App Army Assemble: Timelie - "Is this sci-fi puzzler (with a cute cat) worth your time?"

Jack Brassell recently reviewed Timelie and enjoyed it immensely, so we thought we'd share the love. We handed the sci-fi puzzler over to our App Army to see if they enjoyed it just as much. 

Here's what they said:

Timelie is a stealth puzzle with a few tricks up its sleeve. A young girl, who eventually acquires a cat companion, traverses a dark, minimalist warehouse-office layout patrolled by robot guards. If they see you, then it’s game over. Sort of.

A bar at the bottom of your screen lets you manipulate movement and choices until you solve the puzzle of your escape to continue your path forward. You’re hindered by falling objects and holes but aided by bits of magic you pick up that let you rebuild things, and eventually a cat companion who distracts robots while you perform essential tasks. When caught, you rewind time to try something different.

The limited time and resources available make this game a thinker’s challenge, but it rarely gets too overwhelming or frustrating.

This is a really engaging puzzler, sort of like the different “Go” games. In this case, a young girl has to get through an office/warehouse environment, avoiding robot security. Eventually, with the help of a cat.

As a fan of time travel games and stories, I was intrigued by this after I got the hang of manipulating the timeline and occasionally working magic to rebuild floors. I like the clean aesthetic, plus being able to retry your movement and timing, and being able to rewatch your successful escape. And the cat being a part of your team is a bonus.

Despite a quick opening tutorial, it took me a little while to get the hang of the mechanics, but the satisfaction of figuring them out and making it through the rooms made it worth it. There really are plenty of games of this type, but this one is a winner. Try for free absolutely, but I’m guessing that fans of the genre will want the full version. Jim Linford

This game reminds me of Monument Valley crossed with the Go games. I love sci-fi and time travel. The game opens with a tutorial. Explaining the controls. You are then placed into levels where you have to avoid the robot guards. The trick is you can rewind or fast-forward the world to avoid getting caught. You also have the power to rebuild floors or let things fall on the guards. I really enjoy the look of this game and the music. Would recommend.

Timelie combines point and click, puzzle, timeloop, stealth, platformer, and atmospheric horror (great work with sound and soundtrack). To travel further into the game, we must use all of these features in each scene. The neon-style graphics complement the game well, and I enjoy how the game begins with a reasonable level of difficulty to put you to the test right away. It is well deserving and worthy of all the love on handheld, too.

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Timelie is a puzzle game where you guide a girl and later a cat through isometric levels, solving puzzles and avoiding robots. Your only defence is the power to manipulate time to avoid getting caught. The tutorial is helpful, but controlling the characters can be frustrating at times when using the touch screen. I found the frustration off-putting at first, but soon warmed to the game. A good-looking game with well-designed levels. Recommended.

Ever wished you could mend that broken glass or take a different fork in the road? This is a fascinating game in which you can prevent events from happening by planning moves and using your cognitive skills to make your way to safety. There are a variety of puzzles using stealth and your wits to avoid being detected. There’s plenty to keep you moving forward with enough challenge to keep you entertained. It’s easy to pick up and play, with a section before chapter 1 to show you the basic controls. Oh, and did I mention there’s a cat too? Every adventurer needs a helpful companion. As a keen puzzler, I thoroughly enjoyed this game.

Timelie brought back that vibe of the great Go puzzlers like Hitman, Lara Croft, and Deus Ex from just over a decade ago. From its stylish graphics and isometric viewpoints, to its point and click to move touchscreen controls, Timelie also introduces a unique media player style mechanic that allows you to manipulate time, giving you the ability to rewind and fast forward gameplay, which gives you a huge advantage in combating the numerous obstacles you’ll face along the way.

Essentially, you’ll be able to fix past mistakes and see oncoming problems, giving you a massive advantage in an otherwise tough, stealth-based game. The balance works quite well here, never making the game too easy, yet helping you see insights into what at times looks to be somewhat insurmountable challenges. Along with an adorable, curious cat you meet, who becomes your cooperative partner in this action-packed adventure, Timelie will keep you invested and thinking until the end. One of the best additions to the puzzler genre - highly recommended!

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Timelie