Singularity
Preview
Adjust time to your liking
by Ryan Cope
previewed on X360
TMD Is A Man’s Best Friend
Throughout the game you will come across all sorts of weapons, ranging from the ones that you find in the past and present as well as some futuristic ones. For example, the E99 pistol is a regular revolver with some added bonuses. The weapon allows you to fire special bullets that you can control in slow motion. So if an enemy is hiding behind some cover, pop it out, pull the trigger and guide your bullet into his brain. Other equipment include, for example, the deadlocks that, when deployed, create a time bubble that freezes anything and anyone within it. This can then be picked up and redeployed elsewhere if needed.
Of course, the main tool that you’ll be using throughout the game will be the TMD. This handy little thing, that straps to your arm like a glove, will help you in almost any situation. The TMD can be used to solve puzzles and fight enemies in combat. Unlike ordinary time games where you can pause or reverse time, Singularity’s TMD allows you to change the time of specific objects. This works by fast forwarding or reversing the time of that object by about 60 years. So, if you need to get somewhere but the stairs are broken, you can just point your TMD at it, reverse the time by 60 years and have a brand new set of stairs. The same goes for walls, bridges, doors and barrels. A particularly interesting use for this is building or destroying cover. Feel like the heat is getting too much and the gunfire is getting too close? Then point the TMD at some old rubble that used to be a wall, reverse time and there you go, you’ve got some cover. The same thing works for destroying it, but fast-forward time instead and watch it turn to rubble.
It’s the same for combat. Point the TMD at a soldier, fast-forward time and watch as they turn into dust. Reverse time, however, and they mutate into wild mutant berserks that spit out acid and attack their own comrades. Use this ability tactically though, since if they end up killing all your enemies and they still live at the end, you’ll be the next target. The TMD can also be used in a kind of telekinesis way. You can catch enemy rockets or grenades, freeze them in time and throw them back at the owner. Aside from all these neat little tricks, the TMD can be used as a sort of melee weapon, firing out a burst of super powered force, smashing things away from you.
Another handy ability is “the ping”. A small blue time wave that you can activate in order to reveal footprints in the ground to show you which direction you need to go. It works as a clever adaptation of a map, compass or navigational point. As you traverse the game you will come across small clouds of Element 99 and within them will be items that you will need. By activating something called the Chrono Light, you can see the objects inside the cloud and use the TMD to pull them back out of the past, allowing you to use them in the present.
While the TMD does not run on any ammo, it has a “juice bar” that refills over time. It depends on what sort of action you take what the toll on the juice is. After using the melee push ability the “juice” will charge almost instantly, whereas if you age someone by 60 years, it will take a bit longer time to refresh. Scattered around the island are huge machines called TMD amplifiers. These are power boosters for your TMD that, when activated, help you to intensify your powers so that you can recreate entire buildings or anything on a large scale. These reconstructed building are unstable, however, and will rapidly age; unable to hold their rewound state. This means you will have to do what you need to do very quickly.
Only Time Will Tell
Singularity looks like it’s shaping up to be an interesting sci-fi FPS with some fresh time manipulation ideas. So far there has been no sign of any multiplayer aspect, which is a shame since there is a good opportunity for competitive play. With an intriguing storyline, plenty of room for custom gameplay and some really exciting powers to get your hands on, Singularity shows promise. But, naturally, only time will tell if these promises will be met.
