Killing Time (video game)

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Killing Time
Killing Time cover.png
Developer(s) Original Developer: Studio 3DO (3DO)
Logicware (Win, Mac) Modern Developer: Nightdive Studios
Publisher(s) Original Publisher: The 3DO Company Modern Publisher: Nightdive Studios, Ziggurat Interactive
Director(s) Larry Reed
Al Tofanelli
Producer(s) JuliAnn Juras Appler
Programmer(s) Larry Reed
Artist(s) Al Tofanelli
Composer(s) Robert Vieira
Platform(s) Original release: 3DO, Windows, Macintosh Modern Release: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Release3DO
  • EU: November 10, 1995 [1]
  • NA: November 1995
Windows
  • NA: December 9, 1996 [2]
Macintosh
  • NA: December 5, 1997 [3]
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player

Killing Time is a horror-themed first-person shooter video game developed by Studio 3DO. Originally an exclusive for their 3DO Interactive Multiplayer console, it was later remade for the Windows platform in 1996 by Logicware and for the Macintosh after the 3DO system was discontinued. On July 23, 2015, ZOOM Platform announced the 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. [4]

Contents

The player takes on the role of a former Egyptology student, trapped within the estate of a wealthy heiress on Matinicus Isle, Maine. In 1932, during the night of the Summer Solstice, heiress Tess Conway, 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. [5]

It was announced on June 6, 2024 that a remaster of the game was being developed by Nightdive Studios under the name Killing Time: Resurrected. [6]

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. These vases also grant one-time per playthrough power ups. Some sections require the player to strafe, crouch, or jump. The game takes place on a rather large, nonlinear island, with no load times in between sections. Enemies defeated and items taken are permanent for the duration of a playthrough, with guarded weapon caches scattered throughout the island.

Plot

The player character is a college student out to discover the mystery behind a missing Egyptian artifact. The ancient "Water-Clock of Thoth" had been discovered by his Egyptology professor, Dr. Hargrove, but the artifact went missing soon after a visit by the expedition's patron, Tess Conway. Tess is the heiress 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.

Characters

Release

The game's original release came as a red CD. Players found a glitch in the game that happens in the clown stage.[ citation needed ] 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.[ citation needed ] The 3DO Game Guru includes a save file patch which fixes the bug.

In 1996 Acclaim Entertainment acquired the rights to release three Studio 3DO games for the PlayStation, Saturn, and PC, including Killing Time. [7] [8] However, while Acclaim did publish the other two games for those platforms, they did not do so with Killing Time, even though a release date was announced [9] and it was advertised in magazines [10] and on the back of some manuals on games published by the company.

On July 23, 2015, ZOOM Platform announced the 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. [11]

The game was also re-released onto gog.com on November 10, 2016. [12]

Reception

The original 3DO release received mostly positive reviews. Critics for both Next Generation and GamePro praised the fast game engine and combination of intense first-person shooting with brain-stimulating adventure elements. [16] [17] GamePro also approved of the stylish visuals and music and especially the use of real-life weapons for the player's arsenal, though they criticized the need to use button combinations to change weapons or look up and down. [17] Next Generation complimented the humor and concluded, "In short, Killing Time is the bastard child of Doom and 7th Guest , and it works." [16]

The game was awarded the 3DO Adventure Game of the Year. [18] In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the 3DO version 2nd on their "The GamesMaster 3DO Top 10." [19]

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References

  1. ↑ "Arcade smash unleashed". Heartland Evening News: the Voice of Nuneaton, Hinckley, Bedworth and Atherstone . November 11, 1995. p. 8. Retrieved July 25, 2023. There's a new first person perspective shoot 'em up out on the 3DO machine this week entitled Killing Time.
  2. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. Archived from the original on 1998-02-10. Retrieved 2024-04-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ↑ "Logicware, Inc. What's New". 1998-06-10. Archived from the original on 1998-06-10. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  4. ↑ "Zoom Releases Killing Time Game and Announces Strategic Partnership with Prism Entertainment". Lightning Releases. July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Killing Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 76. Ziff Davis. November 1995. pp. 142–143.
  6. ↑ Scullion, Chris (2024-06-06). "3DO horror comedy FPS Killing Time is being remastered by Nightdive Studios". VGC. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  7. ↑ "In the Studio". Next Generation . No. 19. Imagine Media. July 1996. p. 20.
  8. ↑ "Acclaim to Bring 3DO Titles to PSX, Saturn". GamePro . No. 85. IDG. August 1996. p. 17.
  9. ↑ "Coming Soon". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 94. Ziff Davis. May 1997. p. 29.
  10. ↑ "Advertisement". GamePro . No. 105. IDG. June 1997. p. 95.
  11. ↑ "Exclusive Release: Killing Time". Zoom Platform. July 23, 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Release: Killing Time". gog.com . November 10, 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  13. ↑ Sackenheim, Shawn. "Killing Time (3DO) Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  14. ↑ Lisa Karen Savignano. "Killing Time (Macintosh) Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ Michael L. House. "Killing Time (PC) Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 "Killing Time - Rating 3DO". Next Generation . No. 12. Imagine Media. December 1995. p. 185.
  17. 1 2 Atomic Dawg (January 1996). "ProReview: Killing Time". GamePro . No. 88. IDG. p. 104.
  18. ↑ "And The Winner Is... 3DO Awards Honor Best of the Best for 1995; Electronic Arts' Road-Ripping Need for Speed Named "Game of the Year"". Business Wire . December 19, 1995. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2021– via The Free Dictionary.
  19. ↑ "The GameMasters 3DO Top 10" (PDF). GamesMaster (44): 75. July 1996.
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