Thyme by Father Thyme

Review by Hormus

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

--Hormus

Review by Natloud

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

Review by wolvins

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

Review by DavyB

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!

Review by MisterPibb316

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.

Review by karimcassimally

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.

Review by danaburgerrr

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!

Review by sarah4

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.

Review by Dr Caterpillar

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 by BeautyvsAshes

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! :)