Time Constrained Treasure (You Have 10 Seconds 2 Review)

Quick Facts:

Developer: Tamation Games

Initial Release Date: August 26, 2016

Platforms: PC

Rating: Not Rated (Mild Cartoon Violence)

You have ten seconds. Ok, here are the rules. Nine. Right arrow on your keyboard is to move right. Eight. Left arrow is to move left. Seven. Space bar is to jump. Six. You see that door over there? Five. No, not the black one! Four. The white one! Three. Hurry! Run to it! Two. Now touch it! One. Phew! That was close.

As the screen cascades in a twisting block of white, you are assaulted with another set of instructions. The ice is slick! Don't touch those spikes or you'll...never mind, just start at the beginning of the level again. Ok, now that you got the rules, make sure you...oh wait I forgot to tell you that the map is upside down. RESTART. Great, now you understand that the map is upside down, you'll need to use the portals. Yes, jump through them. Good. 

It may seem chaotic now, but you're getting the hang of it. Just a few more levels to go. You got this! I believe in you! And...welcome back to the level select screen. Now you can do the process all over again by walking through that door down the hall.

Wait, you want a review? Well, here's the gist of it. You are a little white block. Throughout the game there will be many contrived reasons why you can't just go through the door. You have to learn to run, jump, teleport, swim, shrink, flip gravity, and lots of other stuff if you wanna survive. Don't worry though, the game is great at easing you in. Also, I am not sure why, but I think it may be important to mention that the game defaults to a little window instead of full screen. So, if you are looking for a game with gorgeous graphics and detailed lighting....you are looking at the wrong game. It's free though, and small, so it can fit comfortably in your hard drive like a small kitten in a box you found on a rainy street in New York. Now that is an obscure movie reference. Moving on.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Game play. You see that number at the top of the screen rapidly descending and beeping as you move around? That is how much time you have left. Not only does the game restrict you from going to the door, but you must do it in ten seconds! In any other game, this would be a frustrating constraint. But, the beauty of this gem is in it's construction. By giving the players ten seconds, the levels are simplistic but challenging. 

You don't have to worry about memorizing long strings of combos, or managing items in an every expanding and increasingly irrelevant inventory. Instead, it's the foundation of a what a video game should be. Quick reflexes and immediate attention to the goal at hand. Now, I do respect games that go far beyond this, but You Only Have 10 Seconds 2 reminds me of a simpler time when video games were pure entertainment.

At times you'll want to hi five yourself in the face for being a genius and an idiot in the same ten seconds. In my years of gaming I've never felt so pleasantly frustrated. The pleasure comes in knowing that there must be a simple solution waiting right in front of you, and within ten seconds you can beat a level that took you ten minutes to figure out. Everything else, from repeatedly hitting the same spike that you KNOW is there to missing the door right when the last second ticks away can lead to maddening frustration. Don't worry, the frustration will wear off and reveal a sense of accomplishment that is rare in modern gaming.

If you like fast paced game play, easy to understand controls, a catchy chiptune soundtrack, and the unnerving sense of tension brought upon by a constantly ticking time bomb, then I highly recommend You Only Have 10 Seconds 2.  A brief disclaimer though. The game is very short, but there is a level editor which could provide some extra entertainment for the creative types. It's a pretty intuitive interface that allows you to easily come up with insanely difficult labyrinths for you and your friends. This only unlocks after you beat the game however, so that you understand how all of the different objects work, which I think is a smart idea.

I have ten seconds left. Well I hope you enjoyed reading my review. Nine. It was fun playing and writing for you guys. Eight. Looks like my time is running short so I'll say this. Seven. The game is free to play. Six. It's on Steam (the PC gaming client). Five. And you can download it at the time of this writing! Four. So, if you're up for a game that's easy to learn. Three. But difficult and engaging to play. Two. Go ahead and download You Only Have 10 Seconds 2! One. You won't regret it. Good bye.

REVIEW TERMINATED.