Temporal is a retro-style video game that combines platform and puzzle elements.

In Temporal, players control an unnamed robotic being which cannot recall his past and tries to figure out where he is and his purpose. With only a propeller on his head, players control the quirky robot using only the arrow keys – interacting with the environment to advance and learn more about their surroundings.

The game focuses on puzzle solving and the unraveling of a continuous story that requires the player to use the environment in various ways, such as pushing boxes around, destroying floors, manipulating chemicals, using automatic guns and activating terminals and trigger beams.

However, the core of the game requires the player to time travel back in time, and interact with his past selves to solve a puzzle. Doing so might cause a temporal paradox that may create an impossible situation – however, the game allows these transgressions and only gives a score penalty for such acts – often resulting in a butterfly effect.