14 DAY TRIAL // Capybara Games' Super Time Force was expected sometime last year, but it was delayed in order to be simultaneously launched through the ID@Xbox program on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 platforms.
The decision helped the developers in several areas, allowing them the necessary time to evolve some of the core gameplay mechanics, which they decided to do after showcasing some demos at various major conventions, as well as to complete the Xbox One version for the simultaneous release.
Super Time Force evolved from a three-day experiment at an Ontario Game Jam, and the gameplay was enriched and streamlined greatly along the way. The premise is simple, when Colonel Repeatski sends the Super Time Force, a time-travelling military group, to save the dinosaurs back in prehistoric times, they end up with more on their hands than they bargained for.
Gamers are given 30 lives to run through various bullet hell levels, and once a player dies or chooses to end the run, he is free to view and rewind their time-stream in order to continue the action from a certain previous character's run or simply restart with a completely new run.
While Capybara Games initially set out to make a sort of "Contra game where you can go back in time," the thing quickly devolved and it became the main feature, as upon death players fight alongside ghost versions of themselves, doing precisely what they did before dying.
That means that dying creates a kind of co-op partner that mimics your recorded actions, which initially made the game easier for players who died a lot, as they would get a ton of help from their former selves. This made a problem quite apparent, as players who were getting better at the game were using the ghost players less.
This led to the decision to allow players direct control over the flow of time, allowing them to rewind and replay the lives of their former selves. If this sounds too confusing, don't be alarmed, the team has released a 50-minute video detailing their work on Super Time Force and a ton of gameplay footage illustrating the novel concept in action.
In addition to the interesting time manipulation mechanic, Super Time Force also features some gorgeous and vividly colored pixel graphics, just like the studio used in their previous game, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery, only much more vibrant and in tune with the fast-paced gameplay.
Capybara Games is currently also working on Below, an Xbox One and PC mystery title that looks every bit as atmospheric as Super Time Force does, and that we are patiently waiting for.
