Yeah, I'm thinking of making some kind of clock face bound to the view that changes like the Stopwatch in DXX/Rondo. Maybe even using Roman numerals.
As for the effect, I've been digging around on GMC boards, and the only way to ideally make everything grayscale would require me to make two sets of every single graphic and write a code trigger in every object, and I sure as shit ain't doing all that.
However, I'm looking into a surface redraw effect that would (if I'm reading it right) make the background solid white and all objects(though I'm sure I could edit Simon's shit to be exempt) solid black. Assuming I can get it to work without using up too much memory and the exemptions work as I'd like, do you think that would look okay? I don't know if sudden shifts to solid colors would look good, though the idea is very appealing, since on a technical stretch stopping time around you would also stop the visible rebounding of color in things and all that.
EDIT: OR, I could scrap the desaturation of color and make the enemies slow down their movement and animation speed before stopping completely. That way I can sell the effect better and not have to go nuts on potentially-good-potentially-failing script implementations.