The Labyrinth of Time

Last updated
The Labyrinth of Time
The Labyrinth of Time Coverart.png
Developer(s) Terra Nova Development
The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. (re-release)
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. (re-release)
Designer(s) Bradley W. Schenck [1]
Programmer(s) Michal Todorovic
Joe Pearce
Platform(s) Commodore CDTV Amiga CD32, MS-DOS, Linux, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Windows, iOS
ReleaseMS-DOS, CD32, Mac
June 1, 1993 [2]
Linux, OS X, Windows
December 7, 2004 [3]
Apple iOS
November 14, 2009 [4]
Genre(s) Graphic adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

The Labyrinth of Time is a graphic adventure video game created by Terra Nova Development, a two-man team composed of Bradley W. Schenck and Michal Todorovic. Intended to be the first in a series of games, The Labyrinth of Time was less successful than similar graphic adventures released around the same time, such as The 7th Guest and Myst . It is the sole game produced by Terra Nova Development. In the years after its release, The Labyrinth of Time was published on more recent platforms by The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. in collaboration with the original developers.

Contents

Plot

The story of The Labyrinth of Time is loosely based on Greek mythology. The game begins during player's commute home from work. While aboard the subway, the player and their train car are suddenly sucked into an alternate dimension. An illusion in the form of the mythological character Daedalus explains that King Minos has forced him to oversee the construction of a labyrinth that spans the space-time continuum. Upon its construction, King Minos will invade and conquer all times and places with his supernatural powers. Daedalus pleads for the player to find a way to destroy the labyrinth before Minos can complete his conquest. [5]

In-game terminals and journal entries reveal the extent of Minos's power. As explained by the lone archivist on a lunar library, a figure identifying himself as the king appeared simultaneously to all world governments in all time periods, seizing control of their militaries and erasing all written history. Minos's new abilities seem to extend beyond time travel; the scene of the king's tomb strongly implies that he rose from the grave.

Screenshot of the Maze Center LabyrinthMazeCenter.gif
Screenshot of the Maze Center

The labyrinth that the player explores spans many time periods and locations. Despite their incongruity, each area is thematically connected by the story of Martin Garret, a professor intrigued with discovering the tomb of the unnamed Sorcerer-King at a far-off ziggurat near Uxmal. Desperado Mad Dog Maddigan, the one man who knew the location of the Sorcerer-King's treasure chamber, was buried in the Western town of Revolver Springs, California, along with a map to the ziggurat's chamber. Revolver Springs, however, was destroyed in a fire on May 1, 1882, leaving the location of his grave a mystery. Garret was about to begin his second expedition to the ziggurat, but suffered from anxiety after losing his lucky shirt in a previous dig.

When the player finds the ziggurat, they can retrieve the shirt. They are also able to go back in time to Revolver Springs and pick up a newspaper explaining that the local graves were relocated to make way for a railroad extension project. The player leaves both for Garret to receive, changing history. With the encouragement and new information, Garret locates Mad Dog Maddigan and completes his expedition. Among the treasures brought back from the Sorcerer-King's tomb, Garret discovers a talisman that was reputedly used to destroy buildings.

The player must operate three levers in the ziggurat to reach the center of the labyrinth and take, among other items, the talisman to destroy its keystone. After dispelling an illusory Minotaur guarding the Maze Center, the player breaks the maze's keystone. This causes the labyrinth to unfurl at the seams. Daedalus appears in person to offer thanks for his freedom, then leaves to ensure King Minos can do no more harm. He leaves the player floating in an area that does not exist in time or space.

The game ends with a teaser for a sequel, The Labyrinth II: Lost in the Land of Dreams, but the sequel was never produced.

Re-release

The Labyrinth of Time was re-released by The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. for the Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, AmigaOS, and Linux in December 2004. The new versions of the game restored some audio quality and added a breadcrumbs feature for navigating mazes, as well as porting the original code to Simple DirectMedia Layer. The Amiga version was released as freeware and can be downloaded from Aminet and its mirrors or as an .iso from the official site.

The game was later ported to Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch in November 2009. It is at present available for purchase or download on the online game stores Steam and GOG.com.

Reception

Computer Gaming World 's Charles Ardai in December 1993 admitted that expecting The Labyrinth of Time to not have a maze was unrealistic, but stated that although "pretend[ing] to be a piece of interactive fiction", it was "almost nothing but mazes, linked end to end in a complex, irritating chain". Ardai criticized the "relentless stylish visuals" as "eye-candy and boring eye-candy at that", with no way to distinguish between the few objects necessary for gameplay and the many non-interactive ones. He advised Electronic Arts to "dismantle The Labyrinth of Time and sell it cut-rate for clip art". [6] In April 1994 the magazine said that "though mythology and time travel interbreed seamlessly, its depressingly empty world and staid adventure game mechanics create a game that is less than timeless". [7]

In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Labyrinth of Time the 43rd-worst computer game ever released. [8]

