Killing Time (video game)

Killing Time
Developer(s) Studio 3DO, Intrepid Software, Logicware, Jordan Freeman Group
Publisher(s) Studio 3DO, Prism Entertainment, ZOOM Platform
Designer(s) Studio 3DO
Engine Killing Time Engine (redone from scratch for PC/Mac ports)
Platform(s) 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
Release date(s) 3DO Interactive Multiplayer: 1995
PC: October 31, 1996
ZOOM Platform: July 23, 2015
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player

Killing Time is a horror-themed first-person shooter video game set in an open-world with Full-Motion Video components, developed by Studio 3DO. Originally an exclusive for their 3DO Interactive Multiplayer console, it was later remade for the Windows 95 PC platform in 1996 by Intrepid Software and for the Macintosh after the 3DO system was discontinued. On July 23, 2015, ZOOM Platform announced their exclusive release of an updated version of Killing Time exclusively for their store. The update work was done by Jordan Freeman Group and published by ZOOM Platform and Prism Entertainment.[1][2]

Overview

The player controls an Ex-Egyptology student, trapped on a fictional 1930's version of Matinicus Isle, Maine, within the estate of wealthy heiress Tess Conway. In 1932, during the night of the Summer Solstice. Tess, while attempting to use a mystical Ancient Egyptian Water-Clock which purportedly grants eternal life, vanished, along with many of her society friends. The player's objective is to find, and destroy, the Water-Clock, and discover the secrets of the estate, all while beating back the many horrors that now occupy the island from beyond the grave.

Throughout the game the plot is slowly revealed to the player through numerous cut scenes performed by live actors. An unusual aspect of the game is that live action full motion video characters also sometimes overlap with the real time gameplay, without breaking to cut scenes.[3]

Story

In Killing Time, the main character is an ex-Egyptology student out to discover the mystery behind a missing Egyptian artifact. The ancient "Water-Clock of Thoth" had been discovered by his professor of Egyptology, Dr. Hargrove, but the artifact went missing soon after a visit by the expedition's patron, Tess Conway. Tess is the rich inheritor of her family's estate on Matinicus Isle, where she keeps her friends, and pawns close by so that she might gain the true power of the Water-Clock. As the game progresses, the player finds out that Tess has used a number of people to gain what she desires, but at a price – something went horribly wrong, transforming everyone on the entire isle into either restless ghosts, demons or the undead. In the opening cinematic on all versions of the game, Boldt Castle located on Heart Island in the Thousand Islands region of the Saint Lawrence River is used as the visual representation of the Conway Estate.

Gameplay

The gameplay follows the standard set by most first-person shooters with the player using an assortment of weapons. These include a crowbar, dual-pistols, a shotgun, a Thompson submachine gun (Tommy-gun), Molotov cocktails, a flamethrower, and a magical Ankh which can be used to wipe out many enemies at a time. The game does not come with any form of multiplay. To beat the game one must collect a number of vases spread throughout Matinicus Isle, each containing a symbolic part of Tess Conway's spirit. Some sections require the player to strafe, crouch, or jump.

The game's original release came as a red CD. Players found a glitch in the game that happens in the clown stage. The screen becomes pixelated and obscures the view of the entire area. The publisher allowed purchasers to mail them their red copy for a fixed version of the game, which appears on a black disk. Since so few purchasers sent in copies, the red version remains fairly common, but the black version is rare. The 3DO Game Guru includes a save file patch which fixes the bug.

Characters

ZOOM Platform Digital Re-Release

On July 23, 2015, ZOOM Platform announced their exclusive release of an updated version of Killing Time exclusively for their store. The update work was done by Jordan Freeman Group and published by ZOOM Platform and Prism Entertainment. In the announcement, Freeman stated: "We very much look forward to continuing our partnership with Prism Entertainment to bring even more Studio 3DO, Cyclone Studios, and New World Computing titles back into the spotlight."[4]

References

External links

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