Game Review: Lifeline: Halfway to Infinity (Mobile)

Lifeline: Halfway to Infinity is the latest in the long running text adventure series by 3 Minute Games. Effectively a ‘choose your own adventure’ game, you take on the role of the ‘lifeline’ tasked with guiding a character through their trials.

The series features a real-time waiting system between messages. The main character will write messages and complete activities at a human pace. You’ll have to wait it out while they sleep, walk or take care of other tasks.

So far the games to date have been hit & miss. For every great story, there has been another that has failed to capture the imagination. You can read all our previous Lifeline game reviews below.

Lifeline
Lifeline 2
Silent Night
Whiteout
Crisis Line

Lifeline: Halfway to Infinity brings back series favourite & star, Taylor. It’s also arguably his best but also his shortest story to date.

Taylor first appeared in the very first Lifeline game having crashed on a mysterious moon where he discovered an alien race that takes over the bodies of his crew. These aliens (the greens as Taylor calls them) are determined to spread & take over Earth. The best ending of the first game sees Taylor escape & end up on the White Star mining ship. Unfortunately the greens aren’t finished with him yet. That story is told in Lifeline: Silent Night.

Halfway to Infinity picks up directly after the events of that game & sees Taylor caught in the gravitational pull of a black hole. The greens are roaming the ship & it looks like it’s the end for our hero. That is until a mysterious ship arrives with a someone on board that will shake Taylor’s existence to its very core.

Once again, Taylor proves to be the one character from the series that you can get behind fully. His nerdy charm & general positive attitude makes him a likeable character & you’ll want to help guide him to safety. Unfortunately, as Taylor himself acknowledges, he has the worst luck in the universe.

He’s up against it here in a way that he’s never been before & it’s great how the dynamic between him & the player has shifted over the game series. New players would find this a confusing play as Taylor constantly refers to the long-time relationship that exists between the two of you.

For returning players that just makes it all matter more though. You’ve guided Taylor twice before, you know this character. For a text adventure, having a character you care about is so important but the story itself doesn’t let you down.

It’s a wild ride that doesn’t let up much. This time round Taylor is forced into a position where menial tasks are just not possible, he’s constantly under attack & forced to ask a lot of questions, making decisions that can go either way. The narrative is thrilling & can lead to many deaths.

Should you fail the rewind story option puts you back as far as you choose to go so you can change your decision. Effectively putting your finger in between the pages while you see if it’s game over.

Lifeline: Halfway to Infinity is the shortest in the series so far but is one of the most thrilling. It’s ‘true’ ending is exciting & emotional but leaves plenty of room for more stories from Taylor. I really hope we get to be his lifeline one more time.