If I had made a video game in junior high; it would probably look a lot like Super Time Force Ultra. It's quirky, fun…and you can play as a piece of poop. No, Capybara games rarely takes it's time traveling contra clone very seriously at all, but that's the genius of it. For all of it's jokes and silliness, there's a really great game here - one that's easy to lose your time in and incredibly difficult to master. Don't let the uniqueness of Super Time Force throw you off, this is one of the most unique game you'll play all year.

Super Time Force Ultra follows the adventures of the titular crime fighting force as their leader; Colonel Repeatski sends them back in time to “make the present a better place to live.” It's an easy concept to grasp, but one that Capybara games has a lot of fun with. Everything from the settings to the characters plays out like an episode of an Adult Swim show (and not the normal ones like Futurama, we're talking the really goofy ones). Nearly every time travel story trope is referenced here, and thus put through the skewer. Seriously, the future is overrun by robots, so why is the STF going back to the distant past? So the team can sell the steal the Holy Grail so the colonel can sell it and save the Medieval Funtimes restaurant. It's clear right from the start that Super Time Force never takes itself too seriously, and that can be very deceiving when you get into the main game.

"... the good news is that death isn't the end here"

That's because Super Time Force and it's unique mechanics can be brutally hard and frustrating at times - and it's so rewarding when you finally finish a section. Think of Super Time Force as the classic side-scroller Contra; only if the rules of life and death don't apply; at least, not in the way you expect. Yes, you can die in Super Time Force Ultra, in fact - you're going to do it a lot, but the good news is that death isn't the end here. Each time you die, you get to rewind time and resurrect yourself to fight alongside your ghost performing the actions that they did just before their death. It's an idea as chaotic as it is preposterous, and it leads to some pretty cool moments in the game (and admittedly some frustrating ones).

Levels in Super Time Force are the very definition of Bullet Hell, and it's very likely that you'll die very often not even knowing why. Bullets and debris fly everywhere and each can cause your immediate death and as strange as it seems for a game like this, strategy becomes key. You're not limited to resurrecting yourself with the same character (though you can), and you can choose any character from the squad that you've unlocked. Each team member has different attacks and abilities and works well in different situations, so you'll have to be careful who you're bringing into the battle and when. Many times the battles boil down to pure luck, and being in the right place at the right time but it's still incredibly awesome to see a fleet of downed ghosts all working for the same purpose. It can all get a bit hectic though, especially when you're nearing the end of your available rewinds and a ways away from your goal. This is even more evident during the game's boss fights where Super Time Force trades in strategy and intelligence for an exercise in seeing just how many times you can successfully reverse time to fire as many weapons at the enemy as possible in the given time.

"...requires both quick wits and nerves of steel..."

While rewinding time and trying to pinpoint the exact second you'll have to deploy to defeat the situation can be incredibly difficult (I'm not ashamed to admit that there were a few times I threw my controller down in frustration), it's a difficulty that's similar to games like Super Meat Boy and Dark Souls where the reward is so great, it's rarely not worth the pain. It's strange to say that a game like this is a strategists dream, but it's true - -Super Time Force Ultra requires both quick wits and nerves of steel if you're going to be successful.

The team at Capybara games has done a great job combing the game's frustratingly satisfying gameplay, humor and unique level design to make a complete and often enthralling experience. It's a lot of fun to progress through the game thanks to it's sense of humor and writing. While early levels take you to predictable places, like an apocalyptic future, later in the game the story opens up to take you to such bizarre locations as the insides of an early 90s Geocities style website and one strange theme park. More than anything, it was elements like this that kept me coming back for more, and pressing on until the end of Super Time Force.

Super Time Force Ultra is not a game for everyone; it's difficult and frustrating and it I'm sure to bet that there are some who won't even get past it's very first stage. Those who do stick with the concept though are sure to be rewarded with a remarkably unique and fun platformer that's got personality for days. Capybara games has taken a genre that's been around for generations and turned it on it's head to create an experience that satisfies in droves.
.