Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Time Hollow is a DS game with a fascinating story and gameplay that'll boggle your mind, unless you know the ins and outs of time travel, in which case, let me in on 'em. There's a sandwich I ate a few weeks ago that I'd just love to go back and relive.
The Nintendo DS has an unfortunate reputation. The problem is, a lot of people think it's for kids. Or strictly casual gamers. Sure, maybe the main DS library includes a pretty hefty amount of kid- and casual-based games, but I'd say for every 4 or 5 of those, there's one game with a great story, challenging gameplay, an actual message even. Time Hollow, a recent Konami release, finds itself among that demographic.
Time Hollow is only the second DS game that I've played that I would consider having a really cool story, the first being Professor Layton and the Curious Village, which, if you haven't played yet, sell everything you can to get it. Anyway, Time Hollow obviously deals with time. The story is based around a fella named Ethan. He's a normal kid who lives a normal life with his parents and friends, until the day before his 17th birthday. His dad tells him that he's got a secret to tell him, but he can only do it on his birthday, so Ethan goes to sleep that night only to have a strange dream in which his parents walk into what is seemingly a hole in time. Ethan wakes up to find his Uncle, who he and his parents weren't on the best terms with, is his caretaker now, and somehow is parents went missing 12 years ago. Weird, right? I know!
Ethan finds a 'hollow pen' attached to his cat's collar, and somehow gleans that this is the object with which he can make a portal in time, just like in his dream. As soon as he does, he sees a few images in his head. These are flashbacks, and they're integral to the game. They provide the clues you need to figure out what the hell is going on, as the game can get quite confusing. You have to find out the details of each flashback, which will lead to you going back through time in order to change what happened in that flashback, but doing so only causes new, different flashbacks. A good ol' time travel paradox, indeed. The plot is actually really cool, there are some great twists and the time travel element and the associated problems all make for great story material.
Time Hollow is fundamentally a point-and-click adventure game. Tap the objects on the screen for a short explanation of what they are, tap a certain icon to move to another place, an icon to leave wherever you are, etc. All information is obtained through tapping on things. Doing so will provide you with the clues to advance the story. Now, I'm not sure how, because the DS has been out for quite a while, but Konami managed to slightly mess up the control scheme; sometimes the touch screen is very inaccurate, causing you to click things you didn't want to. Not only that, but they didn't pay too much attention to detail, as you can tap anywhere around your bed in your room, for example, and it will still tell you the information for your bed. Also, for some reason they decided it would be good for us to have to tap everything twice for it to work. All that can be frustrating, but it gradually fades as the game goes on. The hollow pen allows you to create a portal to the past (which, ironically enough, you created) that will enable you to reach into the past and affect and change people, places, and things, which will in turn create a new present. This aspect of the game is mind-bendingly cool.
This game actually has cutscenes! Like full, real animated cutscenes, sometimes even with voice acting, which was surprisingly convincing. It's a welcome addition to what is otherwise a relatively repetitive game, as far as gameplay goes. The characters in the game are well-drawn and consistent, and they all play a big role throughout various parts of the game. The background music is ambient and mysterious, adding a nice layer to the game. Time Hollow is unfortunately short, coming in at six chapters and an epilogue. Each chapter is actually pretty short in itself, but it works because the chapters play out more like extended scenes in a movie, rather than specific sections of a game. The bottom line is, if you want a DS game with a story, play Time Hollow. If you like anything to do with time travel, play Time Hollow. The gameplay is nothing exceedingly new, it's kinda short, and Konami could've done a better job with the touch screen, but Time Hollow is a very welcome break from the flow of usual DS games, and it's very hard to put down.
Time Hollow DS
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