Considering the pedigree behind Time Monkeys, it’s surprisingly rough around the edges. While the graphics and environments are quite detailed and varied, the effort that’s gone into things like the explosions and cut-scenes feels a little hurried, and results in a slightly dated look.

That said, Time Monkeys brings some intriguing ideas to the table that deserve to be explored.

Each time you die, you’ll start the mission from the beginning, but with the addition of ghosts from your previous runs, and unlike ghosts from real life, these ones actually have a substantial effect on their environment. Any actions you took or shots fired in those previous runs still carry through to the present, so enemies will be damaged by bullets from your ghosts, and switches will be triggered that you triggered previously.

The fifth mission introduces the puzzle potential of this time travelling ghost mechanic, as players are presented with two doors and two switches, and of course you can only hit one switch at a time. Or can you? No doubt this feature lends itself to some brain scratching moments in later missions.

It makes sense that the top down angle of a twin-stick shooter such as this would be a natural genre for the creator of Micro Machines to work in. It would be great to see a little more polish go into Time Monkeys, as the shooting is handled competently, and the puzzle mechanic deserves attention. As it stands though, it all just feels a little hastily stitched together.

The tutorial and the first five missions are downloadable for free, with the rest of the missions available for purchase in packs. It’s a nice try-before-you-buy option.

Here is a trailer for a taste: