Hey there! I’m Michael Frei, and I did this thing with a game called Time Flies. Yes, you heard that right. You get to be a fly. Seriously. It’s popping onto PlayStation 5 on July 31st. If you’ve been lurking on PlayStation blogs, well, maybe you’ve seen its sneak peek ages ago. Now — finally — it’s almost within our grubby little hands.
So, before you buzz off and start acting all fly, the game does this quirky check to see where you’re playing from. Because reasons.
![I mean, look at that country selection screen — very international, right?]
Anyway, let’s say you’re chilling in Switzerland. The World Health peeps say you can expect to hang around for about 83.3 years. In fly logic, that’s like 83.3 seconds. You’re a fly, remember? The twist is you get a bucket list to tick off before you kick the — err, whatever flies kick when they die. But if you’re from the USA? Your fly life is a quick 76.4 seconds. No pressure. Just life’s way of giving you the ol’ one-two.
![And see, there’s you, pretending you’re a majestic flying creature.]
Yep, some places you’ll have a more frantic experience than others. Just like real life.
![There you go, ultimate fly freedom!]
The Bucket List Dilemma
So, you’re in this world as a fly, right? What on earth do you do? Good question! The game has your back with a handy list of dares — figure them out, and do them before you’re, well, not a fly anymore. Sounds whacky? It pretty much is. But that’s life (or fly-life) for you. And if you flop, just try again. Practice, persistence, yada yada.
My favorite? “Find God.” And designing it was a weirdly fun adventure — no spoilers, though. You gotta go divine discovery diving yourself.
![Here’s a chaotic sketch. Does it look like a fly to you?]
Step One: Idea Overload
Played tons of games, haven’t you? But ever flown around as a fly in a game? And then tried finding God while you’re at it? Talk about a game within a game. Initially, we had this grand escape-from-hell idea, but it kinda turned into a mess.
![Imagine fleeing hell. Now imagine it as a fly.]
Step Two: Limitation Realization
Turns out, flies aren’t dexterous. Who knew? In Time Flies, all you get is a flight stick. No rapid button mashing here! You’re bumping, landing, and fluttering around. No complex controllers; you’re too busy enjoying (or cursing) your limited existence.
