''Thinking with Time Machine'' is a 2014 modification for '' Portal 2'' developed by Ruslan "Stridemann" Rybka, and released by SignHead Studio. The player controls

Chell Chell may refer to: * Chell, Staffordshire, an English community on the northern edge of Stoke-on-Trent * Chell (''Star Trek''), a ''Star Trek: Voyager'' character * Chell (''Portal''), the protagonist in the ''Portal'' video games * CHemical cE ...

, the protagonist of the ''Portal'' series, wields the

portal gun ''Portal'' is a series of First-person (video games), first-person puzzle-platform video games developed by Valve Corporation, Valve. Set in the ''Half-Life (series), Half-Life'' universe, the two main games in the series, ''Portal (video game), ...

, while the gameplay revolves around the concept of a tablet-like time machine that is also controlled by the player. The tablet allows the player to record their movement and replay the recordings, creating a double that performs the recorded tasks. Additionally, the mod allows the player to see their own legs by looking down. The development began after the release of ''Portal 2''. Initially released on the Mod DB website, ''Thinking with Time Machine'' went through the

Steam Greenlight Steam is a video game digital distribution service and storefront by Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 as a way for Valve to provide automatic updates for their games, and expanded to distributing and offering third ...

process, after which it was released as a free modification on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

on April 18, 2014. The time machine concept and the ability for the player to see their own legs by looking down were commended by critics, while the lack of usage of the

and the mod's short length were criticized.

Gameplay

Like the ''Portal'' series, ''Thinking with Time Machine'' is a

puzzle-platform A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...

modification for '' Portal 2'' played from the first-person perspective, in which the player must solve puzzles in "test chambers". Throughout the game, the player controls

, the protagonist of the ''Portal'' series. The player uses the

that can create two ends of a portal, colored orange and blue. The game also features other ''Portal'' mechanics such as buttons, cubes, and laser fields. In addition to the portal gun, the player is also given a tablet-like " time machine" in their left hand. Looking down at the tablet allows the player to record and control their movement, including walking, jumping, and picking up objects. After recording themselves, the player user can playback the recording, which summons a double who would perform the selected motion. Only one recording can be played at a time, although it can be replayed infinitely. This allows the player to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Recordings can perform all the actions a normal player can, and the player can also stand on their double, allowing them to reach higher surfaces. After performing a new action, the previous recording is deleted. Another feature of ''Thinking with Time Machine'' is the ability for the player to see their own legs by looking down, which is not available in the ''Portal'' series. The campaign starts at the end of ''Portal 2'', after which the player is introduced to the time machine concept through a series of tutorials. There is no custom voice acting in the mod.

Development and release

''Thinking with Time Machine'' was developed by Ruslan "Stridemann" Rybka and published by SignHead Studio. Rybka said that the development of the mod began after the release of ''Portal 2'', that the overall development was frustrating, and that at one point he was close to quitting the development. Initially, the mod was published on the Mod DB website in 2013. The mod later went through the

process and was accepted due to the mod's concept. The mod was released on

for free on April 18, 2014, for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

, and Linux platforms. Considering that it is a modification, users must own ''Portal 2'' to play ''Thinking with Time Machine''. The game was one of the top 200 on Steam in 2014, and was downloaded over 300,000 times.

Reception

Alice O'Connor of '' Rock Paper Shotgun'' rated the mod positively. Christopher Livingston of '' PC Gamer'' also praised the mod, saying that "it's very cool watching the past version of Chell appear and run through her recording". ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' listed ''Thinking with Time Machine'' as one of the best mods for ''Portal 2''. The time machine concept was praised by reviewers. Livingston and Sergey Svetlichny of ''ITC.ua'' compared the time machine concept to functions of the

cooperative mode A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

. Phil Savage of ''PC Gamer'' also praised the time machine concept and stated that the mod "dramatically expand the complexity" of the ''Portal'' series. Bo Moore of '' Wired'' and Livingston compared the time machine mechanic to the 2010 '' The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom'' game.

Becky Chambers Becky Chambers (born 3 May 1985) is an American science fiction writer. She is the author of the Hugo Award-winning ''Wayfarers'' series as well as novellas including '' To Be Taught, if Fortunate'' and the ''Monk & Robot'' series, which begin ...

compared it to the ''

Braid A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...

'' video game. Reviewers have noted that the game lacks usage of the portal gun; Livingston and Moore saw this as a net negative. Livingston praised the tutorial puzzles, but noted that certain puzzles, in which the double cannot be directly seen, "can get a little weird". Moore praised the design of puzzles but noted that some puzzles lacked " Valve polish", while Svetlichny described them as challenging. The game's short length was also criticized. Nobuki Yasuda of ''Automaton'' stated that the mod lacks a clear plot. The ability for the player to see their own legs by looking down was commended by reviewers. Livingston praised the addition, noting that it helps the player throughout the gameplay.

References

External links

''Thinking with Time Machine''
on

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