By Jade Entien

Do you like action fantasy retro games made with pixels and love? Then you’d definitely be into “The Ambassador,” TinyDino Games’ charming twin stick shooter with RPG elements that’s rife with matrimony and magic. In the game you play as a mage named Gregor who is also the Ambassador of Time and representative of the Eternal Fellowship. As the Ambassador of Time, you are given the ability to stop time and alter your surroundings to stop death blocks, mobs, or attacks in general. The game itself is an aesthetically pleasing sight for the player. The backgrounds, non-playable characters, and those aforementioned mobs all just seem to fit in. As alluring as it sounds, is it for everyone? Let’s jump in and find out!

From my first look at the game I was immediately interested – even though I’m not a huge fan of retro-oriented pixel games. That’s because I like the more realistic graphics of today’s consoles. The tutorial was easy to follow – so even players new to this type of game style would understand what to do as long as they don’t mind multitasking! In order to beat certain enemies, the player must use the multiple skills they learn in the tutorial to progress with the story. I remember getting to the first boss battle and immediately forgetting I could stop time. So I ended up taking six tries before I thought of a winning strategy.

Regardless of this little setback, I was able to move forward with the game where I was met with a surprise that ultimately shocked me and changed the game suddenly, a massive explosion caused by unknown reasons that ended up doing massive damage to my mentor. This sudden change left me with the task of saving Gregor’s world and showing myself worthy of being “The Ambassador.” I was faced with diverse enemies, each posing a different challenge due to their unique abilities such as, the swamp monsters with the ability to slow you down using their brambles, human enemies that deem you a threat and attempt to slice you down, and huge seemingly untouchable monster towers that shoot bullets in a spiral.

Even though this game is a fun pixelated adventure there are some features that some players may have problems with. You may not like this game if you’re a rage quitter, a person who likes short games, or a person who doesn’t like twin-stick games. For my rage quitters out there, in “The Ambassador,” you will die a LOT. This game gives quite the Dark Souls vibe, but you can get better equipment by progressing through the game although it will take awhile to get there.

For those who like short games, I highly recommend giving “The Ambassador” a go regardless. This game comes with hours and even days of content for the player at such a reasonable price! With that amount of value, it would be a shame not to give it a go. And for players who absolutely detest twin-stick games you’ll likely change your mind within seconds during the tutorial. Playing will feel weird at first but as you go on, it’ll start to feel comfortable and then, natural.

If you’re any of these types of gamers it’d be worth giving this game a try! Soon you’ll forget about these issues as you’re beating the swamp monster, the first boss you’ll encounter during the tutorial. 

Here’s the wrap! “The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines” is an amazing time waster of a game that will make you wish you could freeze time in the real world. It’s colorful, has an easy-to-follow story, and is an overall awesome game. During your time in quarantine it’s definitely worth the cost for an action-packed fantasy game.

Jade Entien, a junior at the Bronx’s DreamYard Prep School, is a frequent contributor to the New York Videogame Critics Circle.