An ingenious mix of sci-fi and comedy, Time Stall is one of the best VR puzzle games available on the Oculus Quest. From developer Force Field Entertainment, Time Stall is a short and sweet game that can be completed in just two to three hours. With beautiful graphics, goofy characters, and creative puzzle gameplay, Time Stall is one of the best games I’ve reviewed on the Oculus Quest so far.
Time Stall is available on the Oculus Store.
Story
In Time Stall, you wake up on the Fantastic Leap, a spaceship with other human colonists bound for an Earth-like planet in hopes of starting a new life. You wake up mid-flight surrounded by robots and an AI computer that controls the ship. The robot ship captain tells you that he needs your help to control parts of the ship only humans can control.
The AI tells you that the truth is she needs your help to keep the foolish ship captain alive when accidents occur on the ship.
Filled with tons of Easter eggs for you to find and a constant comedic back and forth between the captain and the ship’s AI, Time Stall is a funny and lighthearted game for people of all ages. Compared to other games I’ve reviewed, Time Stall is one of the best at creating characters that feel real and help you get immersed in the VR world. The story is simple and serves as just a setup for the inventive gameplay that Force Field Entertainment has created.
Gameplay
To assist you in protecting the captain, there is a time stalling mechanism on the ship that allows you to control time. More specifically, you can move through time and interact with objects while time is temporarily slowed down. Instead of a complete stoppage of time, it feels more like you have super speed and everything around you is moving in ultra slow motion.
The object of the game is simple. You and the captain travel to different areas of the ship to handle crises as they arise. In each new area you visit, some sort of problem or malfunction occurs which threatens the lives of the captain and his robot assistants. When a crisis occurs, the AI controlling the ship activates the time stall mechanism, suspending time long enough for you to solve each problem.
Various tools you can use in Time Stall
During this time stall you must interact with the objects in the ship and find a way to save the lives of the captain and his assistants before the time stall runs out.
Object Interaction
Throughout the game, there are numerous tools that you must use to save the captain and his assistants.
Use fire extinguishers as projectiles!
These tools are incredibly intuitive and the way they interact with the environment helps you become more immersed in the world of the game.
Locomotion
Time Stall offers both free movement via the thumbsticks, or teleportation locomotion. In both modes, you are also free to move around within your guardian to move around within the game. Thanks to the teleportation option, Time Stall is a comfortable VR game for those prone to motion sickness.
Stuck on a Puzzle? Call the Help Line!
One thing I love about the game is the extra mile the developer went to add an in-game help menu. VR developers know that when you are stuck in the game it is troublesome to take off the VR headset and Google what to do next. Instead, there is a telephone in every stage that you can pick up and call for help when you don’t know what to do next.
Graphics
Essentially, you play the game by interacting with static objects and characters, or objects that are moving incredibly slowly. Since there isn’t a ton of dynamic movement and fast-paced action in the game, Time Stall is the ideal game for the lesser-powered Oculus Quest hardware.
Robots gone mad in Time Stall
In games like Arizona Sunshine where there are multiple characters moving on the screen, you can feel a sharp decrease in graphics quality when compared to other VR headsets. On the contrary, throughout my review of Time Stall, I was frequently impressed by the crisp graphics in each and every scene. It is by far one of the best-looking games I’ve reviewed on the Oculus Quest.
Audio
While there isn’t much of a soundtrack to speak of, the sound effects and voice acting in Time Stall are superb. The humorous dialogue gives the game a unique touch and distinct personality. Being a smaller VR game with simple puzzle gameplay mechanics, Force Field Entertainment adds a significant amount of polish down to the sound effects of each object and tool within the game.
