Time Bandit – Part 1: Appendages of the Machine

A game that uniquely defies the standards we hold games to. Where the game asks you to slow down, take your time, and use it wisely. The stealth and puzzles are a bit simplistic but that is so they are enough of an obstacle to make you want to plan ahead in a game where a wrong move could be the only thing you do in a day. I'm also a sucker for the aesthetics and heavy Metal Gear homages. If you are the type that can't stand waiting this might not be the game for you but I love it!

This game *** rules. Give me more games that break the rules of what a game “should be”. The friction drives such interesting decisions. Solving simple puzzles becomes an exercise in project management as you try to keep everything you had planned in mind while waiting for everything to finish.

The game sounds are painful to listen to. This might be an intended aesthetic, but it is a sensory nightmare. The intro cutscene is agonizingly slow as well. The game also requires you to wait real life hours for things to happen. There is no way to skip ahead in time. You literally have to wait 8 hours for your character to sleep. You have to actually schedule your life around the game. Now perhaps this is 'reasonable' in it being an idle game, but I cannot recommend it.