and time may share links to a common forgotten origin. When the professor suddenly vanishes, players are drawn into an expedition that gradually uncovers secrets involving advanced ancient technology, lege…

I did not enjoy this game. Even if you forgive it for being a 30 year Myst clone, with chintzy video and unconvincing acting, it isn't well done. Even though I struggled at time due to colourblindness, that is not why I am not recommending it. The puzzles are just all over the shop. Half of them are fine, but the other half are just not satisfying at best and frustrating at worst. One bad puzzle, and I use that word loosley, requires you winning 3 best of three games of rock, paper, scissors which is simply tedious. Another is to win a seemingly 100% random game of snakes and ladders. I could not see a strategy with either of these two mini-game puzzles, but I may be wrong. Another puzzle is basically the 4x4 number slide puzzle (aka "15 puzzle"), but the setup is completely random and 50% of the time it is unsolvable as 2 squares are swapped. I had to attempt this 5 times to complete the puzzle. The most irritating puzzle involves a snake with 30 spaces on its back where each space could be one of 8 symbols. You need to work out the correct sequence of symbols and any mistake will reset the whole sequence. I could not find any solution other than trial and error. After working …

Game starts, music plays, screen instantly freezes, other programs on PC crash. Try again - same. Try again - same. Try again - same. Try again - same. Okay, thanks for playing.

Amazing game I played during my childhood but never really understood due to my young age back then. Played it again as an adult, a classic if you love puzzle games. Brings us back to a time when games were truly innovative, if you don't mind bad graphics you'll find something truly different about timelapse.

Timelapse gave me purpose in life