Time Hollow
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese-style adventure video game developed
and published by Konami
for the Nintendo DS
video game console
. The game was released in Japan
on March 19, 2008, North America on September 23, 2008, and Europe on February 6, 2009. The game was written by Junko Kawano, whose PlayStation 2
work Shadow of Memories
also features a young man using a time-travelling device to try and alter their future.
The main theme of the game was composed by Masanori Akita, and also appeared on the Japanese PlayStation 2
version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2
and the North American PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution X
.
, in which the player controls protagonist Ethan Kairos as he attempts to find his missing parents. Using the "Hollow Pen", he is able to open circular portals into the past after he has experienced a "flashback" of a certain location. By opening portals into different areas, he is able to recover or place items and people, as well as observe the past. Although time stops while a portal is open, certain characters are able to interact with Ethan. The player must draw these portals with the stylus, and if once the portal is closed, a certain amount of "Time" is lost, equivalent to HP
. Portions of Time equivalent to one portal, called "Chrons", can be recovered by finding Ethan's cat, Sox, in the game world. The game is supplemented by animated cut scenes showing important events and flashbacks. Backgrounds are static, and layered to provide a 3D perspective effect when they are moved from side to side.
, whose parents, Timothy and Pamela Kairos, mysteriously disappear on his 17th birthday. Ethan realizes that the entire world has changed as if his parents had disappeared 12 years ago. Ethan then finds a note tied to his cats collar telling him to look in a dumpster behind his school and he finds a Hollow Pen, an uncanny object with the unique power to open portal
s to the past, as well as a note from his parents. Ethan uses the pen to solve problems that suddenly and mysteriously occur, thus changing the present, though he himself is able to remember these past parallel universes. He also meets a girl, Kori Twelves, who seems to share Ethan's displacement from time. Eventually, Ethan comes to realize that the past is being manipulated by another Hollow Pen wielder, Irving Onegin, as revenge for the fact that Ethan supposedly killed his mother. After a final confrontation, Irving steps through his own portal, taking the identity
of Ethan's teacher in order to exact his plan. After thwarting a series of determined attempts to murder his friends by Irving, he saves his parents from a restaurant explosion that caused their disappearance. He confronts Irving again, causing him to fall off a cliff. Ethan realizes that Irving's mother committed suicide using her own Hollow Pen out of guilt for the fact that she could not prevent her son from killing Kori. Ethan's uncle volunteers to save Kori after Irving attempts to murder her
, preventing Irving from ever causing the events of the game. At the end of the game, Ethan sends the pen and note back to his past self to prevent a time paradox.
(English)
The main character of Time Hollow, a normal high school student who lives with his family. On the morning of his seventeenth birthday, he discovered that the world had changed into one where his parents went missing 12 years ago. In order to solve this mystery, he takes up the Hollow Pen, which has the power to change history.
"Tokio Horō" is a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of the word "hollow" as well as on . His English last name is Latin for "the fullness of time." Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of undetermined period of time in which something special happens. What the special something is depends on who is using the word.
Ethan's Father. At his son's 17th birthday, both he and his wife disappeared. He investigated the death of one of his classmate's mother, Mary Onegin.
Timothy's Japanese is a homonym for .
Ethan's Mother. She has a cheerful personality and doesn't focus on difficult problems, but she's a caring mother who always puts her family first. She's said to have disappeared 12 years ago along with her husband Timothy.
Aki means "autumn."
Ethan's uncle, Timothy's younger brother. A freelance writer engaged in chasing the long-ago incident. He's brusque, and has a serious disposition. Although it seems he did not get along well with his older brother, he took Ethan in after Timothy and Pamela disappeared. He was the original founder of the Chronos café.
Derek's Japanese name means .
Ethan's pet cat, who is attached to Ethan, and often sleeps on his bed.
'Forou' can also be pronounced as 'Horou' (Hollow).
The main villain. Originally posing as an antiques dealer, he has been altering time to mess with the Kairos family and Ethan's friends. He later replaces Mr. Twombly.
Irving's mother, who also possesses a hollow pen, which means she remains active when a time hole is opened. She died in a bus accident 35 years ago, which motivates Irving to get revenge on the Kairos family. Trying to prevent her accident results in her still dying in the same manner.
Ethan's teacher. He also taught Derek and Timothy. Irving replaces him in one of the alternate realities.
One of Ethan's friends. He was once a basketball star, but he broke his ankle. He is often resentful of his sister, but is concerned when something happens to her.
Vin's younger sister. She and her friend Emily both seem to have a crush on Ethan. She often gets into trouble as a result of Irving's interference.
One of Ethan's friends. He has a problem with dogs because Shiloh got killed in a thunderstorm long ago when he was supposed to be watching him. He likes to chase after pretty, older girls.
One of Ethan's friends. He is extremely serious about studying, and can be easily stressed about his marks. Ethan briefly confides in him, but he forgets after reality is rewritten. He drops out of high school and starts up a dog-walking service in one of the alternate realities.
The new owner of Chronos after Derek sells it. She likes to gossip. She is thinking about starting up a bento shop near Kako High school at the end of the game.
Olivia's boyfriend. He's kind of a jerk. He and Ben get in a fight in Chapter Three.
Waitress at Chronos. Ben has a crush on her, although she's dating Aaron. She parks her bicycle outside of Chronos every day.
Ashley's shy, bespectled friend. She takes up fortune-telling and accurately predicts incident points for Ethan, which doubles as an in-game hint device. She also seems to have a crush on Ethan.
Librarian at Kako Library. She often helps Ethan by looking up articles.
A little boy that often gets involved in incidents. He owns a dog named Lucky.
The mysterious girl that is at the center of all of this. Timothy pulls her out of time when she falls off the roof, to prevent Derek from killing himself. Both Ethan and Derek have feelings for her. Being pulled out of time, she also gets flashbacks and can move when time holes are open. When she is finally saved, she marries Derek and has a daughter that greatly resembles herself.
The dog that was kept at the secret hideout. After Ethan saves him, Ben adopts him and is often walked by Morris.
. Gamespot
praised its "great concept" and "vivid artwork", but thought that the gameplay was "overly simple" and "restrictively linear," with "very little for you to figure out for yourself." IGN commended the plot, but complained that "only a handful of characters are interesting enough to care about."
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and published by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. The game was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on March 19, 2008, North America on September 23, 2008, and Europe on February 6, 2009. The game was written by Junko Kawano, whose PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
work Shadow of Memories
Shadow of Memories
, also known as Shadow of Destiny in North America, is an adventure video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo for the PlayStation 2. Originally released for the PlayStation 2, it was later ported to the PC and Xbox in 2002 by the now-defunct Runecraft company...
also features a young man using a time-travelling device to try and alter their future.
The main theme of the game was composed by Masanori Akita, and also appeared on the Japanese PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2 is an arcade game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It was produced by Konami and released through Betson Enterprises. The game was released in Japan in August, 2007, while the North American version was released several months later. The...
and the North American PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution X
Dance Dance Revolution X
Dance Dance Revolution X, abbreviated DDR X or simply X, is a music video game, and a part of the Dance Dance Revolution series. DDR X was originally announced by Konami on May 15, 2008 for the North American PlayStation 2. The arcade version was announced on July 7, 2008, July 9, 2008 in Europe,...
.
Gameplay
Time Hollow is a graphic adventure gameGraphic adventure game
A graphic adventure game is a form of adventure game. They are distinct from text adventures. Whereas a player must actively observe using commands such as "look" in a text-based adventure, graphic adventures revolutionized gameplay by making use of natural human perception...
