This little piggy’s maybe gonna run out of time… unless you can help out  a little bit.

So, yeah. There’s a new game called Clock Simulator for the Switch, it’s a port of the PC version, that adds two mini-games to the mix, it’s a mere $3.99 and you should give it more than a few minutes of your time because it’s strangely addictive, that being a clock thing. No joke here, this is a pretty impressive variant on the rhythm game where you need to be even more precise with your button pressing than usual. Perfection is not an overrated thing at all, at least as far as this deceptively basic time sink goes.

It’s also a very cool way to learn a specific skill (pressing a button exactly one second at a time) that may not seem as if would come in handy at all, but in fact, is quite helpful if part of your job is clock-watching. Granted, if you work at any job with a clock nearby or are one of the many who constantly check their favorite timekeeping device, this game may either cone in quite handy or make you wince a tad. Either way, just don’t tell your boss about it (unless you’re the boss, of course).

“Time enough, at last…” but don’t stop pressing that button, pal.

Including the tutorial, 14 mini-games (a pair of 2-player games and 11 solo ones) are submitted for your approval, all based on pressing buttons a second at a time with variations in theme. Some are straightforward, some are a bit more complex, and some involve cute polygon pigs interacting with elements in the otherwise simple “environments”. There’s no story to follow and in fact, the game greatly benefits from its simple pick up and play approach.The only oddball thing to me was the digital clock mini-game, but I only tried it once and only stopped because I didn’t think there seemed to be a “losing” condition.

The game also nets a short poem from me, as it’s a thing I tend to do when I really dig something this quirky, sooooo:

Zen-like reflexes your fingers will require, or fail you shall, when those fingers tire.

Or something like that.

(Thanks, Kool2Play!)

The game works on that weird level where you may fund yourself sucked in wholly, but also full of thoughts about the passage of time as every second ticks by. It’s that whole “Why am I playing this game?” question, answered fully by the act of playing it. Sure, you can quit after a few minutes and go onto other things, but there’s an inexorable pull to the clock life that’s compelling. Extremely compelling, if you really fall into the ticky-tocky rabbit hole this brings to the table. Or, simple as it may seem, it’s bigger on the inside.

As far as scoring goes, it’s a case of great enough to be a must-play, but it’s absolutely fine if this isn’t your thing when all is said and done. Me? I like what Kool2Play has done here can highly recommend it without a second of hesitation (see what I did there?). Wait until you see what they have popping up on Switch next… it’s a game about hugging that’s another nifty surprise. You’ll see.

Next, on Lord of the Time Flies: Jump, piggies, jump!

Score: A- (90%)

-GW

Review code provided by the publisher