A puzzle game should have some particular features to persuade me to call it a successful title. An interesting core idea, a unique world that is built upon this core idea, and balanced difficulty of puzzles are among these necessary features. The absence of even one of these features could easily result in a boring, nondescript, or frustrating game. The first game of Urnique Studio not only enjoys all these features but it also presents flawless and absolutely perfect gameplay you can rarely find in other puzzle titles. Timelie is undoubtedly one of the most interesting isometric puzzle games that I have ever played. I mentioned in my Preview that Timelie has the potential to become one of the surprising puzzle games of 2020. Now, I can safely say that Timelie deserves the best puzzle game of 2020 title so far.

A little girl (who we don't even know her name) wakes up in a surreal and strange world. She soon realizes that this realm is not safe at all. The aggressive robots are everywhere, and even worse the world is being demolished. She starts her journey to overcome obstacles and find four important objects. These objects help her to gain her freedom and come out of this mysterious abstract realm. Luckily, she is not alone in this journey, and a small cute cat accompanies her through all the dangers.

The game doesn't have a deep and complex story, and it doesn't need to have one. However, this small story enjoys a good plot that perfectly matches the gameplay. The key element of the story is the relation between the girl and the cat. There are some dramatic moments in this relationship that subsequently changes the gameplay. In the beginning, the girl is alone and the very first puzzles should be solved only by her powers. Then, she meets the cat, and they have to collaborate to overcome the challenges of each level. Eventually, a separation occurs between them, and they have to solve the puzzles alone or in parallel environments. The game is quite successful in depicting the relationship between the girl and the cat, and when I was watching the final cutscene, I was feeling sad.

A good puzzle game should have a core idea and a world that is built upon this idea. The main idea of Timelie is time modification. This idea has been presented in some other puzzles games as well, nevertheless, the way that Timelie takes advantage of it is unique. The main goal of each level is to reach the exit door. However, there are many obstacles such as closed doors, broken bridges, and aggressive robots on the way. The little girl has the ability to make a visual plan in her mind beforehand. She can rewind the time to undo her wrong actions in her plan. The time modification ability helps her to find correct timings for passing by the robots, opening doors, and reconstructing bridges. When the girl finally solves each level's puzzle and devises the correct plan, she carries out the plan to reach the exit door. As I mentioned, in the majority of the puzzles, the girl is not alone, and she needs the cat's help to distract the robots and open the doors. These puzzles usually have a higher level of complexity as both characters should be controlled simultaneously.

The game briefly introduces its mechanisms after it starts. Moreover, when a power (for example, the power of deactivating robots) is unveiled during the game, the way to use the power is also shown to avoid any confusion. One big advantage of Timelie is that it does not baffle you with tons of complex mechanisms. The way that the time modification and the few character's powers work is simple and clear. The real complexity lies in the levels, where you have to use the mechanisms correctly and in the right moment to reach the exit door.

While the goal and the obstacles are more or less the same in all the levels, the developers have successfully added diversity to the puzzles by several means. The most important one is the involvement of the girl, the cat, or both of them in solving the puzzles. The levels can be put in around four different groups based on the way that this involvement is defined. The strategy to proceed in each group of levels is different. Furthermore, there are a few powers that the little girl obtains at some points during the game. These powers are also important factors in breaking the monotony of the gameplay. There are some levels particularly at the end of the game where the world is being destroyed (disappeared) from left as the time passes. I personally enjoyed these levels a lot since they are extremely thrilling.

Timelie has an abstract world where most of the objects are in cubic shapes. This minimalistic world design, which does not contain too many details, enjoys two advantages. First, it is in line with the story of a girl who is trapped in her dreams and tries to find a way out of this surreal nightmare. Second, it does not leave anything to distract the gamers when they are solving the puzzles. Adding too many details or colors to the game's world could easily make confusion in finding paths and solving puzzles. It is worth pointing out that Timelie has great music which is totally consistent with the story and the gameplay.

Verdict:

Timelie is a must play puzzle game. The beautiful story, polished gameplay, and unique world make Timelie a memorable experience.