Tim Cain’s Epic Time-Travel RPG Concept: A Peek into the Past That Never Was

Tim Cain, the genius behind the iconic Fallout series, has been serving up some wild gaming ideas on his YouTube channel. One of his latest discussions dives into a concept that could have changed the RPG landscape: a first-person time-travel RPG called Time Walker. This ambitious idea was brewed up at Troika Games alongside his fellow RPG guru, Jason Anderson, who had previously worked with him on classics like Fallout and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

So, what was Time Walker all about? Picture this: you step into the shoes of a “temporal agent,” zipping through different timelines on missions to protect your reality from those pesky enemy agents trying to rewrite history. As the timeline becomes more chaotic, your gear morphs into increasingly bizarre and fantastical items. But be careful—if you mess things up too much, your entire reality could just disappear! The ultimate goal? Ensure your existence by stabilizing your timeline before it unravels completely.

In a lighthearted moment, Cain shared some of the game’s key features. “Visit 15 different time periods. Meet fascinating historical figures. Assassinate them!” The missions he described were just as wacky as you’d expect. From taking out a pharaoh in ancient Egypt to gifting a young girl a doll on her eighth birthday (definitely a nod to the butterfly effect), and even preventing the invention of time travel itself to create a mind-bending paradox—these quests would have been a wild ride!

Unlike traditional RPGs where leveling up typically makes things easier, Time Walker flipped that notion on its head. The gameplay would get simpler as time unraveled, giving players access to all sorts of futuristic tech. But as you restored order to the timeline, you’d revert to a more standard FPS loadout, making for an intriguing gameplay loop.

Cain also hinted that this game could have made its way to the Xbox, featuring online multiplayer and an open-ended skill tree for tackling missions in various ways—just like the classic CRPGs he had a hand in designing. Just imagine the countless ways to navigate through the game with time travel across 15 unique zones!

Interestingly, Jason Anderson is now at InXile working on a new title called Clockwork Revolution, which also plays around with time travel. While it’s unclear how much of Cain’s Time Walker concept influenced this new project, it’s exciting to see such innovative ideas still being explored in the gaming world.