Time Bandit – Part 1: Appendages of the Machine
A Game That Takes Time
A dark life sim that unfolds slowly in real time, with an unusual combination of elements from idle, stealth, and puzzle genres.
Make your choices carefully, because everything you start will take time to finish–just like in real life. Place down one of these automated forklifts to push a box for you, for example, and it’ll take an actual half an hour to finish moving it:
You’ll just have to go and do other stuff and come back later.
You work as an independent contractor for a mining company, but soon you discover they’re trying to take control of time in order to make you work for them forever. Manage your money, fuel, and energy while slowly solving puzzles to collect the time crystals and then pull off high-stakes stealthy heists to steal back from your employer.
Featuring tons of real-time game mechanics:
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Move boxes, grow trees, build bridges, and compact trash–and wait for them to finish.
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Different guard rotations and different consequences for getting caught depending on the time of day when you play.
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A story that unfolds slowly through conversations that work like real-life phone calls. Characters will only call you periodically to advance the story over the course of days and weeks of playtime.
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Your energy meter goes down while you play, and it takes up to 8 real-time hours of good sleep to fill it up all the way.
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Meet characters at the actual meeting times that you set with them.
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Real-time dynamic music.
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And much more.
A Story of Political Intrigue
The first part of an epic, explicitly anticapitalist melodrama, told through lowpoly cutscenes and radio conversations inspired by early cinematic games. The company’s CEO and shareholders have come up with a scheme to live forever, but it will mean sacrificing the lives of their workers. Fight for a world where everyone has a right to their time.
Use the realistic radio to call characters anytime for dialogue about whatever situation you’re in. You’ll find hints on what to do next, details that expand the story, fourth wall–breaking humor, and more.
A challenge with real consequences: Don’t get caught by guards or let yourself fall asleep, or you might end up stuck waiting it out in jail or the hospital.
Fixed camera angles in gameplay, just like in the old days. With a real-time day-and-night cycle and real-time weather tied to your location, to make the game integrate more with your life.
Tons of playtime in part one alone. And you can use your save file to continue where you left off when the next part comes out. Truly commit to the long haul of the real-time experience.
Join Time Bandit’s Discord to receive development updates and offer your feedback on work in progress! https://discord.gg/vhue5NtN39
Read More: Best Real-Time Narrative Games.