In January 1994, PC Gamer UK awarded the game its "Recommended" seal, with reviewer Phil South giving it a 91% rating. South defined the game as quick, hot and deep: "Quick because it takes no time at all to get into [...]. Hot because its state-of-the-art presentation because it makes it both look good and sound like a million bucks [...]. Deep because, once you get over the initial novelty and start to want something to occupy you for a while, the game has enough bite to keep you enthralled for as long as you're prepared to put the effort in, with puzzles and problems to tax experienced and neophyte adventurers alike". [9]

In February 1994, PC Zone also recommended the game, giving it a score of 89 out of 100. Reviewer Paul Presley criticized the game's "less than user-friendly interface", stating that there's "far too many mouse clicks to do far too few things", while highly praised the visuals and sound, which "produce an atmosphere unrivalled in an adventure game since The 7th Guest ". [10]

The One gave the Amiga version of The Labyrinth of Time an overall score of 81%, and praised its graphics and music, but was more critical to some issues in its gameplay. The One expressed that the "packaging itself gives no indication of the down-beat nature of the game ... [the intro outlining backstory events] come as an unpleasant surprise" and criticized the mazes, stating that the auto-map negates their purpose, making them "nothing more than tedious", and were frustrated by the "dated" and "limiting" UI. [11]

James V. Trunzo reviewed The Labyrinth of Time in White Wolf #42 (April, 1994), giving it a final evaluation of "Poor" and stated that "The Labyrinth of Timemight appeal to you if you're obsessed with finding your way through maze after maze. It doesn't have much appeal for higher tastes. I've got to label this one a 'must... to avoid'." [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Simon the Sorcerer</i> 1993 video game

Simon the Sorcerer is a 1993 point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Adventure Soft, for Amiga and MS-DOS. The game's story focuses on a boy named Simon who is transported into a parallel universe of magic and monsters, where he embarks on a mission to become a wizard and rescue another from an evil sorcerer. The game's setting was inspired by the novels of the Discworld series, and incorporates parodies on fantasy novels and fairy tales, such as The Lord of the Rings and Jack and the Beanstalk. The lead character's design was inspired by that of the fictional British television character Blackadder, with the character voiced by Chris Barrie in the CD re-release.

<i>Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis</i> 1992 video game

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by LucasArts and released in June 1992 for Amiga, DOS, and Macintosh. Almost a year later, it was reissued on CD-ROM as an enhanced "talkie" edition with full voice acting and digitized sound effects. The seventh game to use the script language SCUMM, Fate of Atlantis has the player explore environments and interact with objects and characters by using commands constructed with predetermined verbs. It features three unique paths to select, influencing story development, gameplay and puzzles. The game used an updated SCUMM engine and required a 286-based PC, although it still runs as a real-mode DOS application. The CD talkie version required EMS memory enabled to load the voice data.

<i>Star Trek: 25th Anniversary</i> (computer game) 1992 PC video game

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is an adventure video game developed and published by Interplay Productions in 1992, based on the Star Trek universe. The game chronicles various missions of James T. Kirk and his crew of the USS Enterprise. Its 1993 sequel, Star Trek: Judgment Rites, continues and concludes this two-game series.

<i>Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra</i> 1991 role-playing video game

Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra is the third game in the role-playing video game series Might and Magic. Released in 1991, it is the predecessor to Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen and the sequel to Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World. A Sega Genesis version was developed, but never released.

<i>Inherit the Earth</i> 1994 video game

Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb is an adventure game developed by The Dreamers Guild and published by New World Computing in 1994.

<i>The Bards Tale II: The Destiny Knight</i> 1986 video game

The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in 1986. It is the first sequel to The Bard's Tale, and the last game of the series that was designed and programmed by Michael Cranford.

<i>Sid Meiers Covert Action</i> 1990 video game

Sid Meier's Covert Action is an action and strategy video game released in 1990 by MicroProse for IBM PC compatibles and Amiga. The player takes the role of Max Remington, a skilled and deadly free agent hired by Central Intelligence Agency, and investigates criminal and terrorist plots and activities. Tommo purchased the rights to this game and digitally publishes it through its Retroism brand in 2015.

<i>Dark Sun: Shattered Lands</i> 1993 video game

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands is a turn-based role-playing video game that takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of Dark Sun. It was developed and published by Strategic Simulations in 1993. It received positive reviews although released initially in an unfinished state. The game had a sequel, Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager, in 1994. An online MMORPG taking place in the same setting, Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands, was released in 1996 and hosted on the Total Entertainment Network.

<i>Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe</i> 1995 video game

Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe is an adventure game created by Adventure Soft, and released in 1995 for the MS-DOS. It is the second installment in the Simon the Sorcerer series of games, and the sequel to 1993's Simon the Sorcerer. The game's story focuses on a young teen named Simon, who is transported into a parallel universe of magic and monsters that he visited before, via a magical wardrobe created by an evil sorcerer he defeated in the last game. Players engage in a quest to help him find more fuel for the wardrobe by searching a vast world, consisting of parodies on popular fantasy novels and fairy tales.

