Timelie
Time-altering stealth puzzler provides refreshing challenge.
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Timelie
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Timelie is a downloadable single-player stealth puzzle adventure game for Windows PC, Mac, and the Nintendo Switch. Waking up in a futuristic facility with no idea what’s happening around her, the unnamed protagonist quickly discovers that she’s the target of a robotic legion intent on capturing her. As she outruns her pursuers, she comes across a series
of white orbs that grant her precognitive abilities allowing her to first manipulate time within a small, controlled radius, then rewind time to protect herself (and, a short while later, her orange cat companion) from the robots hot on her trail, and finally, harness her powers into a timeline in which she can use her powers to plan and plot out her means of escape. While you are tasked with avoiding robots armed with batons, even if you’re caught, the game freezes in place before you’re struck and allows you to control the timeline of the room you’re in to your liking—effectively allowing you to fix any mistakes you’ve made. Otherwise, there's no inappropriate content included in the game.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
TIMELIE is a game about a young girl and a mysterious orange cat who must collect a series of relics and symbols in order to advance the hands on a larger clock in the hub of the game world so that it makes a complete hourly circuit upon the clock’s face. There's not much of a “story” to the game, since there’s no dialogue, spoken or written. But players watch the focus of the gameplay land squarely on the actions protagonist and the cat instead of a traditional narrative. They bond and develop a camaraderie with each other as they duck and dodge an army of robots trying to prevent them from accomplishing their goals. Players will have the ability to rewind and advance time to adjust to events, solving puzzle sequences and discovering why the robots are continually coming after them.
Is It Any Good?
While this indie puzzler hasn't received a lot of fanfare, it's a sharp and challenging game that doesn’t overstay its welcome thanks to its short, but engaging action. Just when the gamer believes they have a good, solid grasp on the mechanics of Timelie, it throws in another wrench to keep the gameplay fresh and appealing. While you may start at simply reversing time to rebuild bridges or gaps within the ground—or needing to reverse yourself out of a dicey situation to avoid being cornered by the robot horde—things change with the introduction of the orange cat. Suddenly, in addition to observing your enemies’ movements and using color-coded doors to avoid—or even trap—robots, the cat brings with it a mighty meow that can distract enemies, allowing the protagonist to sneak by and fulfill her objectives.
It’s important to note that Timelie is far from “easy,” despite its lighthearted visuals and serene atmospheric music. While the game never gets frustratingly hard, the difficulty increases with every chapter and requires critical thinking and logic to move forward. Players will need to use the timeline provided in each level to sometimes synchronize their characters’ actions to progress. In some levels, the answers won’t be clear until you approach a room with a different perspective, or even by swapping
between the protagonist and the cat as they can each do things the other can’t. For example, the cat can use small spaces or vents only it can access to escape enemies or quickly move across the level, while the protagonist can use keypads and certain time-specific powers (like rebuilding bridges and gaps). Overall, Timelie is a fun, engaging game that's deceptively good for the time it asks you to spend with it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can discuss the bonds people create with their pets and other animals. Why is it often easier for people to attach to animals rather than each other? How important is it to have true allies around to help you?
What’s the value of teamwork and cooperation? Are others necessary to achieve certain milestones in life? Does the main character quickly attach to her orange, fur-covered friend because of the trials and tribulations they valiantly struggle against, or is it as simple as the cat being an adorable companion? How important is it to think your way through a situation and view potential issues from multiple perspectives?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Zordix
- Release date: December 15, 2021
- Genre: Puzzle
- Topics: Adventures, Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Robots
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: January 14, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
Unpacking
Heartwarming game tells a story through its puzzles.
-
Tetris Effect: Connected
Family-friendly puzzler gets new multiplayer modes.
-
ConnecTank
Strategic puzzler is complex chaos and a frenzy of fun.
For kids who love puzzles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate