Yesterday, I had the pleasure of playing and reviewing the game A Matter of Time created by Australian developers Haywire Game Studios. An action-oriented top-down 8-BIT RPG, tells the story of a 12th-century warrior named James, who after an intense battle, is transported by a mysterious organization 1100 years into the future in order to combat an evil entity known as the Dark Atomos, which is ravaging time and space. I’d been following this project closely since the success of its Kickstarter campaign back in 2018 and after having played the finished product, I was pretty impressed with how the game turned out, despite numerous different changes on the project throughout the course of its development.

After having previously interviewed the game’s principal designer, Cameron “CamCog” Coggins, I got in touch with him again ahead of the game’s full release on Steam later on this month to ask a few more questions about the game and how the developmental plans had changed dramatically since the launch of the Kickstarter campaign. Here’s what Cameron had to say about the developmental process behind creating A Matter of Time:

What other RPG series inspired the creation of this game besides Undertale?

Large inspirations for A Matter of Time were RPG games such as The Legend of Zelda, Hyper Light Drifter, and Fallout (apparent within the Wasteland setting).

How well has the game been received by the community ahead of its release?

The game is yet to be shared with the community on a large scale. However, the Kickstarter backers and those who have tested/reviewed it have seemed to receive it well.

The last time we spoke, there were a lot of things planned for this game in terms of the inclusion of more abilities for the paradox cape, such as hypnotizing enemies, which ultimately didn’t make it in. How did the developmental process change throughout the course of the game’s development cycle?

Due to time constraints, I decided not to implement these abilities within the game. I didn’t feel as if these mechanics were a priority and they would have been extremely time-consuming to create.

Which were the historic battles that inspired the creation of A Matter of Time?

The Battle of Hattin is the inspiration for the game’s initial setting.

How are you and the development team feeling ahead of the game’s release?

Mainly relieved that the game has finally reached completion. Furthermore, I am very much looking forward to sharing this three-year-long project with the world.

What’s next for Haywire Studios?

Nothing has been planned as of now. There may be a hiatus with developments due to other commitments but I’m sure Haywire Studios will eventually return!

What would you say about the game development scene in Australia right now?

I haven’t exactly noticed anything significant. However, there is certainly a lot more time for indie developers to code due to COVID. 

In my review, I mentioned that there is definitely scope for expansion on the game’s mythology. Are you looking to revisit this series in the future?

Depending on how this pilot game is received by the community, the AMOT series may be revisited. However, there aren’t currently any plans in place for a sequel.

If you and the team were given the opportunity to develop a big-name video game series, which would you pick and why?

I believe it would be very enjoyable to develop for the Fallout series. It is a familiar genre (RPG) and there are so many elements, features, and storylines that I would like to see implemented within the series in future games.

Do you have any further advice for aspiring developers that may be reading this? 

When working on a long-term project, budgeting and time-managing correctly are paramount in keeping organized. If you fail to do both of these, you may end up either spending too much or falling far behind in development. 

Do you have anything else to add?

Thanks to ScouseGamer for the review and Q&A opportunity!

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Cameron for allowing me to appraise the game before its release and for both Q&As conducted over the last few years ahead of the release of this game. You can download A Matter of time upon release via the link below:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/974310/A_Matter_of_Time/

It’s an enjoyable title with a variety of combat options and potentially extensive mythology behind it and I wish Cameron and Haywire studios the best of luck with this title.

Game on,

Scouse Gamer 88

Developer(s) – Haywire Studios

Publisher(s) – Haywire Studios

Programmer – Cameron Coggins

Developed by Australian indie outlet Haywire Studios following a successful Kickstarter campaign and released in October 2020:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/974310/A_Matter_of_Time/

A Matter of Time is a top-down combat-focused RPG, telling the story of James; a hero sent to a different timeline to combat a great evil plaguing the land. Turning out massively different from what the game looked like in its early stages of development at the time when I first interviewed Cameron Coggins, the game turned out to be quite enjoyable with a fair bit to offer in terms of combat options and telling a pretty different story to anything else seen in gaming. 

Graphics – 8/10

The game makes use of traditional 8-BIT graphics to present a diversely designed world with each location being more wonderfully outlandish than the last. Taking place in lush forests, dark caves, otherworldly dimensions, and even a post-apocalyptic city, the game’s visuals are the best aspect of the title; there is also a wide range of different enemies the player must contend with the introduction of each new area; some reminiscent of classic video games enemies such as the slimes from Dragon Quest. 

Gameplay – 7/10

A top-down RPG with a linear progression, the game is very heavily combat-orientated with light RPG elements such as leveling up to increase health and enhance the magical abilities the player can take advantage of to maintain an edge in combat, such as a dash ability and the ability to stop time temporarily to defeat multiple enemies simultaneously. The combat aspect is quite well put together and quite satisfying to undertake; though a lot of enemies use similar attack patterns, the difficulty is racked up considerably towards the end, requiring the player to strategize accordingly. 

Controls – 10/10

The game’s control scheme is not only easy to get to grips with, but it also does something rather unique; when the player uses the dash attack to take out multiple enemies, the player must use the mouse to indicate which enemies they need to attack. At first glance, this seemed to become more of a hindrance than a help, but ample time is given to players to make that decision; even when the ability hasn’t yet been upgraded. It reminded me somewhat of the original Metroid Prime; unique controls, it takes a little time to adjust, but once adjusted to, it’s no problem. 

Lifespan – 4/10

The game’s longevity is most definitely the worst thing about it. The game can be finished in less than 2 hours, which for an RPG even with light elements, is a pretty short time to last. That being said if the game is played through, players will find that there is most definitely scope for expansion to this world’s mythology; be that through either a sequel or DLC. The series does potentially have a bright future ahead of it, but a game of this magnitude deserves to last far longer than it does. 

Storyline – 6/10

The story of the game follows a 12th-century barbarian named James, who is taken to an alternative time by a mysterious organization that enlists his help to defeat an evil known as the Dark Atomos which is wreaking havoc across time and space. James is also in search of his daughter, whom he claims to be the last thing he has left. It’s an emotionally charged story with a few twists and turns before the end and it makes it stand out somewhat among the circle of indie RPGs released since the start of the eighth generation.  

Originality – 7/10

All these elements combined within the game make it a fairly unique experience; one worth playing through at least once. There are these elements of it that show that the game was a labor of love undertaken over a period of many years and as there is a lot of room for expansion in most of every aspect, there is definitely scope for there being extensive mythology attached to this series. But overall, this game is a decent start to all that. 

Happii

In summation, A Matter of Time, whilst having a couple of issues here and there, is a respectively good game worth at least one playthrough and a solid start for this up-and-coming development team. It has an emotionally charged story, decent gameplay, unique controls, and some extremely well-crafted visuals and it has a lot of potential to expand into a great series down the lines. 

Score

42/60

7/10 (Fair)