No Time to Explain

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 54
  3. Negative: 15 out of 54

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  1. TheQuietGamer
    Jan 31, 2013
    7
    No Time to Explain is an interesting game, it started out as a free flash game that you could find on websites like Arcadebomb, but now is for sale on Steam. It's not a game for everyone, although it's got a lot of good things going for it. It's a brutally challenging and unique 2D platformer with a hilarious sense of humor but it's flaws are only amplified by it's $10 price tag. As far asNo Time to Explain is an interesting game, it started out as a free flash game that you could find on websites like Arcadebomb, but now is for sale on Steam. It's not a game for everyone, although it's got a lot of good things going for it. It's a brutally challenging and unique 2D platformer with a hilarious sense of humor but it's flaws are only amplified by it's $10 price tag. As far as gameplay goes gamers who are gluttons for punishment and enjoy games like Super Meat Boy are really going to get there moneys worth with this one. But part of the reason the game is so challenging is because of it's controls, they just aren't capable of bringing the level of precision required to make it through the games more difficult sections. Don't get me wrong they work well when you have to fling yourself across a gap, but when you in a tight area the requires precise movement and timing all goes to heck and most of the time just comes down to luck. On the bright side the game is hilarious and frequently had me laughing out loud. The dialog is amplified and made funnier by the awesome voice acting Dreux Ferrano Jr. (from Sanity Not Included). One problem is that dialog can be repeated at times, once I heard the same line several times in a row just because of bad luck. In the end No Time to Explain isn't perfect, but it still manages to be a good time in short bursts. If your a gamer who loves both good challenge and a good laugh pick this one up while it's still on sale, others who are prone to fits of rage due to repeated failures might find their $10 spent on something better.… Expand
  2. BlueRaja
    Jan 28, 2013
    5
    I *really* want to like this game, but right now the controls are just so clunky it's hard to enjoy the game, because you feel like you spend most of your time fighting against the controls. Mouse+keyboard were fine when this was a free flash game on Newgrounds that I could play instead of doing homework at school, but as a polished, paid-for game on Steam, it's not enough - this gameI *really* want to like this game, but right now the controls are just so clunky it's hard to enjoy the game, because you feel like you spend most of your time fighting against the controls. Mouse+keyboard were fine when this was a free flash game on Newgrounds that I could play instead of doing homework at school, but as a polished, paid-for game on Steam, it's not enough - this game needs Needs NEEDS controller support. I will update my review if and when the authors add controller support - hopefully in time for their first big Steam sale, which is when they'd make most of their sales.… Expand
  3. TitaniumDragon
    Nov 25, 2015
    4
    “I’m you from the future! There’s no time to explain!”

    Thus begins No Time To Explain, a game which seems so promising as you chase your future self through the first few levels as he screams about being horribly mangled by the giant enemy crab who sets off the whole story. While this is funny – and a very strong start – unfortunately, the game rather goes downhill from there. This    “I’m you from the future! There’s no time to explain!”

    Thus begins No Time To Explain, a game which seems so promising as you chase your future self through the first few levels as he screams about being horribly mangled by the giant enemy crab who sets off the whole story.

    While this is funny – and a very strong start – unfortunately, the game rather goes downhill from there. This is not because the gameplay becomes any worse, but because, while the silly story continues, it just isn’t as continuous after that point. It mostly takes place after zones, rather than getting those reminders in-zone of what is going on and what your goal is, and consequently, it basically ends up boiling down to the puzzles.

    Now, this isn’t entirely bad; the game is built up around the 2D platforming puzzles that make it up. There are a number of zones, and in most of the zones, you gain a new ability unique to that zone to help propel you through that zone – or else, there is some unique new gimmick the new zone has. Both work decently enough, and the variety means that the levels seldom feel too samey. All of the areas are quite short as well, meaning that you never end up spending too much time on any given level, and the respawns are pretty generous, with frequent checkpoints (with a couple of exceptions which largely make sense).

    But a big part of the charm of the game is the ridiculous plot of you from the future warning you from the present, and the various silly things that happen as a result of that recursion, and without that in a lot of the game, it just kind of feels… there.

