Time Wasters Review Summary

Fun and addictive with great value and diverse characters and weapons, but repetitive shallow gameplay, unfair difficulty and death mechanics, and heavily criticized AI art.

Fun and addictive gameplay: Reviewers consistently describe the game as fun, enjoyable, and addictive. Many highlight the solid gameplay loop that keeps them coming back for more.

Great value for price: Many reviewers find the game affordable and well worth the money, offering substantial entertainment for a low cost.

Diverse characters and weapons: The game offers a wide roster of characters and weapons, each with unique playstyles and abilities. This variety keeps gameplay fresh and interesting.

Satisfying meta progression: The meta-progression system is frequently praised as satisfying, meaningful, and well-paced. Players appreciate the sense of growth between runs.

Good graphics and visuals: The visuals are described as polished, smooth, and visually appealing, with a solid anime-esque art style. The interface is also considered clean.

Gameplay is repetitive and shallow: Clusters frequently describe the game as extremely repetitive with shallow mechanics, boring after a few runs, and lacking depth. Many note that all runs feel the same and the game becomes stale quickly.

Unfair difficulty and death mechanics: Frequent complaints about cheap deaths, lack of invincibility frames, and enemies dealing massive damage instantly. Telegraphing is poor, and many deaths feel unavoidable, leading to frustration.

Weapon variety and balance issues: Weapons lack variety and many are frustrating or ineffective. Some weapons are significantly better than others, leading to forced meta loadouts and limited build diversity. Evolution paths are linear and uninspired.

Lack of meaningful progression: Meta-progression feels shallow and RNG-dependent, with upgrades that are mostly flat stat boosts. Progression systems are linear, and many upgrades become negligible once maxed out, leading to a sense of wasted effort.

AI-generated art criticized heavily: Multiple clusters complain about AI-generated artwork being used throughout the game, ranging from character portraits to textures. Reviewers find it irksome, inconsistent, and a potential dealbreaker, with some suspecting manual fixes were applied to hide AI origins.

Vampire Survivors-like Gameplay: The game is frequently described as a Vampire Survivors-like or Survivors-like game. It follows the same genre with similar mechanics, such as auto-shooting and wave survival.

Multiple Characters and Playstyles: The game features multiple characters with different playstyles, each with unique weapons and abilities. Characters can be selected at the start or as crew members to customize loadouts.

Upgrade and Progression System: Players highlight the upgrade system that progresses during play, with many unlocks and in-game milestones. The system includes upgrades that are stat boosts and meta-progression that works well.

Roguelike/Roguelite Elements: The game is described as a roguelike or roguelite with fast-paced and challenging gameplay. It includes bullet heaven and auto-shooter elements.

Weapon Variety and Unlocks: The game includes multiple weapon types and unlockable weapons. Unlock conditions for new weapons and characters are tied to RNG.

Steam Deck display issues: The game displays a 4/3 image with large black bars on the sides under Proton on Steam Deck, and there are no options to correct it. No fix has been released for this problem.

Good performance and efficiency: The game runs at a stable 60 fps with power consumption up to 10W, and there is no lag or stutter even with much happening on screen.

Crashes and freezes: Some players experience crashes and freezes during normal play.

Intense flashing lights: The epilepsy warning is serious; blinking lights at higher levels are extremely intense.

Works well on Steam Deck: Some players report that the game works well on the Steam Deck.

Worth the money: Many reviewers consider the game definitively worth its price, offering good value and well-paid hours for the cost. Several note it is a bargain at the current price and would buy it even at a higher price.

Recommended for bullet heaven fans: The game is heartily recommended to anyone who enjoys bullet heaven or Vampire Survivors-like games. It is a must-have for fans of the genre and a strong addition among similar titles.

Buy on sale: Reviewers suggest buying the game on sale without hesitation, as it is a no-brainer at a discount. However, some caution against full price, recommending it only during sales.

Not recommended for some: A few reviewers do not recommend the game, citing it as unenjoyable or bad despite a low price. Some advise not wasting money or time and suggest avoiding it even on sale.

Recommended for casual fun: The game is recommended for casual players and for passing time, offering simple fun and a great time-waster. It is well-suited for short, quick sessions.

Community fair range: $2.50 - $4.99.

Game completion: 40.0h.

Session length: 0.5h.

Endgame: 20.0h.

Players often find the game immediately addictive and polished, but many report that repetition sets in after a few hours or runs, making it less fun over time.

Friction: Slow and frustrating early progress due to grinding for upgrades; Difficulty scaling that forces grindy short runs before the game can be played; Starting runs feel doomed because enemies progress faster than the player; Lack of explanation or tutorial for mechanics; Too much on-screen activity and easy hits from enemies; Only one wrapping stage with little randomness and repeated points of interest.

Unlock drivers: Meta-progression upgrades that make the player gradually more powerful; Upgrades that feel good and quick-upgrade without popup menus; Unlocking diverse characters and weapon abilities; Unlocking challenge runs and fun levels for each character; Slay-the-Spire-style upgrade choices from a large pool.

Bullet Heaven Genre Connoisseur: Fast auto-shooter runs, testing varied weapon evolutions and comparing the feel against other genre entries. Motivation: Wants a fresh, well-executed take on the Vampire Survivors-style bullet heaven loop rather than a lazy clone. Stance: buy.

Achievement Completionist Grinder: Long grind sessions farming meta-currency, repeating full, solo, and challenge runs across all twelve characters. Motivation: Driven to 100% the game by clearing every challenge and maxing the meta-progression for all characters. Stance: buy.

Casual Time-Waster: Short, snappy runs with simple controls, often played passively in the background or on a handheld. Motivation: Wants a light, fast, low-commitment game to relax with or play while socializing. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: Steam Deck feedback is mixed. One user reports the game runs well and is fun, while other reports identify display and UI scaling problems: text and icons do not scale properly, and fullscreen mode can render at 4:3 with large black bars occupying much of the screen. There is no evidence of crashes, anti-cheat failures, or required external launchers. Overall friction is moderate: the game is playable, but not fully seamless without tolerating scaling issues.

Linux and Proton: The only relevant review describes a fullscreen display issue on Steam Deck under Proton: the game renders in 4:3 with large black bars and uses only half the screen. No launch failures, anti-cheat blockers, or severe instability are reported. This is a minor Linux/Proton graphical quirk rather than a broken compatibility state.

Compared to Vampire Survivors: The game is frequently compared to Vampire Survivors and similar survivor-style games, with opinions ranging from favorable to unfavorable. Some call it a clone or ripoff, while others note it attempts to differentiate itself.

Low price point: The game is sold at a low price, often described as cheap for the amount of entertainment provided. Many players find it reasonably priced relative to its content and quality.

AI-generated art controversy: The game uses AI-generated art assets, including AI portrait art, which is a concern for some players. Developers acknowledge using AI tools for artwork and localization, sparking debate about art quality.

Early Access status: The game is currently in Early Access, meaning content and quality may change. Some players have played on and off throughout Early Access and expect future improvements.

Steam Deck compatibility: The game is marked as Steam Deck compatible, but some users report severe display issues while others say it works great. Experiences on Steam Deck vary significantly.