Hourglass: Prologue is a good taste of what's to come in the full game, but you might not be prepared for what it's bringing to the table. Traveling through time isn't easy, even when you're as motivated as Aywa McConnor searching for her missing dad. So here's a little guide for her (and you!) to get you through this tricky prologue and ready for the full game.

Puzzle I
Once you get off the boat, there's only one path you can take, and it leads you to a closed door. Nearby there's a small cliff with a glowing cube on it. Take the cube and place it on the pedestal with a similarly glowing circle.

Go through the door. You'll see a glowing figure pass through a grand entrance on the other side of the river. Since Aywa apparently cannot swim through waist-deep water to save her life, you're going to have to find another way.

Walk along the path to the right. You'll find another door. This one already has the puzzle solved for you, but you have to break it to progress. Take the cube on the pedestal and turn around. There's a small ledge just too high to jump up with a cube on it. Place the cube you're holding in front of it and hop on it to get up there, then grab the cube and place it on the pedestal. The door will open again, and you can take the remaining cube through to place it on the second pedestal, opening a second door.

This will take you to where the glowing figure was. Go inside, and you'll find it's the Egyptian ruins Aywa's dad was researching. Continue along until you see a locked door. There's a pedestal but no cube and a portal on your right. Go through it.

Puzzle II
Now here's where the real fun starts.

Go stand on the pedestal and wait. When you're pulled back to the portal, a "time-copy" of you will weigh down the pedestal in your stead. Take advantage of this to get through the door before your time-copy disappears, and it closes.

On to the next puzzle.

Puzzle III
You'll be in a room with another portal, a fancy-looking button, and a large gap you need to cross with a floating platform on the other side. Press the button, and the platform will move to your side. Then, go through the portal. Wait until your timer (the growing/shrinking ring in the center of the screen) is close to running out, then press the button. Once time's up, go and wait on the platform.

Your time copy will send you over to the other side.

In the next room there's a cube and a pedestal. Put the cube on the pedestal, and you'll see an elevated platform descend until you can use it as a bridge to reach a portal. Walk through the portal. Go back to the cube and take it off the pedestal, causing the platform to go up again. Once you're pulled back to the portal, hop on your elevator before your time-copy sends it up. Be careful not to fall off the edge like some reviewer did (me...the reviewer is me...).

There you'll find a portal and a block too large to pick up. It is small enough to push into a trench. Move the block so it's close enough to jump on, then go through the portal. Push the block to the far side of the gap. Get on the block after you're snapped back to the portal. You'll get a ride to the other side. Make sure to give yourself enough time to get on the block before your time-copy starts pushing it.

This next room particularly needs you to watch your timing. You'll see a button that moves a platform across a large gap, and across that gap is a cube. There's also a portal. Press the button. As soon as the platform crosses the gap, go through the portal and jump on it. Once you reach the other side, pick up the cube and quickly place it on the platform. Then you'll get called back to the portal. Press the button again, collect your cube, and voilà!

You're on to the next room.

Puzzle IV
Hop on over to the next puzzle. Take the cube you see and place it on the platform behind the stairs, then jump across to the other side. Be careful. Falling into the water below resets any progress in the room. Press the button to have it raise the platform up and then grab your cube. Place the cube below the ledge with the portal so you can get up into it, and now make sure you're prepared to rush.

Go through the portal and grab the cube. Go up the stairs and across the platform; don't try to jump the gap. You can't jump while holding a block. One reviewer learned this the hard way. Place the cube on the pedestal. This will move a platform across the gap in time to get pulled back to the portal. Now it's a race to get back onto that platform before your time-copy places the cube.

Do that, and you're home free!

Puzzle V
When you finally emerge into the light, you'll see a huge white pyramid on your right. Go inside. You'll find the glowing figure, who actually appears to be the ghost of Aywa's father, or maybe his time-copy. He drops some lore on you before vanishing.

Go back outside and down the long walkway. You'll see three buttons at the end of it, left, right, and center. Only the one on the left is lit up, in front of the temple with the scarab beetle, so give it a good push and congratulations!

You've just finished the demo.

Wrapping Up
Hourglass: Prologue is a fun game with a unique take on time travel. It might make you wish that you could travel forward in time to the full game's release! But slow down a little. All good things come with time.