Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock was supposed to be the "big one." Before its release in 2012, Whovians had been surviving on a diet of mediocre browser games and those slightly clunky Adventure Games you could download for free from the BBC website. Then Supermassive Games—the studio that would later give us Until Dawn—stepped up to the plate. They promised a cinematic, multi-platform experience that finally captured the frantic energy of the Eleventh Doctor. It didn't quite work out that way.
The game is a 2.5D puzzle-platformer. You play as Matt Smith’s Doctor and Alex Kingston’s River Song, jumping through time to stop the Cybermen, Daleks, Silurians, and The Silence from erasing Earth’s history. It sounds epic. On paper, it is epic. In practice? It’s a fascinating, glitchy, occasionally brilliant relic of an era when the BBC was desperately trying to figure out how to make "The Doctor" work in a controller-friendly format.
Why Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock Felt Different
Most Doctor Who games feel like they were made on a shoestring budget in someone's basement. This one didn't. Supermassive used the Unreal Engine, and honestly, for 2012, the character models for Matt Smith and Alex Kingston were startlingly good. They did the motion capture. They did the voice acting. When the Doctor adjusts his bowtie or River smirks after a particularly snarky comment, it feels like the show. That’s the "hook" that keeps people coming back to it even now, over a decade later.
The music helps. It uses Murray Gold’s iconic score, which is basically cheating because that music could make a video of someone making toast feel like the end of the universe.
But the gameplay? It’s divisive. You spend a lot of time pushing crates. If there is one thing the Doctor does in this game, it’s moving heavy objects to reach slightly higher ledges. It’s a bit of a meme at this point. You’d think a Time Lord with a sonic screwdriver could do better than manual labor, but here we are. The puzzles vary from "I could do this in my sleep" to "Wait, why am I suddenly playing a rhythm game with a Dalek?" It’s inconsistent, but that inconsistency is part of its charm.
💡 You might also like: Why the GTA San Andreas Motorcycle is Still the Best Way to Get Around Los Santos
The River Song Factor
Honestly, River Song carries this game. Playing as her feels fundamentally different from playing as the Doctor. While the Doctor is all about stealth and sonic-ing things into submission, River has her blaster. She’s more kinetic. The co-op mechanics, where one player handles the Doctor and the other handles River, were actually quite forward-thinking for a licensed tie-in. You have to work together to synchronize switches across different time periods. If the Doctor changes something in Victorian London, it affects the environment River is standing in during the 23rd century. It’s a literal "Timey-Wimey" mechanic. It’s clunky, sure. But when it works, you feel like a genius.
The Technical Tragedy of the PS3 and Vita Era
We have to talk about the bugs. If you go back and read reviews from 2012, critics absolutely shredded Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock for its technical failures. Characters would clip through floors. The AI for your partner would occasionally decide to walk into a wall and stay there forever. It was a mess. Supermassive released a massive patch shortly after launch to fix the most egregious game-breaking bugs, but the reputation stuck.
The game was intended to be the first in a trilogy. There was a cliffhanger. A big one. It involved the Doctor’s future and a mysterious ticking clock that threatened all of reality. But because the sales weren't stellar and the reviews were lukewarm, the sequels were quietly taken behind the shed and cancelled. This leaves The Eternity Clock as a weird, standalone fragment of a story that will never be finished.
It’s a "lost" episode of the Matt Smith era. For some fans, that makes it more valuable. It’s a piece of media that exists in its own bubble. You can’t even buy it on Steam anymore; it was delisted years ago due to licensing expirations. If you want to play it now, you’re hunting down a physical PS3 copy or a used PlayStation Vita cartridge.
📖 Related: Dandys World Ship Chart: What Most People Get Wrong
Is it actually "Good"?
"Good" is a strong word. Is it functional? Mostly. Is it faithful? Absolutely.
The writers clearly understood the lore. You find pages of the Doctor’s diary scattered throughout the levels, and they are filled with deep-cut references to the show’s history. One page might mention the Macra; another might reference the Time War. It was built by fans, for fans. If you aren't a Doctor Who fan, this game is a 4/10 platformer with annoying puzzles. If you are a fan, it’s an 8/10 experience because you get to be the Doctor for six hours.
The Silurian levels are particularly atmospheric. Creeping through underground tunnels while trying to avoid detection from the lizard people feels genuinely tense. It captures that "behind the sofa" feeling that the show is famous for. Then you hit a segment where you have to play a mini-game to hack a computer, and the immersion breaks. It’s a constant tug-of-war between great vibes and mediocre mechanics.
The Legacy of the Eternity Clock
Looking back from 2026, the landscape of Doctor Who gaming has shifted. We’ve had VR experiences like The Edge of Time and mobile games like Lonely Assassins. They are arguably "better" games in terms of polish. But they lack the sheer scale of The Eternity Clock. Supermassive tried to make a "Triple-A" Doctor Who game, and even if they tripped over their own feet, the ambition was admirable.
👉 See also: Amy Rose Sex Doll: What Most People Get Wrong
Most people forget that this was one of the first games to really utilize the Vita’s touch controls in a way that wasn't just a gimmick. You’d use the rear touch pad to manipulate the sonic screwdriver. It felt tactile. It felt like you were holding a piece of Gallifreyan tech.
What You Need to Know If You're Playing Now
If you manage to track down a copy of Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, keep these things in mind:
- Update it immediately. If you’re playing on a PS3, do not try to play the unpatched version 1.0. You will get stuck in a wall. I promise.
- Play with a friend. The "Single Player" AI is... let’s call it "special." It’s much more enjoyable as a couch co-op experience where you can laugh at the glitches together.
- Don't rush. The game is short. If you sprint through, you'll miss the collectibles that actually provide the best story beats.
- Embrace the jank. It’s a AA game from 2012. It’s going to feel stiff. Once you accept that the jumping physics are a bit floaty, you'll have a much better time.
There’s a specific puzzle near the end involving the Silence that is genuinely clever. It uses the concept of "forgetting" the enemy when you look away. It’s a mechanic that should have been used more, but it shows that the developers were actually trying to translate the show’s unique monsters into gameplay, rather than just making them generic enemies to shoot.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Whovian Gamer
Since you can't easily buy the game digitally anymore, your path to playing The Eternity Clock requires a bit of legwork.
- Check Local Retro Shops: Don't pay the inflated eBay prices first. PS3 copies often sit in the $20-30 range at local stores because people think it’s just another "cheap licensed game."
- The PS Vita Version: This is the most "stable" way to play, oddly enough. It’s also the rarest. If you find a physical copy of the Vita version, grab it. It’s a collector’s item at this point.
- Emulation: If you’re on PC, RPCS3 (the PS3 emulator) runs the game fairly well now. You’ll need a decent CPU, but it’s the only way to play it in 4K, which makes those character models look surprisingly modern.
- Lower Your Expectations: Go in expecting a B-movie. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. Go in expecting Uncharted with a TARDIS, and you’ll be miserable.
The Eternity Clock remains a weird footnote in the history of the Eleventh Doctor's era. It's a reminder of a time when the BBC was swinging for the fences with the IP. It didn't hit a home run, but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than most of the mobile cash-grabs we see today. It’s flawed, frustrating, and occasionally beautiful. Much like the Doctor themselves, it’s a bit of a madman in a box. It doesn't always make sense, and it often breaks down when you need it most, but you're glad it's there anyway.