How to Play TimeFall

TimeFall is a narrative game played entirely through text. You describe what you do; the AI responds with vivid scenes that adapt to your choices, identity, and emotional reactions.

Step 1 – Tell the game who you are

When you start a new game, TimeFall will ask you for a few details:

Your name
Your age
Your gender and pronouns
Your profession

These aren’t cosmetic. They affect what you notice, how you interpret the past, and how non-player characters (NPCs) decide to treat you.

Create your character form in TimeFall — Character creation screen – define who you are before you fall.

Step 2 – Read your arrival carefully

Your first scene begins with a fall into a specific historical moment. You will usually be cold, disoriented, and vulnerable — with no clothes, no tools, and no clear mission.

Pay attention to the details: sounds, smells, clothing, language, and how people react when they see you. These are clues to the era, culture, and level of danger.

Welcome narrative and time travel rules introduction — Arrival narrative – your first glimpse of the rules and the world.

Step 3 – Say what you do, not what the story should be

TimeFall works best when you write your actions like this:

Physical actions: “I crawl towards the door and listen before opening it.”
Dialogue: “I say, ‘I’m lost. Can you help me?’ in a calm voice.”
Inner thoughts (optional): “I try to remember anything I know about this period.”

Avoid trying to “edit” the story (“Make this happen” or “Skip ahead”). Instead, stay inside your character and describe what you do next.

Action input box and visual quality controls — Action & scene controls – type what you do and shape each moment.

Step 4 – Respect risk and consequences

TimeFall enforces realistic outcomes:

Falls, fights, hunger, cold, and exhaustion all have consequences.
Insults, lies, and arrogance can destroy trust or get you denounced.
Kindness, listening, and humility can open doors and save your life.
If you die, the game ends with “GAME OVER: You have died.” There are no handy reloads inside the story.

Status bars showing physical, emotional, and social condition — Status overview – track your physical, emotional, and social state.

TimeFall header with hostile standing indicator — Standing indicator – see how the world currently feels about you.

Step 5 – Follow the slow-burn mystery

TimeFall doesn’t hand you a mission right away. Instead, it lets strange coincidences accumulate: symbols you’ve seen before, names that echo across eras, grief that feels too familiar.

Treat the story like a long novel you are inside. Stay curious. Notice what repeats. Ask people questions. The deeper you care, the more the underlying mystery reveals itself.

Narrative panel with ongoing story text — Ongoing narrative – the mystery unfolds through your choices.

Step 6 – Use images to ground your imagination

When you want a visual anchor, you can ask TimeFall to generate a photorealistic scene based on your current situation. Images don’t replace the story, but they help you feel the room, the faces, and the tension.

Generated photorealistic police interrogation scene — Scene render – a photorealistic moment from your journey.

Two figures in a stone chamber after a fall through time — AI generated scene examples

Shocked figure in an ancient storeroom with amphorae — AI generated scene examples

Loading screen while photorealistic image is being created — Image generation – TimeFall building a visual for your scene.

You can continue playing purely in text, or trigger images occasionally when you want a stronger sense of place.

Step 7 – Play at your own pace

You can pause at any time, reread the last scene, and then decide what to do. TimeFall rewards careful, thoughtful play much more than rushing.

Tip: For the best experience, wear headphones, dim the lights, and give yourself 20–30 uninterrupted minutes for your first fall.

When you’re ready, return to the main page or use the button below to begin.

Begin Your First TimeFall →