The Time Portal
Score: 70% ESRB: Not Rated Publisher: Zhang Games Developer: Zhang Games Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Puzzle/ Family/ Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: Finally a game that is all about graphics! Reminds us that before we had the ability to see 3D images moving in real time, there was some fascination in just matching images and playing with color on screen. The Time Portal is a big version of those games you see in kids' travel books and occasionally in the newspaper that involve eyeballing similar images to find differences. "Find 10 differences between these pictures" type of thing. The formula works well in this game, especially hung on a story that may remind you of some creative games from home-computing days past such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. Holding back The Time Portal is a somewhat less than stellar image quality. When the entire game hinges on image quality and detail, it would have been especially nice to see high-res images without jaggies. Perhaps in the editing process things degraded somewhat or perhaps it comes down to screen resolution. Do you really need high-res to play the game? No. Would it make the experience more enjoyable? Yes. The images are very nice and if the creator of the game shot them personally, it is an impressive collection. There isn't a lot to say about music or sound but there are some amusing sound effects that punctuate the gameplay actions, such as making a wrong choice or finishing a level. The option to play background music from iTunes or a personal library would have been a nice option. Screening photo after photo can either feel relaxing and casual or intense and wearying. Music in the background would make a big difference.
Gameplay: The Time Portal works as a casual game, but it seems designed for something more. The photo viewing is built around a mystery that you can solve by finding clues. Each photo can reveal a collection of letters that combine to spell out a message. Each stage of the game involves a new message that leads you closer to solving the mystery. In principle, this sounds like fun, but there isn't enough variety in the game to pull off the trick. My earlier comparison to "Carmen Sandiego" was a hopeful one. Gamers who were alive back then will remember that the Carmen games had some formula, but also plenty of variety. The Time Portal pulls out at least one variation on the "find five differences" theme by pulling up photos that have snippets taken out of them and asking you to match the snippets to the original photo. More of this would improve The Time Portal a great deal. The problem with The Time Portal as a casual game is that finding minute differences in each set of pictures actually requires concentration and time. Unlike some fun games that run on autopilot or rely heavily on chance, The Time Portal is going to give you no more than you put into it as far as effort. This makes for an uneven experience, a game that isn't engrossing enough to keep you going for hours on end, but doesn't fit comfortably into the "time waster" category. Luckily you can sample a free demo and find out for yourself if The Time Portal is a right fit.
Difficulty: The difficulty of The Time Portal is as uneven as the gameplay. Certain puzzles seem too easy and others seem too hard. The ability to Photoshop an image at the level of a single pixel makes for changes that are impossibly minor. There are a set number of hints allowed that help you isolate the area where differences can be found. On the opposite side is a time limit and a penalty for choosing incorrectly. Unlike a twitch game that has you shouting with frustration and throwing controllers against the wall there is a slower, more penetrating type of challenge here. The Time Portal comes off sometimes as unrealistic, but the hint system helps keep things grounded and accessible.
Game Mechanics: Installation and gameplay are as simple as the click of a mouse. The game isn't graphically taxing and has minimal requirements. Saving and restarting games is made simple through a series of prompts and there are some instructions to read before you get started. Truly this is a game for and of the eyes, so don't expect to be doing much configuration other than deciding whether to play windowed or full-screen. If scanning and comparing pictures is your cup of tea, this is a keeper, but it's a limited title that probably won't have staying power for anyone outside a niche audience.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
Minimum System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or greater   Test System: Mac OS X 10.4, iMac G5
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