''No Time to Explain'' is a

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed and published by

tinyBuild tinyBuild Inc. is an American publisher of indie games based in Bellevue, Washington. The company was established by Alex Nichiporchik and Tom Brien in 2011 to expand Brien's game '' No Time to Explain'' into a commercial release. Building fro ...

. Designed by Tom Brien and Alex Nichiporchik, it is the successor to Brien's

browser game A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on c ...

, released on January 6, 2011. ''No Time to Explain'' has been released on

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

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, and

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. A remastered version of the game, ''No Time to Explain Remastered'', was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X,

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

, and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

. A

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version was planned, but never released.

Plot

The game follows an unnamed male protagonist as he chases his future self, who has been captured, through time for an unknown reason. Central to the game is a powerful laser gun received from the Future Protagonist that can be used as both a weapon and a means of propulsion. A running gag is that, just as a character is about to explain what's going on, they are interrupted, keeping the protagonist - and the player - in the dark. The plot contains elements of

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

, the

time paradox A temporal paradox, time paradox, or time travel paradox is a paradox, an apparent contradiction, or logical contradiction associated with the idea of time and time travel. The notion of time travel to the future complies with current understanding ...

effect, and alternate time-lines. As the game continues, the characters and worlds get increasingly more absurd, including a world made entirely of desserts and a blank world that must be painted with "ink" (via the gun) to traverse. The player will also control several alternate versions of the protagonists, such as the football helmet wearing "Most Popular Guy in the World," who uses his shotgun to propel himself over large distances. Eventually, the culprit behind the attacks is discovered: the protagonist's evil twin, who was released by accident while the protagonist was chasing his abducted selves. Once all the levels are completed, a round table of protagonists convenes to come up with a plan. The group misunderstands a brainstorm from the original protagonist and graft him and The Most Popular Guy in the World together into a composite being, giving the player the ability to use both types of guns. The plan somehow works, but moments before defeat, the evil twin goes back to the beginning of the game with Composite Guy in pursuit. The original protagonist is killed after the twin steals the laser gun, the twin is then pushed into the attacking monster he released, and after a few awkward moments of silence, the composite protagonist finally announces, "''Video Games!''" Then, the credits roll.

Gameplay

The game is a 2D side-scroller, with most of the levels involving various means of propulsion. The main method is a laser gun worn as a jetpack that shoots a laser beam with a time limit. Many variations on this, such as a shotgun that launches the player at a great distance, or a slingshot effect that flings the player from wall to wall, are used at different levels.

Development

''No Time to Explain'' was a

created by Tom Brien and released on

Newgrounds Newgrounds is an entertainment website and company founded by Tom Fulp in 1995. It hosts user-generated content such as games, films, audio, and artwork. Fulp produces in-house content at the headquarters and offices in Glenside, Pennsylvania. I ...

on January 6, 2011. It has currently garnered over 405,000 views at Newgrounds. After the success of ''No Time to Explain'', Brien teamed up with Alex Nichiporchik to start work on a full version of the game. Development on ''No Time to Explain'' began in February 2011. The game was initially announced for PC and Mac, and was released for Windows, Mac and Linux in August 2011, and on Steam in January 2013. The game differs from the original

Flash game A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on co ...

in that instead of being drawn, the levels are built out of blocks. On April 11, 2011, tinyBuild announced that they opened a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

account to collect funds to help support the project. In less than 24 hours, the $7,000 goal was met. The Kickstarter page has helped raised over $26,000 for the project with a notable contribution of $2,000 from ''

Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being ...

'' creator

Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (; born 1 June 1979), also known as Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is best known for creating the sandbox video game ''Minecraft'' and for founding the video game company Mojang in 2009. Perss ...

References

External links

* * {{Kickstarter, 1296948465/no-time-to-explain-indie-game, ''No Time To Explain'' 2011 video games 2015 video games Crowdfunded video games Indie video games Kickstarter-funded video games Linux games MacOS games Platform games PlayStation 4 games Side-scrolling video games Steam Greenlight games Video games with Steam Workshop support Video games developed in the Netherlands Windows games Xbox One games TinyBuild games Single-player video games