If you’re reading this then you are most likely a fan of the Doctor Who series. Likewise, you are probably a bit excited at the prospect of jumping into the Tardis and taking off on your own adventure across space and time, right? Well, I have both good and bad news for you. The good news is, The Eternity Clock is definitely in alignment with the terminology and spirit of the TV/movie series. The bad news however, is that the game itself is more or less, uninspired. To make a long story short, all of those interesting scenarios, puzzles, explorations, and battles your imagination is busy dreaming up with regards to this game are going to go unfulfilled.
Visuals
While there are cut scenes which are rendered in 3D, most of the action in “The Eternity Clock” is presented in 2D. In other words, this game will take you on a trip back to the days before we were all spoiled by HD free-roaming 3D sandboxes. Visually speaking, this game simply doesn’t have very much to offer a serious gamer.
Gameplay
As previously mentioned, the actual gameplay for this title is 2D in nature; this is to say that this game is basically a 2D platformer. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with side-scrollers (there have been a number of throwbacks released in recent years that are certainly fun), you can’t really say the same thing for “The Eternity Clock”.
There are plenty of puzzles to solve, enemies to confront / avoid, and objectives to complete, but the game just doesn’t seem to do the series justice. The problem is that there are simply too many nonsensical puzzles to solve (crate pushing, really?) which don’t fit into the context of the Doctor Who series at all. Simply put, not many people are going to find this style of gameplay to be very alluring.
Verdict
If you’re looking for an immersive experience that will place you in the shoes of the Doctor himself, you’ll need to look elsewhere. “The Eternity Clock” isn’t a completely terrible game; it definitely doesn’t deserve to be placed alongside the series itself in terms of quality. Most perceived redeeming features of this game will likely come in the form of entertainment derived from the many inside jokes that are written on the walls of the various environments / backgrounds. On the positive side of things, the voice and audio work is actually quite good in “The Eternity Clock”; fans of the series will certainly appreciate the effort applied in this area. All in all however, Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock is a game that you will probably want to avoid unless you are a series fan of the series. If you’re able to look past the technical shortcomings of this game and are attracted to it solely because of the characters, storyline, and environment, you might actually derive some enjoyment from “The Eternity Clock” (just watch out for the Daleks).