No Time To Explain Review

Normally we wouldn't review older games, but No Time to Explain has just been released on Steam, which is why we decided to pick it up and review it.

I'd love to give a longer introduction but there's NO TIME!!!

Yes, before I start, I should probably say there's going to be some time jokes. No Time To Explain is a game about time travel, big monsters, and ribs in your eyes. Not your eyes, but future you's eyes... forget it! Oh, I forgot a delicious dancing muffin.

The main way of getting around in the game is by using the 'beam gun' which propels you about the game's 2D environments as if it were a jetpack. It can also be used as a weapon against the many bosses in the game as well as in some levels having a bigger purpose than just shooting things and propelling yourself with, which will be explained later (if there's time).

Nothing really makes much sense in this game, but that doesn't change the fact that it's awesome. It contains dinosaurs riding on other dinosaurs, one with a rocket launcher - oh, and the other one is psychic. There's also a massive drill-squirrel... thing, a massive flying shark, you from the future as well as several other versions of you from other futures, but most important, you from the EVIL FUTURE!!! That's why it's awesome. Any game that includes these can't be insulted; it must be made against the law, or something.

No Time To Explain followed in Team Fortress 2's footsteps with adding loads of hats; loads and loads of hats! The hats are there because they are, they don't do anything, but that isn't a bad thing because collecting them adds a little extra to do after beating the story. Plus they look awesome; who doesn't love to have a hamburger as a head?

There are a range of different characters you can play as in No Time To Explain, from the default beam guy, to a character with a high knockback shotgun to shoot himself about, a scene where you are in a straightjacket and have to whip yourself around and a level involving a failed experiment where you have to catapult yourself around, which is quite hard.

As well as the game not making much sense, neither do the characters. They aren't very logical, and can't prioritise at all. I don't mean bad AI or anything, it's just the characters personalities. For instance, they need to get into a giant, walking castle thing, but it's too high for them to just beam up so they all come up with ludicrous ideas, such as building a time machine (even though they already have...), making a helicopter (great idea!) and filling it with lava... (what? No!), or going back in time to warn themselves about this, when you make the obvious point of using two guns. If they can't reach it, just beam up with two guns and everyone's reaction is: Yeah! We'll just fuse two people together! Ummmmm, yeah. Doesn't go well.

The levels are well designed and all have their uniqueness. One stage you have to set yourself on fire, burn wood planks, and douse the flames with water before you burn to death, in another, you have to eat cakes and destroy walls by becoming fat, and one where the game is art, everything is invisible and you have to use the beam gun to 'paint' the area out.

The bosses are pretty good too, but unfortunately not that challenging. The only really challenging bosses are the end boss on both seasons (the game comes in two parts). The bosses involved things like giant crabs, massive flying sharks, Psychic, military dinosaurs and massive drill-squirrel... thing. Just one boss let it down. Just one.

The soundtrack to No Time To Explain is pretty good, but not perfect. Most of the tracks played throughout the game are great, but there are a few that just don't quite hit the spot. However, while not every track is musically brilliant they do all seem to 'fit' with the themes of the game's levels, which is achievement enough. A lot of the music created for the game was scrapped because it didn't fit, which shows they really did try with the music and deserves to be applauded.

Overall, No Time To Explain is a funny, enjoyable platform game that has unique ideas in each level, rarely get boring, it's cheap, has a good soundtrack, doesn't fail to amuse and is overall fun.