Time Recoil Review (PS Vita)

Time Recoil is a top-down, twin-stick shooter from 10tons, who's well-versed in this genre with the likes of Crimsonland, Neon Chrome, and Jydge. In Time Recoil you take on the role of a rebel member that has super powers, enabling her to slow time whenever she gets a kill. Using your powers and wormholes you must travel back in time to stop evil dictator Mr. Time from using his creation of mass destruction.  

The story is split between times: the present day and the past. In the present is where you get given your mission, be it an assassination, escort, or rescue mission. You will then enter a wormhole that will transport you to the level in the past; it’s quite a nice way of transitioning in and out of levels. You will then have to work your way through this level before being warped back to the present.

Each level is laid out similarly to Hotline Miami, with a bunch of rooms accessible in all directions and free roam to clear the rooms in whichever order you wish to. The layout isn’t the only similarity to Hotline Miami as the pace of the game is equally as fast as the former. Although your superpower slows time it doesn’t actually slow the pace of the game at all. With every kill comes a short period of slow motion in which it is vital to get another kill to extend its duration, allowing you to continue your flow of destruction without interruption. The excellently fast-paced combat mixed with the slow-motion time sequences make for some really enjoyable gun fights. Also with multi-kills you will earn a special sprint ability allowing you to dash through thin walls and enemies for extra mobility; this means you're constantly calculating your next move while also trying to ensure you avoid the bullets that are heading straight toward you.      

The controls are very simple for Time Recoil and it definitely plays to its advantage. You use the two analogue sticks to move and aim and use the triggers to shoot and dash. The simplicity makes the title easy to pick up and play in short bursts, which often end in long play sessions because the game has an addictive nature to it. You’ll fail a level and just want one more go at it and instead end up playing until you beat it and several others hours later.

Time Recoil does suffer every so often with the PS Vita’s performance, with the occasional framerate drop. The majority of the time it will run absolutely fine but when setting off explosions there is definitely a drop in the framerate. However this is only a very minor issue that didn’t stop us from enjoying the game.