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About The Time Machine
The Time Machine is an adventure game developed by KingLumps that dropped on SteamVR in November 2025. It’s a first-person indie title where you pilot a clunky DIY time machine to explore historical moments. The game leans into mystery and curiosity, with no combat or dialogue options. You piece together fragmented timelines through environmental storytelling and collectibles. It’s a short, self-contained experience aimed at VR fans who enjoy cerebral puzzles and atmospheric exploration. The elevator pitch: a time-travel simulator that’s more scavenger hunt than narrative epic.
Gameplay
You spend most of your time fiddling with a holographic control panel to jump between eras, like 1920s jazz clubs or 2070s space colonies. The VR mechanics let you physically reach for objects, grab a newspaper, adjust a dial, or snap photos to unlock lore. Puzzles involve aligning timelines by matching visual cues, like aligning a clock tower’s position across centuries. Sessions typically last 2-3 hours, with a focus on exploration over repetition. Controls are clunky but responsive, and the physics engine lets you throw objects to test their durability. The game rewards patience; skipping a section means missing context for later events.
What Players Think
Community ratings average 4.3/5, with 68% of players completing the game. Average playtime is 6.5 hours, though hardcore completionists hit 12 hours. The top moods reported are “curious” (78%) and “nostalgic” (54%), with a 20% “tense” rating during puzzle sequences. Critics praised the “atmospheric vignettes” but noted the story feels “sketchy, not fleshed out.” One review called it “a love letter to time-travel tropes with a VR twist.” Achievement completion is 82%, with the hardest being “Temporal Paradox” (unlocked by visiting the same location thrice in one session).
PlayPile's Take
Worth the $39.99 asking price if you’re into VR and low-stakes exploration. It’s a 7-hour experience with 35 achievements, so it’s short but dense with collectibles. The Time Machine thrives in its curiosity-driven design but lacks the polish to justify a replay. Best for folks who want to casually drift through history without a rigid agenda. Stick with it if you’re a VR purist; skip if you crave narrative depth or long-term replay value.
Game Modes
Single player
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