Developed by NGD Studios, Timewatch is a stylish 1v1 first-person shooter that aims to create quick, highly intense matches using a unique time-bending mechanic. The developers showed the game off at BIG Festival 2018, down in Sao Paulo, Brazil this year and it garnered quite a bit of attention with its quirky match flow, and with such a unique take on the genre, NGD Studios are setting themselves up nicely for a unique place in the first-person marketplace.
Parallel Timelines
One of the main mechanics in Timewatch is the game’s unique three-person time clone system. This system acts as the main mechanics in the game, and players will get three chances to set their team up for a win. To start off with, you’ll be given a series of moments to move one character. This continues on until you reach the end of the timeline, at which point time rewinds and you’re given another timeline—one directly parallel to the last—in which you must move a second character.
This timeline system continues through this second line, until you reach the end of it, at which point you take control of a third character, which you can move parallel to the last two timelines. The match continues in this way—with both players getting three timelines/time clones to move through. The goal is to set up your team to take out the other, and it really adds an interesting dynamic to the first-person genre.
Timewatch is very much focused around these very tight-knit arena matches. Players continue taking turns as they control their three time clones, working to defeat the other player. Along the way you can pick up different items, which allow you to mess with the timeline, creating paradoxes that you can use to your advantage.
Victory by Bending Time
If, somehow, one of your time clones is killed in combat, you’ll have a chance to disrupt that death—so long as you have time left in the timeline. Move your additional time clones into the right paths and take out the aggressor, which will allow you to really use time to your advantage. It’s a unique mechanic that adds a ton of depth to the competitive side of Timewatch.
NGD Studios has created a very unique experience with Timewatch and the time clone system offers a new branch of strategy for FPS players to learn and master. The game looks great at this point, and the controls work really well with the overall idea behind it. It is definitely a title worth keeping your eyes on, and one that we hope that NGD Studios continues to develop and evolve until it reaches its full potential as a competitive 1v1 shooter. You can see what else was shown off at BIG Festival 2018 by checking out the BIG Festival 2018 award winners.
You can learn more about Timewatch by heading over to the official website, where you can even sign up for the closed alpha.
