Time is on your side in Super TIME Force, a new side-scroller by Capybara Games. You control an elite squad of time travelers that spans from normal soldiers to skateboarding dinosaurs. Your enemies are just as varied sometimes leading to a bullet-hell like atmosphere. This is both the best and worst part of playing as the Temporal Inevitability Manipulation Experts, as difficulty is steep even on the first level. Still it wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t have the edge somehow which is where this game really shines.
The rewind mechanic is the meat of the gameplay. Whenever you die the clock winds back as you attempt to save your past self from their assured destruction. That alone would be a cool mechanic, but you can also rewind time whenever you want. This leads to endless possibilities, from playing an entire level as one character to amassing a small army in seconds. It can get even more convoluted as you begin to memorize the enemies movements so you can turn back the clock for the umpteenth time. Eventually it gets to the point where it feels like you’re orchestrating a masterpiece rather than playing a video game, as all of your past selves converge on a single goal. While controlling time should make the game seem like a breeze, it’s anything but that. You’ll need each and every unit type you can unlock if you wish to fight the oncoming horde. There are plenty to find and unlock like Lon Don Jim, a rotund man that throws an energy sword who you find behind his television.
Side-scrollers are an integral part of gaming history so to find one that spices things up feels truly rare. Every time I got to play Super TIME Force I was left wanting more, hoping I could rewind time to play it yet again. Capybara’s website says it should be out sometime this year on XBLA, but the clock is ticking. Hopefully we can play it before time runs out.