, in which the player controls protagonist Ethan Kairos as he attempts to find his missing parents. Using the "Hollow Pen", he is able to open circular portals into the past after he has experienced a "flashback" of a certain location. By opening portals into different areas, he is able to recover or place items and people, as well as observe the past. Although time stops while a portal is open, certain characters are able to interact with Ethan. The player must draw these portals with the stylus, and if once the portal is closed, a certain amount of "Time" is lost, equivalent to HP
Health (game mechanic)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
. Portions of Time equivalent to one portal, called "Chrons", can be recovered by finding Ethan's cat, Sox, in the game world. The game is supplemented by animated cut scenes showing important events and flashbacks. Backgrounds are static, and layered to provide a 3D perspective effect when they are moved from side to side.
Plot
Time Hollow follows the story of Ethan KairosKairos
Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment . The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special...
, whose parents, Timothy and Pamela Kairos, mysteriously disappear on his 17th birthday. Ethan realizes that the entire world has changed as if his parents had disappeared 12 years ago. Ethan then finds a note tied to his cats collar telling him to look in a dumpster behind his school and he finds a Hollow Pen, an uncanny object with the unique power to open portal
Time portal
Time portals are doorways in time, employed in various fiction genres, especially science fiction and fantasy, to transport characters to the past or future....
s to the past, as well as a note from his parents. Ethan uses the pen to solve problems that suddenly and mysteriously occur, thus changing the present, though he himself is able to remember these past parallel universes. He also meets a girl, Kori Twelves, who seems to share Ethan's displacement from time. Eventually, Ethan comes to realize that the past is being manipulated by another Hollow Pen wielder, Irving Onegin, as revenge for the fact that Ethan supposedly killed his mother. After a final confrontation, Irving steps through his own portal, taking the identity
Identity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
of Ethan's teacher in order to exact his plan. After thwarting a series of determined attempts to murder his friends by Irving, he saves his parents from a restaurant explosion that caused their disappearance. He confronts Irving again, causing him to fall off a cliff. Ethan realizes that Irving's mother committed suicide using her own Hollow Pen out of guilt for the fact that she could not prevent her son from killing Kori. Ethan's uncle volunteers to save Kori after Irving attempts to murder her
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
, preventing Irving from ever causing the events of the game. At the end of the game, Ethan sends the pen and note back to his past self to prevent a time paradox.
Characters
Note: All of the characters' last names are references to numbers or time. Voiced by Johnny Yong BoschJohnny Yong Bosch
Johnny Yong Bosch is an American actor, voice actor, martial artist, and musician.He may be best known for portraying Adam Park in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and being the English voice of Ichigo Kurosaki in the hit anime series Bleach, Vash the Stampede in Trigun and Lelouch Lamperouge in Code...
(English)
"Tokio Horō" is a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of the word "hollow" as well as on . His English last name is Latin for "the fullness of time." Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of undetermined period of time in which something special happens. What the special something is depends on who is using the word.
- Timothy Kairos/Wataru Tokio (時尾 亘|Tokio Wataru) Voiced by Yuri LowenthalYuri LowenthalYuri Lowenthal is a voice actor that has voiced several anime and video game characters. He also voiced Kamal for the alternate reality game I Love Bees....
(In Cutscenes)
Ethan's Father. At his son's 17th birthday, both he and his wife disappeared. He investigated the death of one of his classmate's mother, Mary Onegin.
Timothy's Japanese is a homonym for .
- Pamela Kairos/Aki Tokio (時尾 秋)
Ethan's Mother. She has a cheerful personality and doesn't focus on difficult problems, but she's a caring mother who always puts her family first. She's said to have disappeared 12 years ago along with her husband Timothy.
Aki means "autumn."
- Derek Kairos/Tamotsu Tokio (時尾 保) Voiced By Patrick SeitzPatrick SeitzPatrick Seitz is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and Script Writer primarily known for his work for Geneon Entertainment, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, Media Blasters, NYAV Post, New Generation Pictures, Funimation Entertainment, and Viz Media...
(Normal Derek In Cutscenes)/ Sam RiegelSam RiegelSamuel Brent Oscar "Sam" Riegel is a voice actor, writer and director who appears in many television cartoons, anime, and video games. He began as a child actor in theater in Virginia, and moved to New York City to perform in Broadway and off-Broadway shows...