<i>Kings Quest VI</i> 1992 video game

King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow is a point-and-click adventure game, first released in 1992 as the sixth installment in the King's Quest series produced by Sierra On-Line. Written by Roberta Williams and Jane Jensen, King's Quest VI is widely recognized as the high point in the series for its landmark 3D graphic introduction movie and professional voice acting. King's Quest VI was programmed in Sierra's Creative Interpreter and was the last King's Quest game to be released on floppy disk. A CD-ROM version of the game was released in 1993, including more character voices, a slightly different opening movie and more detailed artwork and animation.

<i>Rise of the Dragon</i> 1990 video game

Rise of the Dragon, released in 1990 by Dynamix, marks the company's venture into the cyberpunk genre, distinct from its usual portfolio of action and flight simulators. This graphic adventure game is set in a future dystopian version of Los Angeles, circa 2053, and follows the story of detective William 'Blade' Hunter as he investigates the death of the mayor's daughter, linked to a dangerous new drug, MTZ. The gameplay combines detective work, strategy, and action. Players must solve puzzles that influence the storyline, interact with characters who remember past choices, and tackle action sequences. If players fail these sequences multiple times, the game may offer to automatically complete them.

<i>J.R.R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is a role-playing video game published by Interplay Productions. It is an adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, being the first volume in The Lord of the Rings. The game was released in 1990 for DOS, in 1991 for the Amiga and PC-98, and in 1992 for the FM Towns. It was followed by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers. It was originally designed for the Commodore 64, but the production team switched to the newer platforms. The game was designed by Troy A. Miles, Scott Bennie, Jennell Jaquays, and Bruce Schlickbernd. For the later versions, the cutscenes are taken from the 1978 Lord of the Rings film directed by Ralph Bakshi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dreamers Guild</span> Former computer and video game publisher and developer

The Dreamers Guild was a North American publisher and developer of video games, that operated from 1988 until 1997.

<i>Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero</i> 1989 video game

Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero is a 1989 adventure game/role-playing game hybrid, designed by Lori Ann Cole and published by Sierra On-Line for MS-DOS. It is the first game in the Quest for Glory series, and has been credited for being a genre-defining game, as it tried to mix graphical adventure gaming with role-playing-like elements such as statistic building that would actually affect the ability to accomplish certain parts of the game. The game has a satirical and silly tone. Ports for the Amiga, Atari ST, and NEC PC-9801 were released in the early 1990s. A VGA remake, titled Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero, was released in 1992 for DOS and later in 1994 for Mac OS.

<i>The Immortal</i> (video game) 1990 video game

The Immortal is an isometric action-adventure game originally created by Will Harvey and released by Electronic Arts in 1990 for the Apple IIGS. It was soon ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Genesis. A wizard is attempting to find his mentor in a large and dangerous labyrinth. It has a high degree of graphic violence. In 2020, the NES port was re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online service, while the Genesis port was re-released on the Piko Collection Collection 1 cartridge for the Evercade.

<i>Space Quest IV</i> 1991 video game

Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers is a 1991 graphic adventure game by Sierra On-Line, and the fourth entry in the Space Quest series. The game was released originally on floppy disks in March 1991, and later released on CD-ROM in December 1992 with full speech support; an Atari ST version was announced via Sierra Online's magazine, Sierra News Magazine, but was later canceled. The game sees players assume the role of Roger Wilco, who is thrust into a new adventure across time and space where he must thwart the plans of an old foe that is seeking revenge against him.

<i>Castle of Dr. Brain</i> 1991 video game

Castle of Dr. Brain is an educational video game released in 1991 by Sierra On-Line. It is a puzzle adventure game.

<i>Conan the Cimmerian</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Conan the Cimmerian is a video game that was released by Virgin Games and Synergistic Software in 1991 for Amiga and DOS. It is an action-adventure game with RPG elements.

<i>Free D.C!</i> 1991 video game

Free D.C! is a 1991 video game published by Cineplay Interactive.

References

  1. ↑ "The Labyrinth of Time Manual". wyrmkeep.com. The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  2. ↑ "Labyrinth of Time - PC - GameSpy". gamespy.com. GameSpy. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  3. ↑ "The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. Announces the Release of The Labyrinth of Time". wyrmkeep.com. The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  4. ↑ "The Labyrinth of Time for the iPhone/iPod". thelabyrinthoftime.com. The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  5. ↑ "Screenshots from The Labyrinth of Time" . Retrieved May 18, 2008.
  6. ↑ Ardai, Charles (December 1993). "Through The Corridors Of Time". Computer Gaming World. pp. 192, 193. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Ardai, Charles (April 1994). "Invasion Of The Data Stashers". Computer Gaming World. pp. 20–42.
  8. ↑ Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World . No. 148. pp. 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98.
  9. ↑ South, Phil (January 1994). "The Labyrinth of Time". PC Gamer. Vol. 1, no. 2. pp. 96–97.
  10. ↑ Presley, Paul (February 1994). "The Labyrinth of Time". PC Zone. No. 11. pp. 112–113.
  11. ↑ "The Labyrinth of Time Review". The One. No. 64. emap Images. February 1994. pp. 52–53.
  12. ↑ Trunzo, James V. (April 1994). "The Silicon Dungeon". White Wolf Magazine . No. 42. p. 54.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.