Thyme by Father Thyme

Your mission is to rescue your enigmatic uncle Barry who has mysteriously vanished. Go to his lonely cottage and solve the mystery. The answer may be stranger than you think.

Type HELP for more information about the game and details of options available while playing it.

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Comment DavyB

21 Sep 2024

Hope that's enough to take you to the end @T-Rex 22, but if not feel free to ask for another nudge!

Comment T-Rex 22

20 Sep 2024

Thanks DavyB! Oh, that's right, I was thinking about the rat-- I dropped it in the pub and then the main character wouldn't let me pick it up again. Hmm. Thanks for the confirmation about the safe.

Comment DavyB

20 Sep 2024

You have made impressive progress @T-Rex 22. Did you find a dead animal on the way?
The safe should have been open and empty when you reached it. It's what's on top that is important.

Comment T-Rex 22

19 Sep 2024

I'm stuck at the stockade with Lance. I've tried giving him every object I have. Also this safe, it doesn't even let me type in a code...

Comment DavyB

05 Sep 2024

This is just to let you know that a number of the popular Father Thyme games have been updated over the past year to add sound, maps and other features along with some small adjustments to the story-lines and puzzles.

I can recommend them as a great starting point for those new to text adventures!

Comment Hormus

20 Jul 2018

Ah, brilliant. T'worked! I used 'em cludgey! methinks Davy be good at 'em text stories, eh?

Comment DavyB

17 Jul 2018

Have you tried "ask Tom about toilet"?

Comment Hormus

17 Jul 2018

Stuck here with a full bladder. I tried "pee", "urinate", "bladder", "relieve", and pretty much everything else.

Comment Hormus

17 Jul 2018

An excellent game. I got stuck at Tom's pub. Anyone that can help me out here?

Review Hormus

17 Jul 2018

This is a fantastic game. Amazingly clever, beautiful descriptions. A work of art, a master piece. Keep up the good work, Father.

--Hormus

Review Natloud

30 Apr 2018

Loved this one! Logical and fun puzzles and great story line.

Comment Father Thyme

10 Mar 2017

Thyme was the first game I wrote on Quest. I barely understood quest then. I still don't do coding. Previous to that I wrote in Sinclair basic. I may write a remake or sequel at some time.

Review wolver

10 Mar 2017

Great game, although didn't feel like an ending at my laptop. But I really like your story telling and feel for environment that really gets me caught up with it. Another great game. But like some of the others hope there will be a part 2

Comment EchoExe

12 Nov 2016

Oh....my god XD

Comment Father Thyme

12 Nov 2016

echoexe. When you enter cluttered room , it says you should look around a bit. So just type in look ( on its own) It's that simple.

Comment EchoExe

12 Nov 2016

I've tried examining everything we could think of
in the Cluttered Room xD
Door, Handle, The Door, Ceiling, Floor, Wall, Light,
Self (lol), and many more we thought made sense :P

Comment Father Thyme

12 Nov 2016

Echoexe if you examined things in the room perhaps you would not be so stuck. I assure you there is an easy way out.

Comment EchoExe

12 Nov 2016

We are stuck in a room in Arthur Pendragon's castle.
The door was enclosed and there was someone shouting
on the other side. Got in and now I'm stuck...is there an
actual way out??? If not, I'd rather just know so I can restart XD

Review DavyB

24 Aug 2016

This is my third Father Thyme game. In principle, it is the first that he implemented but the original was extended because some suggested it was too short. That’s a pity, as there is room for great games of all sizes, as 9.05 has shown. Perhaps it would have been better to post the revised game separately and invite comparison? Certainly, some of the reviewers of the first game seem to have enjoyed it and, on the ‘less is more’ principle, there is a danger that adding more material to a game can weaken it. From the reviews, it also sounds as if the end has been changed and some material lost. So, my first suggestion is to dust off the original game and repost it!

My second recommendation is to improve the presentation of the game. As other reviewers have noted, the ideas, puzzles, humour, and game design are all excellent, but the implementation and word-processing have issues. Some polish here should ensure a consistent 5-star rating. I will award a 4.5, which conveniently rounds up!

Comment DavyB

23 Aug 2016

Okay, another great Father Thyme game finished. Review to follow!

Comment DavyB

23 Aug 2016

Thanks, that's fixed the problem. I've made good further progress online but now run into the usual problem of the game freezing. I'll download a copy and play again from the beginning...

Comment Father Thyme

23 Aug 2016

I am puzzled. No one ever hit this problem before. Several people have finished the game. This was my first game, written years ago before I really understood Quest . I used a rather complicated unlock routine. I have checked through and cannot find the actual unlock command. I have added another without changing the gameplay. I believe you have done the correct thing so far and the north exit to the study should have opened.. After all where there's a will there's a way. I can only think something has been deleted. I can't think how. Anyway thanks for review of The Watchkeepers.

Comment DavyB

22 Aug 2016

Everything seemed to be going well: saw what was blocking the door and took timely action to clear it, with mention of the blockage then disappearing. Alas, the door remains shut! Where have I gone wrong?

Comment Father Thyme

22 Dec 2015

Perhaps looking outside the truck would be better. X everything

Comment drslugg

21 Dec 2015

what do I do in the back of the truck?

