Clock of Atonement

Time-travel mechanics have been done and overdone in action games, in puzzle games, and in RPGs, but often they only have a vague connection to the plot. Clock of Atonement weaves time travel into the game's story extremely well, and this story is important because there is only very basic actual gameplay. Your job is to stop the murder of a young girl with the power of a magical clock.

Gameplay
You are in control of a clock that can alter the past, which sounds cool; however, your actions are limited to altering various random parts of the landscape, or doing nothing. It's anyone's guess as to what will happen, and if you're as unlucky as me you will watch this poor girl get murdered several times before you find out the right combination. (Even if it's only sprites, the stabbing animation in this game is really quite gruesome) Anyway, the Clock and all its' gameplay serves only as a engineer for the story; when it comes down to it, you're really just pushing buttons until the plot reveals itself for you. There are multiple "endings", but you have to watch them before you get to see the real ending. Had there been more paths to take and endings to see, this game could've been even better. As it is now, the gameplay only very thinly veils the fact that you are really watching a movie.

Story
The game begins in a room, where a man cries over a woman's dead body. He doesn't know what to do with himself. He is given a chance to prevent her death by a mysterious stranger, using a clock that can alter the past. The player then plays a "ghost" of the man, who tries to stop this woman's murder.

And the game portrays this man's character very, very well. He is indecisive, he is both arrogant and self-hating, and he is more than a little bit crazy. This is where the time-traveling works its magic; as he tries desperately to prevent the girl's death, he is forced to watch himself struggle again and again. His reactions are sometimes completely polarized, and watching him contradict himself repeatedly reveals his dementia and sorrow very realistically.

Summary
The gameplay is very sparse and basic, but it works to drive the plot.
The story & characters are extremely well-done and the pacing is excellent for a short game.
The graphics and sound are excellent and realistic.

You should download this game just to watch the story unravel, but don't expect to do much actual playing.