(Young Derek In Cutscenes)
Ethan's uncle, Timothy's younger brother. A freelance writer engaged in chasing the long-ago incident. He's brusque, and has a serious disposition. Although it seems he did not get along well with his older brother, he took Ethan in after Timothy and Pamela disappeared. He was the original founder of the Chronos café.
Derek's Japanese name means .
- Sox/Follow (フォ郎)
Ethan's pet cat, who is attached to Ethan, and often sleeps on his bed.
'Forou' can also be pronounced as 'Horou' (Hollow).
- Irving Onegin
The main villain. Originally posing as an antiques dealer, he has been altering time to mess with the Kairos family and Ethan's friends. He later replaces Mr. Twombly.
- Mary Onegin
Irving's mother, who also possesses a hollow pen, which means she remains active when a time hole is opened. She died in a bus accident 35 years ago, which motivates Irving to get revenge on the Kairos family. Trying to prevent her accident results in her still dying in the same manner.
- Jack Twombly
Ethan's teacher. He also taught Derek and Timothy. Irving replaces him in one of the alternate realities.
- Vin Threet Voiced By Sam Riegel (In Cutscenes)
One of Ethan's friends. He was once a basketball star, but he broke his ankle. He is often resentful of his sister, but is concerned when something happens to her.
- Ashley Threet Voiced by Michelle RuffMichelle RuffMichelle Suzanne Ruff is an American voice actress known for her work in anime and video games.-Anime roles:* Angel Tales - Akane the fox* Ai Yori Aoshi - Aoi Sakuraba* Arc the Lad - Meril...
(In Cutscences)
Vin's younger sister. She and her friend Emily both seem to have a crush on Ethan. She often gets into trouble as a result of Irving's interference.
- Ben Fourier
One of Ethan's friends. He has a problem with dogs because Shiloh got killed in a thunderstorm long ago when he was supposed to be watching him. He likes to chase after pretty, older girls.
- Morris Fivet
One of Ethan's friends. He is extremely serious about studying, and can be easily stressed about his marks. Ethan briefly confides in him, but he forgets after reality is rewritten. He drops out of high school and starts up a dog-walking service in one of the alternate realities.
- Eva Sixon
The new owner of Chronos after Derek sells it. She likes to gossip. She is thinking about starting up a bento shop near Kako High school at the end of the game.
- Aaron Seven
Olivia's boyfriend. He's kind of a jerk. He and Ben get in a fight in Chapter Three.
- Olivia Eights
Waitress at Chronos. Ben has a crush on her, although she's dating Aaron. She parks her bicycle outside of Chronos every day.
- Emily Niner
Ashley's shy, bespectled friend. She takes up fortune-telling and accurately predicts incident points for Ethan, which doubles as an in-game hint device. She also seems to have a crush on Ethan.
- Sara Tenneson
Librarian at Kako Library. She often helps Ethan by looking up articles.
- Jacob Eleven
A little boy that often gets involved in incidents. He owns a dog named Lucky.
- Kori Twelves
The mysterious girl that is at the center of all of this. Timothy pulls her out of time when she falls off the roof, to prevent Derek from killing himself. Both Ethan and Derek have feelings for her. Being pulled out of time, she also gets flashbacks and can move when time holes are open. When she is finally saved, she marries Derek and has a daughter that greatly resembles herself.
- Shiloh
The dog that was kept at the secret hideout. After Ethan saves him, Ben adopts him and is often walked by Morris.
Alternate Ending
Before you finish the game if you choose not to open the last hole you can go exploring around the city, and you will see Sox everywhere. After talking around you will find out why. Once you are done you go back to your room, and open the hole you will be rewarded with a extra dialog between you and Sox.Reception
Time Hollow received mostly lukewarm reviews from critics, garnering an aggregated score of 65% on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
praised its "great concept" and "vivid artwork", but thought that the gameplay was "overly simple" and "restrictively linear," with "very little for you to figure out for yourself." IGN commended the plot, but complained that "only a handful of characters are interesting enough to care about."