    However, the biggest flaw with this game is that it is a puzzle platformer with deliberately poor controls – that is to say, it is intentionally difficult to control your character and get them to do exactly what you want them to do. The primary challenge is making whatever janky ability you have in a new area work for you and aid you in getting through the stages without struggling too much. While the controls are not “loose” in the sense of being inconsistent, they are certainly finicky, and it is often more or less trial and error in getting just the right angle on your abilities to clear many obstacles. It isn’t that you don’t know what you’re supposed to do, it is that actually executing on what you’re supposed to do is quite hard – ultimately, the game is more of a technical challenge than an intellectual one.

    The game itself feels a little bit cheap as well – the graphics are unimpressive, and the whole thing feels like it was made in Flash. There’s just nothing really there to impress, and while there are a few levels later on – in particular, the art level – which do more, it just isn’t really something that changed my mind about the game.

    For all its flaws, the game isn’t bad. But it is kind of mediocre. I don’t regret my time playing it, but it isn’t anything to write home about, either, and your life will not be forever less for not playing it. It is passable, but no more.    … Expand
  4. choopy
    Feb 13, 2013
    7
    this game has defiantly given me mixed opinions. it has its pros and cons
    pros:
    great puzzles, and levels funny humor mainly challenging levels HATS cons: glitches galore lack or screaming guy unexpected scene of gore and language the bugged mole boss some controls need editing *** so, i would recommend this game to people, but id wait just a little while so they can fix all    this game has defiantly given me mixed opinions. it has its pros and cons
    pros:
    great puzzles, and levels
    funny humor mainly
    challenging levels
    HATS
    cons:
    glitches galore
    lack or screaming guy
    unexpected scene of gore and language
    the bugged mole boss
    some controls need editing
    ***
    so, i would recommend this game to people, but id wait just a little while so they can fix all the bugs, it also is NOT a game for kids. unless your one of those kid who can stand gore    … Expand
  5. DoctorMedic
    Feb 6, 2013
    8
    The controls worked pretty fine for me, but I hated the Reject Clone section. Also, Mecha-Squirrel felt like it caught SNK Boss Syndrome, plus it's a glitchy boss. Lag wasn't a problem, but I did notice that it took a few seconds when I died in a manner that caused a reset of the level to load back.
  6. Misterknite
    Aug 6, 2013
    9
    Pretty buggy, especially for Macs, but bursting with so much potential and all-around greatness that I'm fully confident you wont mind dropping a sawbuck on it when all is said and done.
  7. MBGeek
    Jan 27, 2013
    3
    I can't believe I greenlit this turd on Steam. While the graphics are charming and the humor quite funny, the controls are AWFUL and on the verge of unplayable. Not even worth $3, much less the $10 they want. Avoid at all cost.
  8. TheICBPenguin
    Mar 21, 2013
    0
    It doesn't work. It just straight up doesn't work. Anytime i try to move the moves it turns into a slideshow. My computer should not have trouble playing a game this low fi. This is shoddy coding and the developer(s) should be ashamed of having their name on this thing
  9. MatthewTheDark
    Feb 20, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Spoiler-Free part: Alright, I will be using spoilers in this review sadly so I am gonna give you a bit without them before hand just in case. I love the game. It has a nice sense of humor that made me laugh my lungs out, it knows it's audience, the concept is solid and original, and it's pure insanity and mostly fun from start to finish, but the controls can be a huge hassle which may make you feel like you didn't get your money's worth, but I feel like I did and I love it. So, on with the rest of the review.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    No Time to Explain is a curious game that I came across while looking at the semi-new Steam Greenlight feature. I looked at it to see what it was and the video advertising it caught my eye and added to my curiosity. I voted yes for it to see how it would be. It was greenlit for a while before finally being released at a bit of a steep price. I bought it anyway and to my delight, it was a blast. No Time to Explain was originally a free flash game on Newgrounds.com that got some popularity. After a while, they decided they wanted to make it a proper game and started a Kickstarter. It was funded and then they tried for the greenlight. So what is this game you ask?

