Time Heisst by King Zhou

[raw]
made by King Zhou for Ludum Dare 51 (JAM)

Play the game here: https://zym35.itch.io/time-heist

You successfully acquired the Time Chip! But how can you escape the guarded laboratory? Use the chip's special time-wrapping ability to find a way out!

* Mechanics: The game world's time wraps around EVERY 10 SECONDS: every presence goes in reverse, back to when it started - even death can be reversed! Unless you process the Time Chip, which allows you to be unaffected by reversion and move freely when every other thing is going back. But then you cannot avoid death, so be careful. You can also insert the chip into the crate and let it possess the same ability! *

​- Move with keyboard (WASD/Arrows), throw the Time Chip with left mouse click - If your character is not moving when you start playing, try resetting the game with [R]

Assets used:

https://deakcor.itch.io/zelda-like-futuristic-tileset

Tick Tock (Shadows Part 2) - Hans Zimmer - Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows Score

https://www.kenney.nl/assets/topdown-shooter

https://youtu.be/g4m6nOiS-0M

Screenshots:

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Ratings

Overall 651th 3.462⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Fun 871th 3.058⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 166th 3.846⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Theme 289th 3.962⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Audio 368th 3.5⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Humor 697th 2.62⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Mood 465th 3.574⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 21🗳️ 27🗨️

Feedback

Erukolindo
04. Oct 2022 · 08:32 UTC
I really like the idea, but this game desperately needs an explanation on what different elements do. I eventually figured out the difference between holding the chip and throwing it on the ground, and how to use these states, but I still have no idea what the slots where you can place the chip are supposed to do.
Also, the controls are extremely confusing - I can't think of another top-down game where WASD moves the character relative to where they're facing rather than relative to the screen.
AlexYam
04. Oct 2022 · 10:11 UTC
Very interesting mechanic and graphic. You need to cooperate with the future/past? version of you to solve puzzle. But the tank move style is difficult to control, especially when I try to dodge bullets.
Also I like the idea of able to block bullet with the chip.
Wizcas
04. Oct 2022 · 10:48 UTC
The mechanics is quite innovative and well executed. It reminds me the Prince of Persia. I love how the level is designed with time-based puzzling. Great job!
🎤 King Zhou
04. Oct 2022 · 18:14 UTC
@erukolindo Thank you for your comment and suggestion! Sorry for the confusion. Though this game is intended to have minimum instruction on how things work, I figured that most people still find it confusing somehow. So I've updated the game description to include a brief explanation of the mechanics. Enjoy!

I'm also updating the game to include a better control scheme.
LDJam user 298734
05. Oct 2022 · 13:42 UTC
so the 10s time keep played back and forth? reminds me of tennet
(come from bilibili and 求互投!)
lbrande
05. Oct 2022 · 15:06 UTC
Cool sound effects and a cool idea which incorporates the theme well. It felt somewhat on the hard side for a jam game.
MegaFuze
06. Oct 2022 · 00:41 UTC
This is pretty cool! I like how you have to rely on time to rewind certain actions, even including locked doors! I got a small glitch where I am suddenly able to clip through walls and avoid all bullets. I can't really recall the cause to it but Im pretty sure it happens when you die after throwing away the chip. Besides the bug, I also like both the artstyle and the screen effect that occurs when time gets reversed. Overall I think this game is really well made and a fun one too. Nice Job!
benk
06. Oct 2022 · 06:06 UTC
I'm not a very good gamer, which is sad for me, because your game looks cool. I gave playing it a decent attempt but couldn't figure out the controls or what I was actually supposed to do :-( so I can't really rate it. Hopefully this feedback helps.
LDJam user 298496
06. Oct 2022 · 14:39 UTC
I'm really loving the look and feel of this game, nice job!
🎤 King Zhou
06. Oct 2022 · 17:36 UTC
@benk Thank you for the feedback. Have you checked the instructions on the page? Maybe they'll help!
aDeCon
07. Oct 2022 · 22:28 UTC
I liked the visual design. But it is not clear what is happening in the game. Also not very convenient control, but I managed :D
Good job!
candlesan
09. Oct 2022 · 02:52 UTC
The visual effects of having the color channels split and look distorted looks fantastic. Really gives the whole game a time-shifted vibe. I got really close to the end but was not able to crack the final part.
Gonzalol
10. Oct 2022 · 09:22 UTC
It's an interesting take on the theme but I found gameplay too complicated to play.
Some thoughts:
- Almost every time you restart, you die in the first second, it's a bit frustrating
- Graphics are great and the music creates a good game mood.
LL11
10. Oct 2022 · 10:56 UTC
Graphics and sound effect is awesome. But gameplay is a little difficult for me T.T.
VictorFinger
12. Oct 2022 · 19:59 UTC
Super cool graphics! so sad that i couldnt vote for graphics. the gameplay was fun and the atmosphere amazing. especially with the ticking in the background. could be usefull with a small explanation first tho! otherwise super cool!
Pascal Fitzner
13. Oct 2022 · 21:19 UTC
Love time mechanics similar to Braid.
Cedric86
19. Oct 2022 · 20:08 UTC
I really like the idea and the graphics are simpe but very appealing to me. Bgm works very well for the game as well. I didn't like the movement at all though. It's from the charaters perspective in a game like this i would have expected it to be from the worlds perspective. Everying else though was very nice. Well done. Great entry.
TheSmellofOxygen
21. Oct 2022 · 12:35 UTC
Lovely time-warp effect and moody atmosphere. I could not proceed very far and I gave it six attempts. My farthest success came when I just threw the time chip at enemies to block bullets instead of trying to mess with time. I was able to move through walls sometimes and not others, and the chip flew through walls a few times as well. Very difficult, in part due to some bugs.