Time Flies - Switch Review

Time certainly can fly, but it feels like it's been a long while since the announcement of Time Flies back in 2022. In this game, you play as a fly attempting to complete their bucket list, all within the short time frame expected of a fly. But one fly has many ambitions, and they unfortunately won't achieve everything on their list; neither will fly #2, and it's very unlikely fly #7 will; but it's up to the player to remember how to achieve each task so that one lucky fly can have the best life possible.

The Good

The game begins in a rather unique way, as it uses your country of residence according to your online Nintendo account and, by using the data from the World Health Organization (WHO), uses that to determine the number of seconds for the life of the fly you play as from the average life expectancy of a human.

The concept is so simple in its execution and it shines in said simplicity marvellously. You control the fly with the left analogue stick and… that's it. You can press - to bring up the bucket list and + for the main menu, but Time Flies is, essentially, a game of memorisation as you learn how to successfully cross off tasks in the most efficient manner possible. There are four bucket lists in total, where you'll unlock the next one after having a successful run with your current bucket list. And for all you completionists out there, there are also 12 hidden jigsaw pieces scattered around in tucked-away areas. And don't worry, you'll keep each jigsaw piece you find even after you die.

Time Flies has a subtle dark humour that, while not particularly overt, is demonstrated through the fragile nature of flies themselves. Each fly can die in multiple ways, whether it's from drowning in a glass of wine or chomped on by a Venus flytrap, and if your seconds hit zero, you'll die mid-air, graciously falling unceremoniously to the surface below, whatever that may be.

TL;DR

• Such a unique concept
• Shines in its simplicity
• Subtly delicious dark humour

The Bad

Even if by design, Time Flies is quite one-dimensional, being beatable within an hour or two. Of course, not every game needs to be this grand adventure, far from it; it's more that, once the credits roll, you'll let out a quick chuckle and likely never think about it again. I want to reiterate that this is certainly by design and the game delivers exactly what it promises wonderfully; it's more that if you're someone who doesn't have much time for games and you want your small gaming budget to go as far as possible, then Time Flies may not fit that bill.

After spending 15 minutes or so exploring for the first time, I was left with one more task item on the bucket list to cross off. And to do that as well as find more jigsaw pieces, I found myself exploring a variety of nooks and crannies, and if I exhausted all possibilities in a corner with some time left on the clock, I simply had to wait for the timer to hit zero. What I'm saying is that I wish there was an instant death button where I could respawn from the start right then and there, instead of arbitrarily waiting for the countdown to hit zero like a hungry child counting down the seconds on a microwave.

TL;DR

• Quite one-dimensional (by design, of course)
• In need of a quick death button

Final Score: 8/10

Time Flies is such a quirky afternoon killer that sticks its landing better than the Flies whose life timers hit zero. Its dark humour without dialogue and minimalist design captures so much with so little, and it had me enamoured for most of my playthrough. I do wish there was more here to sink my teeth into, despite that being part of its charm. Oh well, much like the average life of a fly itself, it's not designed to be a long adventure.

Thank you for checking out our Time Flies Switch review, thank you to Panic (via Popagenda PR) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

• Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out)
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