Game intel
Timelie
Timelie is a stealth puzzle adventure, where you control time like a media player. Perceive future events to plan your escape strategy from the past, sneak an…
Timelie, Urnique Studio’s award-winning time-bending puzzler from Thailand, just landed on mobile worldwide courtesy of Snapbreak Games – with a free demo and a one-time unlock ($5.99 on Android, $6.99 on iOS). That caught my attention because Timelie’s “scrub-the-timeline” control scheme always felt like it was secretly designed for a touchscreen. If you bounced off the PC or Switch versions back in 2020-2021, this might be the moment it finally clicks.
We’re in a weird spot for mobile games: tons of gacha and battle passes, but the best premium puzzlers still thrive because they respect your time. Timelie was already a standout on PC, blending Braid-style rewinding with a tactical timeline that lets you preview actions, course-correct, and choreograph two characters in sync. The cat distracts sentries, the girl flips switches, and you scrub back and forth like you’re editing a stealth heist in a video editor. It’s precise, methodical, and honestly, it can feel better under your thumbs than on a mouse or analog stick.
Snapbreak getting involved is telling. They’ve built an audience around premium, tactile puzzle experiences on phones. Bringing Timelie into that ecosystem signals confidence that players still want complete, clever puzzle games without the free-to-play fluff. And with Urnique representing a growing wave of Southeast Asian studios breaking through globally, this port adds another win for the region’s indie scene.
On PC, dragging the timeline felt good with a mouse; on Switch, it was solid but occasionally awkward with sticks. On a phone or tablet, sliding your finger to rewind, scrub, and set move markers should be instinctive. This is the kind of puzzle design where micro-adjustments matter — sneak the cat two beats earlier, hold the girl a half-second longer — and touch input turns those micro beats into muscle memory.
That said, small screens can be a double-edged sword. Timelie’s isometric levels hide patrol cones and switches in corners that benefit from a larger view. If you’ve got a tablet, use it. If not, expect to lean on pinch-zoom or take an extra moment to read enemy routes. The game’s measured pace makes that totally fine; this isn’t a twitch platformer. It’s you versus the clock, except you control the clock.
The mobile release uses a demo-plus-unlock model: try it free, then pay once to get the full game. At $5.99 on Android and $6.99 on iOS, it’s a couple bucks more than your average coffee but far less than most console indies. I’ll always prefer this to “watch five ads to get a hint” or an energy meter that nags you to stop playing. If you’re on the fence, the demo lets you test performance, controls, and whether the pacing is your style before you commit.
One note: The iOS price is a buck higher. That’s not unusual and won’t matter to most players, but if you carry both platforms, it’s worth knowing. Either way, you’re paying for a complete, polished experience. No seasons, no skins, just a tight, thoughtful campaign with optional mastery if you want to perfect your routes.
I’m genuinely excited because mobile feels like the “true form” of Timelie’s idea — direct, tactile, and perfect for quick sessions or long, late-night puzzle binges. The stealth puzzles hit that sweet spot between clever and fair; when you mess up, you scrub back, tweak the plan, and watch it unfold like choreography. That feedback loop should be even more satisfying on touch.
My only real questions are practical: How does it scale on smaller phones? Is the UI clean enough that you won’t fat-finger commands in tense moments? And will there be optional comfort settings for players who prefer slower scrubbing or larger interaction icons? Snapbreak didn’t spell out those details in the announcement, so use the demo to see how it feels on your device.
Between Monument Valley’s legacy and the enduring popularity of tactile puzzle adventures, there’s still a hungry audience for one-and-done premium games on phones. Timelie sliding into that lane is a smart move, and it’s great to see a Thai indie find a second life on a platform built for its core mechanic. If enough players show up for releases like this, we’ll keep getting the kind of mobile games that don’t nickel-and-dime you — they just challenge you.
Timelie’s mobile release makes a strong case that touch is the best way to play its time-scrubbing stealth puzzles. There’s a free demo and a straightforward one-time unlock ($5.99 Android, $6.99 iOS). If you love premium puzzle games that respect your time and your wallet, this is absolutely worth a look.
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