Timespinner is a very well made and fun metroidvania with good level design and mechanics. With a compelling story of two planets at war and a clan that uses the timespinner to reset the timelines, it keeps you interested throughout. Combat and exploration are enjoyable and I very much enjoyed my experience overall with my only complaint being that I found it too easy to become overleveled.
Gameplay - ★★★★★
Game mechanics are your typical metroidvania faire, but it's all done very well. The map isn't huge but it's fun to explore and there are plenty of warp points to fast travel which really cuts down on the amount of aimless wandering that you have to do. Not only that, but soft dead ends (locked behind abilities you don't have yet) occur pretty early on in the area so you don't waste a lot of time exploring only to find a spot you can't access yet. As I'm writing this I feel like it's difficult to explain but the point is, you feel like you're making progress in your exploration the majority of the time.
Combat consists of melee attacks as determined by a number of equipable orbs that change the attack style, like a blade orb that acts like a sword or a fire orb that splits into two fireballs. You can equip two of the same ones or two different ones that might complement each other or spread out your damage types (enemies are resistant or weak to types). Additionally you equip necklaces that give you different spells, and a ring that adds a passive ability. The best part of this system is that you get 3 different equipment sets that you can quickly and easily swap between. This adds a really nice level of customization and is particularly helpful to change to a long range spell or a defensive spell as the situation calls for it. There are also several familiars to choose from that all have different attacks or effects!
Lastly, there is a time stop mechanic that I feel was unfortunately underutilized (or at least I didn't think to use it as often as I could have). It stops enemies and turns them into platforms that you can use. There were only a few times when this was used to it's fullest potential and a few times when I needed to use it in order to avoid big boss attacks. I feel like if had used it more than I did it would have made the game easier than it already was.
One additional note is that I appreciated the relative abundance of useable items. I often don't feel comfortable using items in Castlevania games because they are pretty much only available from enemy drops based on luck. The early parts of Timespinner have a good number of chests with healing items in them which encourages you to use them a bit more liberally.
Story - ★★★
The story centers around a clan of people who train Time Messengers to use the Timespinner to return to the past to reset the timeline any time that the bad guys are about to destroy them. I think, this is part of the problem. Time travel things are always a bit confusing and I don't think that Timespinner does a great job of explaining what's going on. You've got two planets that are connected by a portal, you have two if not three difference races of people who are at war with each other, and then you have a past and a present. It's a lot to take in and remember. I do appreciate the worldbuilding that was attempted though, with letters, memories, and downloadable files that you can find that tell the backstory through the viewpoint of the three factions.
In true metroidvania fashion, there are multiple endings, at least 4 and they are all fairly positive. The true ending was kind of out of left field for me but it does make sense in the context, just not what I expected.
Characters - ★★★
The main character is a bit one-note. She is sent back in time right as her clan is attacked and everyone is killed. Her mission is revenge and that's basically it, and she's not afraid to say so.
You find a little familiar friend who talks to you here and there and I like it. Very cute.
The NPCs are all pretty fleshed out but you don't really get a lot of dialogue with them so it doesn't amount to much.
Art - ★★★★
The portrait pixel art when someone is talking is really nice and I love the design of the pause menu. It's very artistic and has a nice big portrait of the main character and your equipped familiar. The backgrounds are also really nice. Enemy art style is great and most of the enemy designs are cool, but some are weird, especially in the early areas.
Music - ★★★
The music was hit and miss, some was great, like directly out of a Castlevana game, while other areas had very forgettable music. Put simply, I had the sound on the whole time I was playing and I enjoyed it.
In summation, Timespinner was a very enjoyable experience and one that I did not want to put down, beating it in only a few days. I would happily recommend it to any metroidvania fans as a good entry into the genre, especially from a small first time developer. I see that there is a Steam page for a sequel and I really hope that it gets made! I'll definitely get it.
Gameplay - ★★★★★
Game mechanics are your typical metroidvania faire, but it's all done very well. The map isn't huge but it's fun to explore and there are plenty of warp points to fast travel which really cuts down on the amount of aimless wandering that you have to do. Not only that, but soft dead ends (locked behind abilities you don't have yet) occur pretty early on in the area so you don't waste a lot of time exploring only to find a spot you can't access yet. As I'm writing this I feel like it's difficult to explain but the point is, you feel like you're making progress in your exploration the majority of the time.
Combat consists of melee attacks as determined by a number of equipable orbs that change the attack style, like a blade orb that acts like a sword or a fire orb that splits into two fireballs. You can equip two of the same ones or two different ones that might complement each other or spread out your damage types (enemies are resistant or weak to types). Additionally you equip necklaces that give you different spells, and a ring that adds a passive ability. The best part of this system is that you get 3 different equipment sets that you can quickly and easily swap between. This adds a really nice level of customization and is particularly helpful to change to a long range spell or a defensive spell as the situation calls for it. There are also several familiars to choose from that all have different attacks or effects!
Lastly, there is a time stop mechanic that I feel was unfortunately underutilized (or at least I didn't think to use it as often as I could have). It stops enemies and turns them into platforms that you can use. There were only a few times when this was used to it's fullest potential and a few times when I needed to use it in order to avoid big boss attacks. I feel like if had used it more than I did it would have made the game easier than it already was.
One additional note is that I appreciated the relative abundance of useable items. I often don't feel comfortable using items in Castlevania games because they are pretty much only available from enemy drops based on luck. The early parts of Timespinner have a good number of chests with healing items in them which encourages you to use them a bit more liberally.
Story - ★★★
The story centers around a clan of people who train Time Messengers to use the Timespinner to return to the past to reset the timeline any time that the bad guys are about to destroy them. I think, this is part of the problem. Time travel things are always a bit confusing and I don't think that Timespinner does a great job of explaining what's going on. You've got two planets that are connected by a portal, you have two if not three difference races of people who are at war with each other, and then you have a past and a present. It's a lot to take in and remember. I do appreciate the worldbuilding that was attempted though, with letters, memories, and downloadable files that you can find that tell the backstory through the viewpoint of the three factions.
In true metroidvania fashion, there are multiple endings, at least 4 and they are all fairly positive. The true ending was kind of out of left field for me but it does make sense in the context, just not what I expected.
Characters - ★★★
The main character is a bit one-note. She is sent back in time right as her clan is attacked and everyone is killed. Her mission is revenge and that's basically it, and she's not afraid to say so.
You find a little familiar friend who talks to you here and there and I like it. Very cute.
The NPCs are all pretty fleshed out but you don't really get a lot of dialogue with them so it doesn't amount to much.
Art - ★★★★
The portrait pixel art when someone is talking is really nice and I love the design of the pause menu. It's very artistic and has a nice big portrait of the main character and your equipped familiar. The backgrounds are also really nice. Enemy art style is great and most of the enemy designs are cool, but some are weird, especially in the early areas.
Music - ★★★
The music was hit and miss, some was great, like directly out of a Castlevana game, while other areas had very forgettable music. Put simply, I had the sound on the whole time I was playing and I enjoyed it.
In summation, Timespinner was a very enjoyable experience and one that I did not want to put down, beating it in only a few days. I would happily recommend it to any metroidvania fans as a good entry into the genre, especially from a small first time developer. I see that there is a Steam page for a sequel and I really hope that it gets made! I'll definitely get it.