    No Time to Explain is a Platformer game that is based off different mechanics and weapons, but is mainly centered around a gun that shoots strong laser beams to help you make higher jumps and go longer distances as well as help kill the occasional boss that lies on the other end. The game has many other things too with each level like the addition of water, fire/acid, shotguns, mind powers, cake, and other things. The game can be so varied from level to level that you can almost never know what you'll see next! The plot starts out with you dancing and being you before your wall explodes and a man who looks like you with glasses claims to be you from the future and that there's no time to explain (hence the title) before he is taken away by a monster. He leaves behind his laser gun and you pick it up to chase in pursuit. The game tends to have a nice twist of humor and it really doesn't take any of itself seriously with a large sense of self-awareness in the game. It can get quite hilarious with the sole voice actor who does every voice of every character shouting in agony or scolding you or telling you of your evil future self's plots as well as the referential humor and parodies of other things. For example, one of the levels heavily mocks the "artsy" indie game trend by making your laser black and your world white, letting you paint the world around you to show you obstacles while there are sprites that give a tongue-in-cheek joke explanation of why games are art through ways that people pretending to be hipsters often give. The game also deserves credit for how hard it is. Fans of Super Meat Boy or I Wanna Be the Guy might enjoy this challenging Platformer and all of it's challenges. For the completionists, there are several silly collectible hats to put on your character that also can be challenging to get. The game is fun and enjoyable but of course it is not perfect. The game is still in flash and it can show, leading to the BIGGEST problem of the game. The controls. A game doesn't have to control perfect for me to like it, but of all the flash games I've played, the controls are VERY poor considering the price. It seems they haven't really improved them much from the original flash game and the game is so much poorer for it. It might have been better on a better engine, but the game's controls in some sections, such as a particularly frustrating section where it becomes a sidescrolling section where you must jump over obstacles and avoid traps as you are pursued until enough random bombs come and destroy your enemy, can become quite bad. The boss battles aren't too great and tend to be either easy or too long to mainly test your patience rather than your skills but as said before, the controls will be your greatest enemy. As previously mentioned, the difficulty will probably be welcome to those who like challenge but to those who are not adept in Platformers or games in general, you may find yourself punching through the monitor in frustration as it remains hard and only gets harder as it progresses. The few achievements are really hard to get as well, really making you earn them at times. However, for me, none of this is a deal breaker for me. I had lots of fun with it and if this is something you think you'd like too, then go ahead and buy the game, maybe get it on sale if you prefer control. However, if you don't think you can handle a furiously hard and quirky Platforming game with somewhat poor controls, you might want to look at other investments.    … Expand
  10. ultraman21
    Mar 22, 2014
    5
    WAY TO MANY GLITCHES, 99 percent of the difficulty arises from the glitches if a patch comes out to rectify this 8/10 as it stands 5/10. A games difficulty should not be from it's controls and unresponsiveness and on multiple occasions doing something as simple as changing the resolution rendered the game unplayable until i reset it. There are better places to spend your money. find them.WAY TO MANY GLITCHES, 99 percent of the difficulty arises from the glitches if a patch comes out to rectify this 8/10 as it stands 5/10. A games difficulty should not be from it's controls and unresponsiveness and on multiple occasions doing something as simple as changing the resolution rendered the game unplayable until i reset it. There are better places to spend your money. find them.

    However this game has enough charm to make a Pixar movie weep. the charm is close to redeeming the game but for having achievements for not dying and speed runs i can not recommend at this time and current state.

    (this game has been out for over a year and i have yet to see the bugs be addressed)

    (I have completed the game, i just do not feel it is worth getting in this state and would not recomend it. not to say that it is a strictly bad game)    … Expand
  11. tmgius
    Jun 22, 2014
    0
    I couldn't play this game because of the "*** Caught unhandled unknown exception; terminating" error that pops up just after launching it. There are a lot of people complaining about this in several forums, and there doesn't seem to be a solution. I sent an e-mail to Tiny Build Games five days ago, but they haven't answered yet.
  12. mrthedecoy
    Jan 28, 2013
    8
    At time of writing i have not entirely completed the game. While the first 2 bosses are beyond easy, i had hit a brick wall on the third boss.

    The jokes are funny, sometimes hilarious. The music is at least decent across the board, and its pretty pleasing to the eye. The only real issue is with the primary weapon/jet-pack. I couldn't get the hang of it until i realized that you shoot    At time of writing i have not entirely completed the game. While the first 2 bosses are beyond easy, i had hit a brick wall on the third boss.

    The jokes are funny, sometimes hilarious. The music is at least decent across the board, and its pretty pleasing to the eye. The only real issue is with the primary weapon/jet-pack. I couldn't get the hang of it until i realized that you shoot the ground THEN jump for consistent and effective results. Even after that though, some sections ask for split second firing and direction changing, often to a VERY precise degree (especially with the jump pads). The damn thing just to floaty, even once you learn how to use it some parts are sheer luck. However the other weapons i can safely say are much easier to deal with, the shotgun being an instant favorite of mine. On another note the hat collection system can be a tad much sometimes. Barely making it through an especially long level can be incredibly disappointing when you discover you missed 1/9 hats, and must redo the whole hour long level searching each part individually. its not the worst system, but considering all the hats do is change your head, some completionists might be a tad disappointed.

