(Issue 208!) JournalistMan.exe

[GrooveMan.exe]

No matter what type of gamer you are (or what type of gamer other people make you out to be) there's one type of game we ALL hate. And that's the low-budget game. More affectionately known as 'Shovelware' by some gaming enthusiasts, it's the type of game that's produced on a tiny budget, and even smaller production values. You've probably seen a few collecting dust in your local game store; or the time your grandmother decided to get you a videogame for your birthday.

There's something of a mantra said by hardcore Nintendo and Retro fans: "Graphics aren't everything. Gameplay is what matters." This may be true, but for a game to be enjoyable, it still has to be made with decent production values - coded, drawn, and composed with love and care. Rush the presentation and you end up with... Sonic Chronicles, I suppose.

To that end, I am extremely happy to say that Time Hollow - a point 'n' click adventure game for the DS produced by Konami - is not one of these low-effort-low-profit games, but a beautifully well thought-out piece that's a joy to play.

Everything about the game oozes quality. From the energetic opening theme (which was so good, Konami first released it as a DDR tune), to the extremely detailed settings and character art, it's easy to see the effort put into the game. The game feels so much like an anime, and in a way it is - there are several cutscenes that are fully animated and voiced.

The gameplay is very familiar territory. If you've played a DS point 'n' click game before (or heck, pretty much any game of the genre), then you won't find anything new and stunning, but it's the plot that brings things together. To give you the quick and dirty explanation, you play as Ethan Kairos, a 16 year old who collects watches for a hobby. On his 17th birthday, he bugs his parents for a new watch. Instead of getting his present, his parents vanish into thin air, and his reality is altered as if they never lived with him at all. They leave him a 'Hollow Pen', a tool capable of creating a Time Holes, letting Ethan change things in the past. With only his grumpy (but badass) uncle and his cat left in his family, Ethan abuses the space-time continuum left and right; averting accidents, reversing murders, and trying to find his parents again.

Creating a Time Hole is easy enough (although you can only do so when the game says you can). You see the real world frozen in time on the bottom screen, with a memory of an event in the past on top. Using them as a 'spot the difference' puzzle, you draw a time hole with the stylus where you want to investigate. There are a few occasions where you can choose to 'investigate' some of the lady schoolfriends our hero has, but Ethan flatly refuses. Spoilsport.

One thing I worried about was the story being riddled with plot holes as well as Time Holes, but my fears thankfully weren't founded. The game throws new theories and twists at you near constantly, and all go off without a hitch - or at least not without a reasonable explanation. Soap drama-like incidents happen with cheesy-yet-gripping regularity. There are even one or two gameplay options that you can take that'll alter the flow of the story for a while. The game is full of small touches like these. My personal favourite is the inventory menu; modelled after a watch's innards, there's a wonderfully satisfying click and whir of gears as you scroll through the menu options.

However, the game sadly isn't without flaws. With all the astounding effort they put into the game to make it a joy to play, they forgot to make the game longer. Like an over-enthusiastic lover, it's over far too quickly, and leaves you wanting more. The extra plot directions are nice, but they're brief, and aren't enough to sate your hunger for space-time abuse. Although the music is extremely well composed; some of the loops are very short; and you'll grow tired of a few tunes rather quickly.

Despite these drawbacks, Time Hollow is an extremely polished game that fans of the genre will happily devour. Just devour it slowly.