Time Hollow
From Konami
Time Hollow follows the story of Ethan Kairos and the mysterious disappearance of his entire family. As he searches for them he comes across a Hollow Pen. This uncanny object has the unique power to open portals to the past. This new ability allows Ethan to change the past in order to solve problems in the present. Through the use of this mystical pen he must follow events in the present and past to locate his missing family. This mysterious adventure takes bold new steps in the story-driven adventure genre. Incorporating the new gameplay mechanic of the Hollow Pen, controlled with the stylus, players will be able to uncover the truth and save the present by creating Holes in time to search through both the present and past. To supplement the gameplay, key scenes are presented in full animation sequences designed by AIC, the producers of the anime series Blood+ and Gun X Sword.
Amazon Sales Rank: #5376 in Video Games Brand: Konami Model: 24150 Released on: 2008-09-23 ESRB Rating: Teen Platform: Nintendo DS Number of items: 1 Dimensions: .75" h x 5.25" w x 4.75" l, .26 pounds
Junko Kawano does it again I picked Time Hollow up because I was such a fan of the creator's (Junko Kawano) previous effort Shadow of Destiny for the PS2. Both games deal with time travel and the effects of changing the past. Shadow of Destiny and Time Hollow have some similarities but the latter has a much different story and gameplay. In the game you open holes into the past to change certain things in order to create realities that fit your objectives, while in Shadow of Destiny you physically traveled back in time. Neither game has deep gameplay, though both games' strong point is their story. I'll admit that at first I didn't like the anime art style of the game, but eventually it didn't matter because the story was so enthralling. While the story does suck you in, it doesn't last very long, which is a bummer. I played the game for about an hour a day and finished it in a week and a half. One thing I enjoyed about the game besides the story was the music which is very effective and creepy at times. Time Hollow is obviously marketed towards teens with its anime art style, adolescent main character, and simple puzzles, but I still found it enjoyable as a 24 year old. One thing that was disappointing was the lack of replay value since Shadow of Destiny had loads of it. There's a few things that can be done on replay but not much. I recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the adventure/detective point-and-click type gameplay as well as Junko Kawano's previous effort Shadow of Destiny. Dissapointing I am a big fan of point and click style adventure games, so I don't usually complain about "lack of gameplay" in the usual sense for these types of games. Time Hollow, however, literally has no gameplay-and that is one of it's huge flaws. You click around on a map to visit locations, but you never have to explore because the game almost always tells you exactly where to go. Dialogue consists of clicking on various question bubbles until the exchange has ended, but there is no real interactivity here; just move down the list. The main hook of the game is supposed to be the hollow pen, a tool that lets you "dig" through certain points of time to alter the past. You will be presented with a scene and it's up to you to find the right place to dig a hole. Mess up too many times and it's game over. Unfortunately, none of these digging sessions encourage you to solve anything on your own-the answers are so obvious that the whole thing is over in a minute or two. Now all of this excessive hand-holding and linearity might be forgiven if there were a good plot underneath it all-after all, adventure games like these are played for their storyline more than anything else. Time Hollow doesn't deliver here either. While the initial mystery got me interested, (what happened to Ethan's parents and who is behind it all?) by then end I found that I really didn't care what happened. The characters have little to no backstory, so you don't really care when they are put in danger. The plot feels somewhat bland and unoriginal, but the weak characters are really what pulls it down the most. So far this has been pretty negative, but there are good points to Time Hollow: The interface is slick and fun to use. The artwork and music do a great job of setting the mood, and the plot does have some moments (it's definitely not terrible). What it comes down to is this: Time Hollow is a decent adventure game that is held back by uninteresting characters and complete lack of challenge. Also keeping in mind that it's quite short, I'd say this one is a rental. Great story, but gameplay is quite Hollow :-) I loved the story. I found myself wanting to keep playing, just to see what happens next. However, the game play elements are severely lacking. It's not very challenging, although it pretends to be. Time Hollow is like the opposite of Professor Layton and the Curious Village. The former has better story but bad puzzles, whereas the latter has great puzzles but only a mildly entertaining story. All in all, it is definitely worth playing once through. Just don't expect it to be any more than a manga.
