Welcome to the Timecrest Community Spotlight, a series where we interview some of the wonderful people in the Timecrest community in celebration of the upcoming Timecrest 3, which will be released as a free update to Timecrest on Dec 15.
Today we talk to Christine, who has been with us since Timecrest 1 and tells us about her experiences playing Timecrest and eventually helping us out!
Please introduce yourself to our players!
Hi everyone! I'm Christine, and I joined the Timecrest team as a volunteer forum moderator and beta tester because I was obsessed with the story and happy that someone could appreciate my skills as a self-proclaimed grammar queen. Timecrest reminded me of one of my favorite childhood genres- Choose Your Own Adventure books.
Other than enjoying Interactive Fiction games and video games, I spend my time with family (husband, 2 teens, 2 kittens) and friends, streaming movies and shows, day trips, and dreaming of traveling since my last trip to Iceland in 2019.
When did you start playing Timecrest?
I started in early 2016–I had just beaten a different text based game and Timecrest looked like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books I loved as a child. I downloaded it, and I was hooked.
You’ve been playing Timecrest for years. What is it about Timecrest that keeps you coming back?
I love playing Timecrest because of the variety within the game. We know how it starts and ends, but in between there are so many paths that you can play 20 times or more and still discover new things. The characters are well-written, and the secrets you find make you want to play again to search for more clues.
The fact that you know you can play paths 20 times and discover new things shows you know Timecrest 1 and 2 inside and out. Any tips to share for our players?
There’s always more to learn if you play one more time. As soon as I finished Timecrest 1, I immediately started Timecrest 1 again to avoid the 24 hour countdown, then played Timecrest 2 off the previous saved game.
If you know where to look, there are plenty of places to make extra money in Chapters 1, 7, 9. There are also 4-5 places to find Irillium at no cost. They help to get through the game faster, or to save up for a Dispel Ring or TOD generator.
Try to unlock the Memory Oracles–they really give deep insight into the characters.
These are some great tips. Irillium is very rare, so I’m sure players will really benefit. Let’s talk a bit about the story itself–what do you think is the biggest twist in Timecrest?
Definitely the last line of Chapter 5. The first time I read it, I think I screamed “WHAT?!” and then immediately started a new run to see if there was something I missed.
What was certainly a big surprise! Timecrest 1 & 2 have certainly raised a lot of mysteries that demand answers. What is the biggest mystery you’re looking for answers to in the story?
Just one answer? I have a whole list on the forum! I guess I’d have to find out more about Petora’s relationships with Portia and Elise. If you walk into her room (need Dispel Ring), there’s an item from Old Valdor that really deepens the mystery. When you read Elise’s Oracle, you’ll really wonder who Petora is, and if she had a little memory magic cast on her.
The story definitely does hint at some things between Petora, Portia, and Elise. Who is your favorite character? One of those three? Or someone else?
That’s too hard to answer!! I would like to hang out with Riley because she’s sweet and Elise because she must have great secrets, but I can’t pick a favorite person.
On the other side, who is your most hated character?
Definitely Fulgur. He goes out of his way to harm others.
Which character do you think is misunderstood?
I think as you learn more about each character you understand why they act like they do. But I would have to say Ezra or Elise.
For the people that really hate Ezra, what side of Ezra do you think they’re not seeing?
I think Ezra has a painful history, but more importantly, he has a strong duty to protect the people of Alyncia from a destructive outer force (humans). I believe he is choosing to stay alone either because he knows he will be hurt by outliving/losing more people he loves, or because he doesn’t feel worthy of love because of the destruction he allowed in by his human friend.
A lot of what we learned from Ezra was in the Memory Oracles. If you could write a Memory Oracle, what would it be about?
That’s tough because as I learn the characters, their history suits them so much better than I would’ve written. Part of me would say Alvin, the first human to come to Alyncia, but I think that’s too big of a mystery that needs to be solved.
Maybe the Timecrest Merchant’s history, but I’m not sure how it would go. Would he leave a family behind for work? Was he an orphan?
We definitely think there is a lot more story to tell for Alvin and the Timecrest Merchant. What’s your wildest theory or prediction for Timecrest 3?
My wildest theory is that somehow we will change something in Luthor’s past that will make Timecrest 1 & 2 not exist.
You’ve been able to test some of Timecrest 3 already. Do you think it’ll be worth the wait?
Absolutely!! I’m really enjoying getting to know Luthor better and I can’t wait to learn what led up to the destruction of Valdor, as well as some other mysteries that the fans have wondered about.
We just wanted to thank you so much for volunteering to moderate our forums and help us beta test Timecrest 3. Where can people find and follow you?
You can follow me on Twitter at @EmeraldEyedMoon.