How Super Time Force solves time paradoxes with science that 'feels' good

Capy Games' 2D run-and-gun title Super Time Force is built on the basis of time travel, but still relies on science — or, more accurately, science surrounded in air quotes.

During "Super Time Force: Solving the Time Travel Paradox," a panel discussing the design problems associated with time manipulation, Capy Games technical director Kenneth Yeung said the developer landed on science that "feels good."

"When we're talking about time building, [it's a] complicated, paradox filled mess," Yeung said. "[...] You can have a solid engine, but without these fun systems in place to handle the time paradoxes, your game will for sure break down."

To solve these paradoxes, Capy first narrowed in on three big components: causality violation, butterfly effect management and quantum measurement. By installing systems that bend those laws through entangling events, modifying timelines and allowing only on-screen actions to occur, the developer was able to effectively bring balance to the game.

Things may not make temporal or even physical sense anymore, Yeung said, but the game will "feel" more correct.

"Making a time manipulation game fun is hard," Yeung said. "It's not trivial, it's not straightforward. Counter-intuitiveness can sometimes feel right ... in some cases, feel is more important than being logical."