Hotline Miami will always have a special place in my heart. It hit all of the nostalgic buttons with its pixelated version of ultra-violence. Since its release, I have played a number of imitations that never got the formula quite right. Finally, Time Recoil came and not only hit the right buttons, but added some extra mechanics that not only met the bar; they make an even more enjoyable experience.

You’ll begin your journey being recruited by a mysterious agency that is battling the evil Mr. Time. You play as a character that has the rare ability to be able to travel back in time along their own timeline using wormholes without acquiring time lesions. Without much backstory, you will be traveling back in time through 5 chapters using a number of unique time based abilities, as well as an arsenal of firearms.

One welcome change to the popular formula is that Time Recoil allows you to shoot through thin walls and take out enemies on the other side. Additionally, there are explosive barrels placed in some levels that allow you to take out an entire floor of enemies with a well-placed shot. This can also be used to create short cuts through the level, blowing apart sections of walls or other obstacles. On later levels this will be something you’ll need to be mindful of, as it can result in an enemy shooting you after your cover has been removed from the equation.

The missions you’ll embark on will vary, ranging from simply killing specific targets, uploading data from computer terminals, or kidnapping scientists. While these do add some variety to the game, I found myself still murdering every guard on the level just to be sure that no one came behind me or shot from off screen to ruin my day. Each successful kill does two things: it slows down time briefly, giving you an almost Matrix like state of euphoria to plan your next shot, should you encounter more than one armed enemy; it also goes towards the recharge of your time abilities. These abilities add another welcome change to the Hotline Miami formula. You’ll eventually be able to dash through groups of enemies, which ends with their deaths, busts holes through walls, create a type of bomb which can also be used to take out large groups of enemies, and even stop time altogether.

The gunplay featured in the game works as it should, with a handy laser sight featured to assist with precision aiming. Ammo is limited and if too many shots are missed, you will be left with nothing but your time powers that require you to kill enemies to recharge in addition to your melee attack. With the omission of melee weapons, your weak and often awkward to use melee attack is essentially useless. You do receive enough ammo from the start and via pick-ups to get the job done, but you do not have much margin for error.

While you are open to experiment with the tools at your disposal, the levels are designed in a way that you almost have to complete them in the way the designers intended. Using an ability or shooting a barrel at the wrong time can result in all of your ammo being depleted or the path forward being blocked.

The enemy AI is somewhat lacking, while not impeding game play, it is difficult to get the enemies to swarm you and funnel them through a door, which was my signature move in similar games. The enemies seem to be fairly dumb until you walk in front of the often static enemies. With the exception of the guards who are unarmed, most enemies will stand still and not pursue you, even after being seen unless you shoot their comrade, which results in them promptly putting a bullet in your head.

My only real complaint about the game is the enemy and level design is prone to some cheap deaths, which is no stranger to these style games. You will occasionally overlook one of the enemies that blend into the background and will only notice him once it is too late. This fault also applies to the keys you will have to find in later levels, which makes finding them an occasional chore.

Boasting a respectable 50+ levels, multiple difficulties, and a time trial mode, Time Recoil is a game that I would not only recommend you buy, but really take time to master. While you will die often, the quick respawns will put you back into the game in seconds, ready to right your past mistakes.

9 out of 10

Pros

• Fun Abilities
• Great Controls
• Wealth of Content
• Quick Respawns

Cons

• Cheap Deaths Due to Level Design

Time Recoil was developed and published by 10tons. It was released on PC on August 10th, 2017, September 12th, 2017 for PS4, and September 14th, 2017 for Xbox One. The game can be purchased for $13.99  ($11.19 discounted through prerelease) on consoles and $13.99 on PC. The game was provided to us for review on X1 and PS4. If you’d like to see more of Time Recoil, check out the official site.

 

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