Games worth discovering
Binding of Issac meets Vampire Survivors in this busted bullet hell roguelike
2K View2024-01-24
SHOULD I PLAY TIME TO STRIKE?
If you like finding ways to break your favorite games, stop what you’re doing and download the Time to Strike demo right now. This bullet hell roguelike starts off simple, but it lets you mod your weapons in some truly insane ways. Want a gun that spawns explosive critters? How about a baseball bat that fires shurikens? Time of Strike lets you do all that and more, and it’s a blast. Finding the best weapon synergies felt like solving a puzzle, and that made putting together an overpowered build extremely satisfying.
TIME PLAYED
The Time to Strike demo is a meaty one, and I wound up playing it for more than two and a half hours. I had the chance to test out all kinds of different builds, and I was even able to unlock some new starting weapons. I had a lot of options right from the start, and things got progressively crazier the more I played.
WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT TIME TO STRIKE?
• Simple, fast-paced gameplay. Time to Strike can be pretty tough, but it never feels frustrating. The controls are smooth and intuitive, and because of that, it feels effortless to play. On top of that, the gameplay is lightning fast. I could usually clear a room in less than thirty seconds, and most runs took under ten minutes to complete. Thanks to the speedy pace, I felt free to experiment and try out weirder weapon combos.
• A surprising amount of strategic depth. Time to Strike isn’t a complicated game, but it does reward skillful play. You begin with two weapons: a gun and a baseball bat. The gun uses bullets, while the bat requires stamina. When I used up all my ammo, I could quickly reload by whacking an enemy with my bat. This also triggered a temporary slow-down effect, which made it easier to clear out enemies. It’s hard to think when your screen is full of bullets, but I appreciate that Time to Strike has opportunities for tactics.
• Tons of awesome upgrades. Time to Strike has all kinds of weapon modifications and power-ups, and that variety made every run feel distinct. In some runs, I relied on turrets and poison bombs. In another run, I modified my gun to shoot worms instead of bullets. There were so many options to play around with, and that made finding the best synergies a lot more fun.
WHAT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT IN TIME TO STRIKE?
• Stamina is a limited resource. There’s no easy way to regain stamina in Time to Strike, and that meant that my stamina meter was frequently empty. Since I needed stamina to use my bat, I usually avoided striking at enemies unless I absolutely had to. In a game that’s all about overpowered weapons and busted builds, the lack of stamina felt weirdly restrictive. I’d love to see the game add more stamina refills or some relics that permanently increase your stamina meter.
• The visuals are really basic. I like the arcade-like simplicity of Time to Strike, but I wish it had a little more visual flair. Even though power-ups have awesome effects, they’re not very flashy, and that made them a little less exciting. On top of that, most of the enemies I fought looked identical. I hope the final version of the game will have more enemy variety and add in some visual flourishes.
PLATFORM TESTED
PC via Steam
Mentioned games
ITCHING FOR BINDING OF ISAAC? CHECK OUT THIS GAME!
Game: Time to Strike Platform: PC Genre: Bullet Hell, Arena Shooter, Action Roguelike
Overview
Time to Strike is currently available as a Demo. You might like this game if you like The Binding of Isaac or Brotato's style of being locked in a chamber with hordes of monsters and bullet hell trying your best to survive while equipping your character with plenty of relics and powers that will change your appearances.
Pawkt5952024-01-21
A bullet-heavy roguelike that’s off to a strong start
Those looking for a different flavor of horde survival might find it in 20 Minutes
The horde survival genre, I guess you’d call it, has had quite the year so far. Vampire Survivors lit the world on fire, and of course, there have been imitators. But what sets 20 Minutes Till Dawn apart from the crowd isn’t just its similarities to Survivors, but its key changes that make quite a difference.
I checked out the demo version, cleverly titled
KEKEnate14K2022-08-29
A streamlined twin-stick shooter with a sprinkle of chaos | Gameplay - Time to Strike
Time to Strike is a twin stick rogue-like arena survival shooter that demands both precision and creativity. The player is armed with two weapons – a ranged one that changes with the selected character, and a melee bat called Time Strike, pivotal for both defense and reloading.
The game places players in a compact rectangular arena with the objective of surviving the onslaught of enemies and defeating a series of bosses, all while aiming for the highest score once everything is concluded. A variety of enemies will spawn with their own kind of gimmicks such as exploding on death, or having undeflectable projectiles, and you’d have to do your best to defeat them all.
lyndonguitar2472024-01-23
View desktop siteTapTap looks better
on the app 
