I remember playing an adventure game that did not kill your character off when you take too long during a timed sequence. Has anyone ever heard of "Around the World in 80 Days" for the Mac?
There was pretty much no way of dying in the game at all. Taking too long always causes a humorous coincidence to happen. It's been a long time since I've played it, but I kind of remember when...
Spoiler:... when the main character is riding a boat down a river when the villain blocks his way with his own boat. If the player doesn't do anything for about a minute or so, a flock of birds will attack the villain and clear the way.
So I think silly coincidences can help keep the game entertaining if timed sequences are necessary. On the other hand, they might allow players to skip certain puzzles (80 Days didn't seem to have any puzzles).
