Timelie is a thought-provoking puzzle game where you have the ability to rewind and fast forward through time.  You play as two characters, a girl who can interact with switches on the walls and fix gaps in the floor and a cat who can fit through small spaces and meow to distract enemies.  Together, the two must time their movements carefully and figure out how to reach the exit while avoiding the robots patrolling the area.

Admittedly, Timelie took me a while to get used to.  One of my issues was probably the fact that it controls differently from most games.  You see, you can’t just control your characters with the control stick.  Instead, you have to select a spot in the room for them to walk to or stand in place and move forward in time as you wait for an opening to sneak past the robots seeking you out.  The other issue is the need to synchronize your characters’ movements with each other.  For example, you might use the cat to distract a robot and have the girl run past, but you might have her start walking too early, and she’ll get caught before the robot turns away.  Fortunately, you can adjust the movements of each character separately from the other until you get it just right.

By the second half of my roughly 60 minutes with the demo, everything started to make sense, and it was so satisfying when I was able to solve the demo’s final puzzle.  This one was truly a head-scratcher and required me to reach the door before one of the robots stepped on a switch and released a whole bunch from their cells, effectively making escape impossible.  After having the cat distract the robot by luring it from one vent to another, I was finally able to trap it in a room and leisurely stroll right out of there.

If you’re interested in a challenging and unique puzzle game, then Timelie might be for you.  The game is available for PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch for $17.99 and can take 5-7 hours to complete.  Although the game can be just a bit difficult to figure out, a little perseverance will surely prove worth your while.