    What you wont be disappointing by is the lack of variety. The game is introducing new mechanics all the time. Without wishing to spoil anything, ill say now that while most new mechanics are central to the platforming experience, the game isn't afraid to flip the script.

    I cant really say how i feel about the price point, having not finished the game entirely idk how much content is really there. I got it while it was on sale for $7.50 and i can say that im not disappointed.    … Expand
  13. armouredwaffle
    Mar 24, 2013
    8
    A fun platformer that makes no bloody sense! You travel through time trying to save your future self, controls take a bit of getting used to and has some crap boss fights. The game still manages to make me laugh and makes trying the same level over and over fun. With some funny dialogue and things that just don't make any sense, the game is a lot of fun. Not the best platformer in theA fun platformer that makes no bloody sense! You travel through time trying to save your future self, controls take a bit of getting used to and has some crap boss fights. The game still manages to make me laugh and makes trying the same level over and over fun. With some funny dialogue and things that just don't make any sense, the game is a lot of fun. Not the best platformer in the world but still worth a buy.… Expand
  14. Kasad1993
    Mar 28, 2013
    9
    This game is good. I meanб it sounds good, looks good, has a good(realy funny) story. "No time to explain" have problems some bugs and problems with difficulty on some levels, BUT its still a fun game. Try it.
    P.s. Sudden ending makes me wait for sequel.
  15. jbellis
    Jul 26, 2013
    1
    I wanted to like this after an enthusiastic preview I read, but it turned out to be one of the only games I actively regret spending time on. The keyboard and mouse controls are ridiculously bad, and there is no controller support.
  16. speedfrizzle
    Sep 2, 2013
    5
    No Time to Explain has a good sense of humor but the clunky controls take a lot away from what it could have been. Playing the game can often be difficult due to difficulty with the weapon used. The amount of content is also a bit lacking. Overall I wouldn't really recommend buying this title. No Time to Explain is not worth the cost and would be better put onto an arcade internet site for free.
  17. TheLurkingKing
    Jan 3, 2014
    5
    No TIme to Explain is a simple puzzle platformer game that start out easy and then gets more harder on the next levels. The game has a simple artwork style which is pretty nice, but the overall game is just trial and error all over again, with no challenge whatsoever, it is just one of those "indie hard as games", I personally hate all those indie games that is meant to be hard and a nodNo TIme to Explain is a simple puzzle platformer game that start out easy and then gets more harder on the next levels. The game has a simple artwork style which is pretty nice, but the overall game is just trial and error all over again, with no challenge whatsoever, it is just one of those "indie hard as games", I personally hate all those indie games that is meant to be hard and a nod to classic games, it is just an excuse for poor level design. The game has bosses but with zero difficult because you can die over and over without gaming over and always respawning on the boss arena, plus all the bosses are just "shoot him until they die" with nothing involving the player's skills. The game is really short as well, it is possible to beat it in two hours. The humor in this game though is possibly the only reason to buy it, but you can find all the cutscenes on Youtube. 5/10… Expand
  18. carlosgtardon
    Jun 10, 2014
    8
    Nunca había visto un arranque de juego más loco y sugerente, sólo por ese arranque vale la pena probarlo. Muy loco sobre todo a nivel de ruptura de la razón. Para comprar en rebajas seguro.
  19. DJKrimson
    Feb 16, 2020
    3
    Couldn't see the fun in this game. Just a bunch of puzzleplatformer levels with awkward controls.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 3 out of 8
  1. PC Gamer
    Mar 7, 2013
    43
    We suggest you play the original, free, Flash version instead – the full explanation isn’t worth the outlay.
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  2. GameFront
    Feb 15, 2013
    70
    Even with its crap boss fights, the good things in No Time to Explain manage to outweigh the bad. As a major fan of time travel, I had a solidly fun time with it.
    Read full review
  3. Hooked Gamers
    Feb 14, 2013
    50
    No Time to Explain is insanity at its finest and funniest, with plenty of ludicrous scenes throughout the game. But the fun and fast paced gameplay is brought down by imprecise controls and hideous boss fights designed to test your patience. There’s a good game somewhere in here, it’s just a shame that I have to suffer to find it.
    Read full review
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