By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Gaming Discussion - Best time-travel stories in games

Tagged games:

 

Where are my pants?

Great Scott! 5 41.67%
 
Hey you! Get your damn hands off her! 0 0%
 
I'm your density. I mean, your destiny. 0 0%
 
Let's see if you bastards can do 90. 0 0%
 
Roads? Where we're going... 3 25.00%
 
Say hi to your mom for me. 1 8.33%
 
Take that, you mutated son of a bitch! 1 8.33%
 
The appropriate question ... 0 0%
 
This is heavy! 0 0%
 
What-what the hell is a gigawatt? 1 8.33%
 
Total:11

After rewatching the BTTF-trilogy last month, playing Telltale's BTTF-game again after that, finishing the gorgeous "Life is Strange" on PC and "Steins;Gate" on the Vita, I'm on the lookout for other games with good time-travel stories.

My favorite time-travel stories in games so far:

- Steins; Gate (visual novel, english version available for PC, PS Vita and PS3)... I strongly hope that the spin-offs "Hiyoku Renri no Darling", "Senkei Kousoku no Phenogram" and the sequel "Steins; Gate Zero" are also getting translated!

- Zero Escape series (mix of visual novel and puzzle game)
+ Zero Escape 1: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (
available for Nintendo DS)
+ Zero Escape 1: 999 - The Novel (
available for iOS) ... without the puzzles, but the best way to enjoy the story
+ Zero Escape 2: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (
available for Vita and 3DS)
+ Zero Escape 3: Zero Time Dilemma (
available for Vita and 3DS)... release date = "summer 2016"

- Life is Strange (interactive story, exploration, many choices and a few puzzles, available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox360)

- Back to the Future: The Game (interactive story, exploration and lots of puzzles, available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox360, Wii and iOS)
+ nice continuation of the story of the the famous movie trilogy

- BioShock Infinite (action game, available for PC, PS3 and Xbox360)
+ one of the prettiest FPS in the last years with an extraordinary story and interesting game mechanics

- Chrono series (JRPG by Square Enix)
+ Chrono Trigger (available for SNES, PS1, Nintendo DS, iOS and Android)
+ Chrono Cross (available for PS1, thanks to backward compatibility also playable on PS3, PSP and Vita; unfortunately not available in the European PSN, so an US-account is required)

- Day of the Tentacle (adventure classic by LucasArts, available for PC... and thanks to ScummVM for many other video game systems)
+ soon also available as "Remastered Edition" with redrawn graphics, audio commentaries and enhanced audio, for PC, PS4 and PS Vita, probably later for iOS and Android

- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trilogy (action-adventure game, available for PC, PS3, Xbox360, PS2, Xbox and PSP; the PSP games are Vita-compatible)

- Shadow of Memories / Destiny (interactive story, exploration, many choices and a few puzzles, available for PC, PS2 and PSP...
unfortunately not available in the European PSN or US PSN)

- Time Hollow (visual novel,
available for Nintendo DS)

- Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (interactive story with hundreds of puzzles, available for Nintendo DS)
+ I still hope for a collection of all-Professor Layton games (or at least the 4 DS games) for the 3DS or the NX-handheld

- Sam & Max Season 2: Beyond Time and Space (adventure episodes, available for PC, PS3, Wii and iOS)

- Ben There, Dan That! and Time Gentlemen, Please! (adventures, available for PC; extremely funny but quite short)

- A New Beginning (adventure, available for PC, probably soon for iOS)

- Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space (freeware adventure game, available for PC)

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (action-adventures, available for N64 and 3DS)

- TimeSplitters 1 - 3 (action game, available for PS2, Xbox and GameCube)
+ very entertaining FPS-series on the 5th gen consoles ... where is a sequel or a remake?

- The Journeyman Project 1 - 3 (multimedia adventures, available for PC, f.e. at GOG.com)

- Space Quest 4: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (adventure classic by Sierra, available for PC and Amiga
... and thanks to ScummVM for many other video game systems)

- Lost in Time (adventure classic by Coktel Vision, available for PC
... and thanks to ScummVM for many other video game systems)

Now it's your turn, what are your time-travel favorites?



Around the Network

Well dang, you got my top 2 on there with Chrono Trigger and BioShock Infinite :P
Not sure why but I have a hard time remembering many time travel stories. But those two were amazing, for different reasons too. BioShock for the mindscrew plot and twists and Chrono Trigger for making time travel more than a plot element but a gameplay element. I never beat Majora's Mask but I did find the time travel quite cool.



Chrono Trigger, by far. Also, Fire Emblem Awakening is great too, even if it's just paralel dimensions in the end.



You know it deserves the GOTY.

Come join The 2018 Obscure Game Monthly Review Thread.

For the record, I didn't like Bioshock: Infinite time travelling thing. It was too predictable; at least, it was for me.

I think we should put in spoilers the name of certain games, as it gives away something unexpected for the player. 999 is the prime example, because up until the perfect ending you don't even know the time-travelling concept. Brilliant game, though!

Though it's hard to guess a game only for its time-travelling concept, so I'd guess spoilering it doesn't help much. Still...

Some of my examples are:

 

· Siren: Blood Curse  (PS3 horror game). The whole thing is set to be repeated forever, starting an endless cycle of time travelling that won't ever stop.

· Ghost Trick (DS adventure game).  This is actually one of the most brilliant time-travelling games I've ever played in my life. From the core concept, to the gameplay mechanics of going four minutes backwards, to the incredible plot twists that born within. I remember finishing this game and being profoundly impacted by it.

 

Can't think of more (including the ones of the OP) right now, but I'll post more if I can remember them.



Ocarina of Time, followed by Chrono Trigger



Wii U NNID:  CWegzz
3DS Friend Code:  4210-5277-5484
PSN:  Ronnoc4
Steam:  CWegz

Around the Network

The only correct answer is Majora's Mask. It's the only game where the time travelling concept had a big influence on the gameplay. It wasn't just a story narrative. The time travel element changed nothing in Ocarina of Time besides not being able to use some items as adult/young Link. And honestly, that was just arbitrary and almost as stupid as the way Other M handled powerups.



"The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must" - Thoukydides

Bioshock Infinite didn't even have any time travel except for the part with future Elizabeth attacking New York. Everything else was alternate-universe shenanigans.

It also didn't have a good story at all, but that's a whole other discussion.



Ghost Trick.



JWeinCom said:
Ghost Trick.


Four minutes after I said it.

 

Perfect.



Oh, yeah. I forgot Ghost Trick.

Love that game, bought it on iPad.