Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Timekeepers combines strategy and puzzle elements in a unique way, tasking you with guiding autonomous platoons through perilous environments. Instead of issuing direct commands, you place icons—direction arrows, clocks, foot imprints, wrenches, and more—on the level map. Troopers follow these cues automatically, forcing you to anticipate each move and plan carefully to avoid booby traps and hostile forces.

(HEY YOU!! We hope you enjoy! We try not to run ads. So basically, this is a very expensive hobby running this site. Please consider joining us for updates, forums, and more. Network w/ us to make some cash or friends while retro gaming, and you can win some free retro games for posting. Okay, carry on 👍)

The game’s core challenge lies in spatial reasoning and timing. Since you can’t micromanage individual soldiers moment by moment, you must lay out a sequence of instructions that work in concert. Send a squad rushing past a tripwire? They might spring it and perish. Space the “clock” icons to pause them just long enough to bypass lasers or triggered traps. It’s a cerebral dance of planning, adjusting, and retrying levels until your strategy clicks.

With 60 levels spread across four distinct eras—2 million BC Belgium, 1245 Medieval Europe, 1966 Vietnam, and 2001 Space—each stage introduces fresh mechanics and environmental hazards. One moment you’re dodging carnivorous dinosaurs and seismic fissures; the next, you’re sneaking past rival knights or defusing bombs on a lunar base. The shifting settings keep the puzzle design inventive and the learning curve steadily climbing.

The pace is surprisingly flexible. There’s no countdown timer, and you can place as many icons as needed, so experimentation is encouraged. If you get stuck, you can pause the action, rethink your icon placements, save your progress, or even rewind to replay previous levels. This leniency balances the game’s stiff challenge, ensuring that perseverance, not frustration, propels you forward.

Graphics

Timekeepers’ visuals are charmingly retro but detailed enough to differentiate each time period. The prehistoric levels feature lush foliage, rugged rock formations, and animatronic-style dinosaurs that lumber across the screen. In contrast, the Medieval Europe stages evoke old parchment maps and stone castles, with javelin-wielding enemies and flag-waving banners adding color to the scene.

The 1966 Vietnam era leans into washed-out greens and browns, muddy battlefields, and dense jungle canopies, complete with animated helicopter flyovers and hidden mines. The 2001 Space expansion dazzles with metallic corridors, blinking consoles, and sleek starship backdrops. Each graphical palette feels distinct, underscoring the sense of traveling through time.

Animation is crisp, and unit sprites move fluidly from icon to icon, reacting convincingly to commands—whether jumping over obstacles, operating levers with a wrench icon, or firing at hostile targets. Environmental effects, like dust clouds, laser beams, or explosions, pack surprising punch, elevating immersion despite the game’s puzzle-strategy focus.

The user interface is unobtrusive yet informative: portrait thumbnails flank the screen to track each platoon’s status, while a neatly organized icon bar at the bottom keeps your toolbox readily accessible. Scrolling maps feel smooth, making it easy to pan across sprawling levels and adjust your plans on the fly.

Story

At its heart, Timekeepers tells the tale of an elite police force charged with defending the fourth dimension from a psychotic warlord bent on nuclear annihilation. This narrative premise injects urgency into each mission: you’re not just solving puzzles—you’re racing against temporal catastrophe. The villains’ doomsday bombs loom in every level, a constant reminder of what’s at stake.

The game’s storyline unfolds through brief cutscenes and mission briefings that set the stage for each era. In prehistoric Belgium, you intercept the warlord’s attempts to reroute nuclear materials via cave networks. In Medieval Europe, knights and mercenaries unknowingly guard bomb caches disguised as holy relics. Vietnam-era guerrillas and futuristic space marines become pawns in the warlord’s timeline-threatening crusade.

Although dialogue is minimal, it’s enough to give your timekeepers distinct personalities. Portrait art and quippy one-liners create a roster of memorable troopers, from the stoic sergeant to the rookie recruit whose wide-eyed optimism provides a touch of humor. This human element turns every setback into a narrative beat—when you lose a platoon to a trap, it actually hurts.

The sense of progression is satisfying: as you dismantle bombs and close temporal rifts, you piece together the warlord’s master plan. By the final levels in the 2001 Space era, the stakes feel cosmic, and your success or failure carries real weight. The story never overpowers the gameplay, but it serves as a compelling backdrop that gives each puzzle a sense of purpose.

Overall Experience

Timekeepers offers a fresh take on strategy-puzzle hybrids, delivering a brain-bending challenge that’s fair yet demanding. Its blend of icon-based command, autonomous unit behavior, and varied environmental hazards feels genuinely innovative—even decades after its initial release. Puzzle aficionados and RTS fans alike will find something to love here.

The learning curve is steeper than in most casual titles, but the absence of rigid time limits and the freedom to place unlimited commands make experimentation rewarding. Developers have struck a fine balance between trial-and-error experimentation and genuine tactical depth, ensuring each victory feels earned and each defeat prompts new insights.

Visually, the game is cohesive and atmospheric, with four distinct eras that never feel like cobbled-together skins. The story, though straightforward, anchors your efforts and adds stakes to every bomb you defuse. Add to that the variety of level design, from jungle ambushes to zero-gravity maintenance shafts, and you have an experience that rarely grows stale.

For players seeking a memorable challenge wrapped in a time-travel thriller, Timekeepers is a must-see. Its unique control scheme and level mechanics stand the test of time, offering dozens of hours of strategic puzzle-solving. Whether you’re guiding prehistoric patrols or unmasking a warlord’s scheme among the stars, this game proves that creativity and planning can transcend any temporal boundary.

Retro Replay Score

7.5/10