Time

A collectible power-up item in various retro video games that extends the player's remaining time limit.

Action

Racing

Puzzle

Driving

7

Games

1994–2003

Years

3

Platforms

$37.85

Ø CIB

+10.5%

24M change

About

In action, racing, and puzzle games like Top Hunter, Impact Racing, and Qix Neo, the Time item adds valuable seconds to the countdown timer. It appears as a clock or hourglass icon in titles such as Batman Gotham City Racer, Gekido Urban Fighters, and Phix the Adventure to prevent a time-out game over. In Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems, time-related elements help players navigate timed challenges.

The integration of time-extending pickups reflects arcade-era design philosophies where strict limits dictated player progression. In SNK's side-scrolling beat-'em-up Top Hunter, these items are strategically placed within multi-layered environments, rewarding players who explore both the foreground and background planes. For the high-speed tracks of Impact Racing, the item serves as a critical resource scattered along racing lines, requiring precise driving to collect without losing momentum.

Capcom's Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems adapts this concept through the Time Gem, a unique iteration that enhances character mobility and dash speeds rather than merely adjusting a countdown. In the gritty arenas of Gekido Urban Fighters and the mission-based streets of Batman Gotham City Racer, acquiring these pickups requires balancing combat engagement with environmental navigation. Similarly, the puzzle-focused layouts of Qix Neo and the platforming challenges of Phix the Adventure position the item as a reward for efficient pathfinding, penalizing hesitant playstyles while encouraging speedrunning techniques across diverse genres.