So in Clock Simulator, you are the clock.  You must press a button to count down seconds, but make sure they’re right on the dot.  And that’s it.  I wouldn’t even call it a music/rhythm game, because there is no music.  It’s just a rhythm game.  This minimalist title is available to download on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.  The saving grace of this game is the variety of modes it has (over a dozen), which we’ll go over below.

Learn to Play

This is the game’s tutorial mode.  Not like you really need it to figure out how to play.  The game explains what you must do, and lets you practice and tells you if you hit the button too early, too late, or just right.  You can practice as long as you like.

A Game of Shadows

In this one, the clock’s hands and number markers casts a shadow.  If you miss a beat, your second hand becomes shorter.  When it’s all gone, the game is over.  You get a point for every second you make.

Last Pig Standing

There are a couple of two-player games, and this is one of them.  Two blocky pigs (this game has an obsession with pigs, as you will soon see) are standing on a clock face.  A hand will swing out and you must hop over it like a jump rope.  Whoever lasts the longest without getting hit, wins.

Clock Fight

This is the other two player mode.  Each player gets a second hand with five segments.  If you miss a second exactly, one of the segments will fall off.  Whoever still has segments last, wins.  I think you can start your seconds uneven with the other player, which can mess you or them up, too.

Dungeons and Aliens

You are a wizard and UFOs and monsters pop out of cuckoo clocks.  You must press the right button to defeat them.  A for UFOs and Y for monsters.  But sometimes they will pop out on opposite sides, making you want to press the wrong button, so be careful.  Zap as many as you can without missing.  Once you miss, it’s Game Over and you get a score.

The Fragility of Time

This is a single player version of Clock Fight.  Your clock second hand is split into five segments.  Lose one when you miss a second exactly.  When you lose all five, it’s Game Over and your score for each second is tallied.

It’s XYAB Time

Here’s another pig game.  Clock gears are chasing that blocky pig, and they have a letter on them that corresponds to a button on the Switch.  You must press that button quickly to get a point, but if you miss or aren’t fast enough, the gears will outrun the pig and it’s Game Over!

The Spirits of Time

Every successful second you do will make a spirit rise onto the screen, slowly but surely.  Try to get as many on screen as you can!

Follow the Rhythm

You get a second hand behind yours that you can follow to help you along.  But if you are still too early or late, your hand gets shorter and when it disappears, you lose.

From Dawn to Dusk

For every missed second, the day passes and it gets darker and darker.  Try to keep it daylight as much as possible.

Pig Got the Rhythm

This is like a single player version of Last Pig Standing.  Help the blocky pig leap over the passing clock hand like a jump rope.  The speed never changes, so you could theoretically play this game indefinitely if you keep the same timing.

A Minute of Perfection

You play for a whole minute, and after each second, the clock face will show you if you got it perfect with a green segment, and red if you are off.  Try to get more green than red on your clock face at the end of one minute.

Test Your Skill

When you land a perfect second, you get points.  But if you miss or are off, you may lose points.  Try to survive for a whole minute and keep your score above the negative!  It’s tough!

Time to Go Digital

And last you can play the game with a digital clock.  I think you can play this one indefinitely.

And those are all the modes in Clock Simulator.  This game is pretty hard, and feels like it would make a better mobile game time waster.  But if you want a weird novelty piece for your Switch, you might want to make time for Clock Simulator.

Kid Factor:

When the blocky pig gets hit in the games, he flies forward and smacks his face on your TV screen, but that’s as violent as it gets.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers may get bored of the simple visuals and gameplay and frustrated at the difficulty.  I guess you could use this game as a teaching tool for telling time for kids, but that’s probably a bit of a stretch.  Clock Simulator is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews