Timeless Paradox – The Review

Think about your life now and think back to a point in your life where the choice that you made got you to where you are now. Would a different choice that you made have an effect on your life the way you have always thought it would? What if you could go back in time to make that one change if you could? And depending on that choice…that mission in your life, do you think you would have a better life because of it or would it bring you to another point in your life where you wonder if that choice was the right one? Those are really good questions that can make you really think. But does Developer John Jiang allow us to see how maybe with the right choice, history could be corrected? Let’s find out with Timeless Paradox for PCVR.

In Timeless Paradox you play as Edward from the town of Charites, a traveler of sorts where you meet the heroine of the story, Estel who is a true champion. But what was supposed to happen, didn’t. And the world that was supposed to be, But as you soon come to learn, it will be up to go back and help Estel as you fix the time fragments and hopefully if all goes well, Estel will succeed in the battle she was destined to win. So before you go in and trying to be the hero, make sure your controllers are ready to go and you will probably want to stand up for this one (even though you can play sitting down), but there will be swinging of weapons. So with that said, let’s continue.

The first thing that I noticed right from the beginning was the art style. Timeless Paradox has this mix of 2D and 3D cel-shading style that really is beautiful when playing in VR. Before you really begin, you will want to play with the settings and adjust them for what’s best for you. You can adjust the graphics settings to the teleporting or smooth movement. I went with the smooth movement, which if you are not used to that yet in VR, you may want to stick with teleportation at first. Another thing you will notice is markers. These markers help you where you need to go (even though you can go freely to a point and admire the beauty that has been added, but the markers do help you along with the story. Also, don’t pass up on the opportunity if you come across any guide stones as they are hints that will help you as well.

Interaction with characters brings up words where you have to read them as they are not spoken to you and this is not a bad thing at all. Too many times we are just handed everything and I appreciate the time to read everything and just take my time understanding the story that is told. Each time fragment that you enter gives you a chance with some interaction or action with each one getting a little more difficult. The first one as you trying to catch butterflies and getting used to the blades as well as meeting Estel, the heroine.

But one of the things that I like is how the views are used during some of the scenes that allow you to be right behind the character and it looks awesome in Virtual Reality.

Looking at the graphics, Timeless Paradox is really something when you look at it, but the beauty really shines when you are surrounded within its world. From the colors to the lighting, it really stands out and plays very smoothly. The sound is this perfect balance that really never over powers the scenes and there were times when I just stopped just to appreciate what was put in to everything.

There are a few things that I would like to see. There was one part that I came across where it seemed my hands were off in a distance, but I could still move them. I am sure this can easily be addressed with an update and it only lasted a few seconds. And the other thing is more of the story to interact with. What I saw and experienced, I loved as it was like this ballet of visuals, sounds, and action just coming together nicely. Some may want there to be voices and could that add to the experience, possibly. But Timeless Paradox was made by one person and from the work that they put in, by not having the voices and bringing you into this world somehow became more inviting and personal than what I was expecting.

Timeless Paradox gives us the ability to go back and change the past in hopes for a better future all in VR while still showing that there is beauty all around us even when the world around us may not appear so at times.

Timeless Paradox is out now on Steam. A review code was provided.

To learn more about Timeless Paradox, please visit the site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Also, check out the Timeless Paradox interview.

In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I am going to go enjoy more of the beauty of this world.