Image via Playable and Panic
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Time Flies is the kind of small game you open for a bit, play for a few minutes, then you get to be done. It isn’t long. It isn’t intensive. If you really want to look for all the secrets, maybe you spend a whole hour and a half or so with it. But given each “run” like involves an under 80-second chunk, it’s a brief amusement to make your day before you move on to other things.
The idea behind Time Flies is as simple as the game’s controls and experience. You are a fly. Based on your online data or selected language option, Playables automatically determines your lifespan. So since I’m in the US, it’s about 75 seconds for me. You then need to go through the house and engage in activities to cross items off of your bucket list. You don’t need to do them all in one run. I genuinely don’t think it is possible. But you can see how much you can do and what secrets are lurking about if explore.
As the fly in Time Flies, there are no real controls to worry about in the game. The directional pad is used to fly around. If you are close enough to a surface, you will automatically land and start walking. If you enter the range of a more detailed element of the house, it will automatically zoom into the area. Interactions involve flying or walking into an item to hit it and cause a reaction. It’s all very simple. I really dig it, even though there isn’t too much variety, since they are novel scenes. Especially when you accomplish a goal and see what it translated to.
Once time runs out in Time Flies, the game is over and you finish a run. You’ll get to see how many items on the bucket list you checked off. It will also prompt an opportunity to start over. Past fly carcasses from your previous run will remain in the level, to help you perhaps remember what you did. You could use up every moment of your time. It’s also possible you die early due to environmental hazards. Playing around is part of the fun. Especially since it could also lead to finding other secrets.
The only downsides are that Time Flies is such a short game, and it is also one in which things are very teeny. You are a fly, after all. The minimalistic, monochromatic design is great, however. I love how it looks like a better and more stylish rendition of anything I’d attempt to draw in Microsoft Paint in an afternoon. Someone going in should know it is only going to take you minutes for one run and maybe an hour or two total before you’ve done it all. Especially since it costs $15. Also, if you have trouble with your vision, playing on a platform in which the fly would be more visible, like a PC, may be preferable to playing on the Switch.
Time Flies is definitely novel, and it offers a lot of freedom to explore a tiny sandbox for a little while. It does get you thinking about lifespans, which is part of the point. It looks quite stylish too. The only downsides are that it is incredibly short and there aren’t as many secrets as I expected or hoped there’d be. Still,
Panic and Playable’s Time Flies is available on the Switch, PS5, and PC.
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Time Flies
Time Flies is a little adventure about our limited time in this world. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.
Time Flies is definitely novel, and it offers a lot of freedom to explore a tiny sandbox for a little while.
