Timeline Traveler

Very enjoyable little puzzle game, starts out slow but introduces new mechanics at a nice pace and requires quite a bit of thinking to solve the final more difficult levels. Could use a little polish here and there, as sometimes the same solution gives different results and some timings are way too tight to get right.

Timeline Traveler is one of thousands of 2D retro platformers polluting Steam, but in this case there is a difference. It's also a basic, somewhat educational sequencing puzzle at the same time. The game starts paused, and instead of controlling your character in a direct, action orientated way, you add instructions to the panel on the right hand side of the screen, to run, jump, open doors and so on. It's not the worst idea I've seen and it's a fun spin on the concept of platforming. Unfortunately the delivery is very flat, with primitive graphics, locked resolution and so on. At least it's not retro pixel. This might get a "maybe" if there was an option to give it one, because of the novel idea and potential educational value, but as a PC game for PC gamers, this falls shy of the mark.