Comment asor123

16 Jun 2015

Nevermind. Finally got it. :)

Comment asor123

16 Jun 2015

What are you supposed to do in the back of the truck? I can inflate the balloon but I've tried using all combinations of things and nothing works.

Comment Father Thyme

12 Jun 2015

Asor123 is there anything else in the cardboard box?

Comment asor123

11 Jun 2015

Stuck in room with cardboard hat. Hints?

Review MisterPibb316

23 May 2015

Include me in the list of people who love this game! The humor style and all of the jokes had me smiling, and I found the continuity of the maps endearing and comforting. In that regard, I'm reminded of Day of the Tentacle--going through time and noting both similarities and differences was a blast. I feel like there are a lot of games that outsmart themselves with the challenge of their puzzles, and don't provide enough detail for the player to realistically solve them, yet for the most part, this game had exactly the right amount of challenge.

My reasons for going with 4 stars instead of 5: when playing online, the text sometimes runs off into the right pane (meaning you don't always see the ends of sentences... fortunately, that won't keep you from being able to understand import details, or progressing through the puzzles), there are some minor glitches (for example, when attempting to unlock the glass box, there is a scripting error--thankfully, that didn't stop the game from running), and there are some misspellings and the like, though I personally didn't mind ignoring those. Very good game, and one of my favorites on this site.

Comment Father Thyme

31 Oct 2014

I will perhaps extend 'Thyme' shortly. I am at present writing game five 'Small' a fantasy.

Review karimcassimally

31 Oct 2014

I loved this game. The only reason I'm giving it four and not five stars is I felt it needed one more (more difficult) level. When I got to the end, I was left thinking, "But I want to keep playing this."

I loved the invention that went into the map being the same whichever time and wherever you were. I also loved that there were a few puzzles that frustrated me at the time, but once you solve them, it's an entirely different matter.

I really liked the twist in the "congratulations for completing the game" text. I giggled for quite a long time over this.

Thanks a lot for this game.

Comment danaburgerrr

23 Sep 2014

I eventually figured it out, haha. thanks!

Review danaburgerrr

23 Sep 2014

great game! only took me a day and a half but that's mostly due to the game being short. I kind of like the fact that it was very to-the-point. I honestly thought there'd be a little more to getting into the study, but I'm not upset at how it was done, haha. love the historical aspect here too, and the humor to keep things interesting! the world was also very precise, and I appreciate that it didn't feel overwhelmingly huge like some text adventure worlds can. loved this one, I hope you make some more in the future!

Comment Father Thyme

23 Sep 2014

Give him something

Comment danaburgerrr

22 Sep 2014

OK, I'm officially stuck. I just found WS but find him to be most unhelpful, haha. any hints on proceeding from here?

Review sarah4

01 Jul 2014

This is a very impressive debut game with some ingenious puzzles and a very strong concept as well as some very amusing descriptions. As others have noted, the game is quite short and much of the game is spent trying to solve the mystery of the locked study. However, the length is not a problem as it seems perfectly in keeping with the relatively small world of the game which is very elegantly and precisely constructed. Congratulations on a polished and assured debut Quest game.

Comment Father Thyme

01 Jul 2014

This was my first game. I was just learning Quest. I tried to expand it later but Quest had been updated ,I cannot now alter it greatly without starting again from scratch. I tried but new characters / rooms didn't work properly.

Review Dr Caterpillar

01 Jul 2014

Bad points: I agree with Charles Scott about the suddenness of the ending, and there are quite a few minor typos. Good points: the central puzzle (the reason I couldn't get into Uncle Barry's study) was brilliantly clever and funny, and the whole thing felt well thought out. A short and sweet adventure that could be expanded into something really involving.

Review BeautyvsAshes

08 Jun 2014

This is a great short text adventure. It's a lot of fun without being too difficult. Would absolutely play any other games by this author. Great job! :)

Review Claire6129

11 Feb 2014

Thanks for reminding me about the tutorial, I'll try my best to understand it. Also, nice game, I don't know how you make it look so easy, and, I loved the "No flies ( or rats ) were injured during the making of this game."! Lol.

Comment Father Thyme

06 Jan 2014

This game has had a few faults corrected.

Review Charles Scott

05 Jan 2014

I enjoyed this game. There were some good jokes, and it has an intriguing scenario. The occasional glitches didn't affect the story (when you take the paper from the fireplace it doesn't appear in your inventory, and there is an apparently infinite supply of fly-swats). I'm glad to know that WS did not, in fact, die in 1616 as everybody thought he had. But my only major criticism of the game is that it ends too abruptly. I was just getting into the swing of it when I suddenly found I'd completed the quest. I hope "Father" creates a more elaborate game in future (or even extends this one), since he clearly has a talent for it.

Comment Charles Scott

05 Jan 2014

Thank you. I'm not sure I would have guessed that one without the hint, logical though it is!

Comment Father Thyme

04 Jan 2014

Charles , if you drink it's got to go somewhere.

Comment Charles Scott

04 Jan 2014

This is an intriguing game so far, but I've hit a brick wall. I can't get in to Barry's study, and I've asked Tom about his granddad and Barry and the pub sign but can't think of anything else which doesn't make me sound welsh. Could I have a vague hint...?