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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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.

Critic Reviews

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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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