No Time to Explain

 Xbox One
No Time to Explain Image
Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

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  • Summary: No Time To Explain is a game about Time Paradoxes, Jetpack Guns and Ribs In People's Eyes. It's a comedy platformer featuring great music, voice acting and gameplay that becomes more ridiculous as you go.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 3 out of 9
  1. MondoXbox
    Jul 26, 2015
    77
    A totally lunatic action-platform game, with a simple yet unpredictable gameplay and ridiculous characters and situations.
  2. Worth Playing
    Jul 27, 2015
    60
    In the end, No Time to Explain is hurt by inconsistency.
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Aug 17, 2015
    60
    By turns scrappy, hilarious, wearying and completely barmy. [Sept 2015, p.105]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. ZTGD
    Jul 24, 2015
    55
    While not going to blow anyone’s socks off, No Time to Explain is an ok game. The platfoming using the laser beam can get frustrating, especially after realizing it revolves more around dumb luck rather than pure skill. There are some unique things to be seen here, but I would highly recommend a price drop at least.
  5. Pure Xbox
    Aug 26, 2015
    50
    There are moments of brilliance in a few chapters, but developer tinyBuild Games doesn't spend hardly enough time fleshing them out.
  6. COGconnected
    Aug 3, 2015
    45
    The controls are sluggish and impractical while the majority of the visuals could use some more oomph too. At the end of the day, if you are not a DIE HARD (caps for emphasis) fan of retro type games, I think you’d best stay away from this title as the negatives outweigh the positives.
  7. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Sep 26, 2015
    30
    It suffers greatly from frustrating puzzle design. The jokes don't often land, either. [Issue#128, p.78]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. 0Bennyman
    Jul 19, 2015
    9
    No Time To Explain is a platformer with very unique elements to it such as having a massive beam that allows you to traverse the map or havingNo Time To Explain is a platformer with very unique elements to it such as having a massive beam that allows you to traverse the map or having a giant shotgun blast you around. The game is very fun and is a must have for anyone looking for a little game to have a laugh at since the dialogue can be quite entertaining. I'm also confused at the severe score set by the reviewer since the platforming isn't bad infact it's quite good though there really isn't much platforming at all since most the time you are using a beam or a shotgun. In all watch some videos on it and if you like what you see I'd definitely recommend picking this title up!… Expand
  2. Crappy
    Jul 27, 2015
    9
    tinyBuild have come away from that with this, an Xbox One title that’s probably the most frustrating thing I’ve ever played in my entire life!tinyBuild have come away from that with this, an Xbox One title that’s probably the most frustrating thing I’ve ever played in my entire life!

    With literally no time to explain, you dive right into the crux of the game which in short is sort of a twin-stick shooter but with a gun so powerful it sends our nameless protagonist flying across the map and it’s this which is the basis of how you move around the game.

    You’re given little to no instructions on how to play other than that the left trigger is to jump, the right is to shoot, and the right stick is to direct your plasma-rocket-rifle-thingy. Fortunately the first “level” acts as a tutorial as you discover how the game is put together. Simply put, you face a series of scenarios where you must get to the portal to rescue yourself from the future. You’re required to get to said portal by any means possible, and you’re given an infinite amount of lives to get there.

    Once you’ve completed said levels, you’re then thrown into a boss level where you must take-down the creature that’s holding your future self hostage.

    For those who played classic platformers such as Sonic the Hedgehog or even Mario, you’ll be instantly familiar with the way the levels progress. There is however the added confusion of parallel universes where players are often tossed a curveball which completely switches up the game, whether it’s a new character appearing from nowhere or a shift in the space-time continuum changing the creature that has your future self hostage.

    Also, those familiar with classic platformers, can you remember how difficult and often frustrating they were? Well times that by a million with No Time to Explain. I’ll be honest, I’m a rage quitter. I may have once in my life thrown a controller, and all though I’m not as pissy as I used to be. No Time to Explain brings that pissiness back out of me. Not to say that it’s a bad thing, it actually works in the game’s favour as more often than not you’ll want to beat the “stupid” game no matter how much it pisses you off.

    Speaking of nostalgia however, No Time to Explain reminds me a lot of those classic Flash games you’d find on websites like Newgrounds or Ebaums World which I often used to frequent in the early 00s. In fact, if you search online, you can find a very similar game, with a very similar name, playable on a very similar website, though I have no idea if it’s at all affiliated with tinyBuild at all.

    That being said, the Flash-like visuals do nothing to hinder my thoughts on the game, it’s actually a refreshing change from developers trying to match AAA graphics and it reminds me of my early teens which isn’t all that bad.

    In addition to the game’s 2D side scrolling, almost impossible to beat levels, No Time to Explain is full of little secrets in the form of hats. In each level, if you’re keen eyed or skilled enough, you can collect various hats that’ll allow you to change the head on your character. It may seem like a pointless addition to the game, but it actually works in the players favour with another part of the game.

    You know how they said that if you can remain friends after playing Portal 2 together, you’re true friends? Well with No Time to Explain, if you come out without a controller lodged in your scull, you really are friends for life.

    It probably doesn’t help that the game offers no differentiation between you and your local multiplayer buddies which often leads you you confusing your character with theirs and creates all sorts of chaos. Thankfully that’s where hats come into play. Not that it helps all that much, it’s something, right?

    Well done tinyBuild, you’ve managed to create the most rage inducing game ever. Have you ever considered using this as a method of encryption in banks?    … Expand
  4. jonboyo
    Jul 22, 2017
    8
    Excellent 2 player local co-op with my 9 year old.
    We finished it over 2 days so it's probably a 4 or 5 hour game.
    When finished though    Excellent 2 player local co-op with my 9 year old.
    We finished it over 2 days so it's probably a 4 or 5 hour game.
    When finished though there seemed to be user created levels.
    Original shooting mechanic and varied style of weapons over many varying levels.
    I got for free with mixer and watching E3 but I'd say I'd pay £10... Look out for it in the sale of you've a kid for co-op. Single player may be more frustrating doing the levels and repeatedly dying.    … Expand
  5. Patedus
    Mar 16, 2022
    8
    A classic indie game that provides a lot of New Grounds-type gameplay and humor while still being unique and fresh.
  6. Locke_Cole
    Jul 4, 2017
    5
    Como juego No time to Explain es divertido y desafiante. Sin embargo posee la filosofia de los juegos flash: un elemento -en este caso laComo juego No time to Explain es divertido y desafiante. Sin embargo posee la filosofia de los juegos flash: un elemento -en este caso la mecanica del rayo laser- explotado en escenarios poco inspirados. Ofrece un par de horas divertidas que se disfrutan mas en sesiones cortas.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015