Time Flies, a perception-warping bug puzzler, reimagines a housefly's short lifespan as an absurd tragedy. Over roughly a minute, players control a fly buzzing around minimalist 2D environments to complete a bucket list of vague, funny goals like “make someone laugh” or “find God”. The game relies on experimentation and intuition rather than explicit quest markers.
There are four levels, including a museum, a sewer, and two cluttered homes. The monochromatic art style conceals philosophical quandaries and silly jokes. Players can make the Mona Lisa smile, get drunk on wine, or grow a flower from a waterlogged corpse. However, not every action fulfills a bucket list item, and sharp or gooey hazards abound.
The central challenge is time: players must discover and chain bucket list activities within a short lifespan. Time-shifting clocks add precious seconds. The controls feel appropriately unwieldy, especially for tasks like collecting coins while avoiding a lightbulb or flying through statue intestines to make it fart.
The repetitious reincarnation mirrors humanity's futile desire for order amidst unpredictable obstacles. Even with longer lifespans, achieving lofty ambitions requires reorientation of meaning. Time Flies blends its profound ideas with playful mechanics, providing a lighthearted canvas for existential reflection over an hour or two.
