Clocked

Enjoyable despite simple gameplay and backtracking, but enemy mechanic can lead to frustration. The game takes place in a world where humans are gone. You do not obtain much information because you begin as an automaton that awakens in an old factory. Although you operate a silent robot, the majority of the story is told by Magnus, a flying companion who guides you through the game and tells you what you need to do. Gameplay consists of exploring rooms, reading notes, and listening to recordings to learn more about what happened. Although points of interest may be difficult to identify due to the top-down perspective, they receive a white outline when approached, indicating potential interaction. However, it’s still easy to miss them because of the game’s overall darkness. The game's goal is to get to the exit. This is accomplished by using switches to open doors in other areas of the map, as well as the game's unique function of traveling to another dimension. You have no influence over it because you can only travel by using the teleportation stations. The other realm is identical in location and layout, but it is coated in bizarre goo and deadly tentacles. However, there is no true threat because you cannot die. If you are hit by something, you will be returned to the real world or the last portal you visited, which is generally nearby. Everything you have accomplished will be preserved so death will not result in any lost progress. In fact, I frequently killed myself on purpose in order to avoid having to walk back. The issue is that you can not know which tentacles and surfaces are dangerous. When you get close, they turn red and attack, but it’s too late to escape away when that happens. Some even take cheap shots, striking across the entire passageway. You have a run button that, thankfully, does not deplete stamina; nevertheless, while you can outrun single tentacles, this does not work when the ground is covered with ooze, slowing you down. The gameplay loop is simple. You must find the first switch, jump between dimensions to find the open path, press the next switch, jump back, find the next way, and so forth. One crucial thing to understand is that anything you move in one world will likewise move in the other. So, pushing a globe on wheels will open a passage in the other world because tentacles generally hold it in place. Another way to open a path is to look for key codes. These are always located on notes, so you need to keep your eyes open and jot down the code on a piece of paper. There is no map or logbook, so you are on your own. Although you are just walking through a maze of rooms, the exploring is somewhat fun. Mostly because of hidden area and fake doors that could lead to new levels and endings. The good news is that the game does not require you to replay it multiple times. When a stage is unlocked, you can return to the main menu and continue without losing any progress. By the way, the game’s normal ending can be reached in a couple of hours, but this time will increase if you look for secrets. If you also acquire the new DLC, you will discover even more secrets. Unfortunately, the DLC stages are not enjoyable because they force you through insane challenges filled with tentacles or don’t give you any information on what you’re supposed to do. I’m currently stuck in both extra locations: in one I have four generators and no codes, and in the other the code requires bruteforcing.

Excellent jeu! Gameplay fluide avec un pacing parfait. Les énigmes ne sont pas faciles mais ne bloquent pas l'avancé dans le jeu non plus, elles sont recherchées et sont bien répartis parmi les niveaux. Le lore du monde et les histoires des personnages sont vraiment intéressants et me donnent envie d'en apprendre plus sur eux. Etant quelqu'un ayant fait toutes les fins et débloquer les succès en ne perdant pas la motivation de recommencer plusieurs fois, je recommande vraiment le jeu 👍

Super jeu ! J'ai adoré le lore et l'univers ! Gros coup de coeur pour tous les petits trucs que je n'ai pas vus dès le début et qui m’ont donné une sensation d'excitation quand je finissais par les trouver !