Killing Time

From DoomWiki.org

The box art for Killing Time, as developed by Studio 3DO.

Killing Time is a horror-themed first-person shooter video game developed by Studio 3DO. Originally an exclusive for their 3DO platform, it was later remade for the Windows and Macintosh platforms in 1996 by Logicware 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.[1]

The player takes on the role of a former Egyptology student, trapped within the estate of wealthy heiress Tess Conway on Matinicus Isle, Maine. In 1932, during the night of the summer solstice, Tess Conway vanished while attempting to use a mystical Ancient Egyptian water clock which purportedly grants eternal life, along with many of her society friends. The player's objective is to find the water clock and destroy it, as well as discover the secrets of the estate, all while beating back the many horrors that now occupy the island.

Throughout the game, the plot is slowly revealed to the player through numerous vignettes performed by live actors. An unusual aspect of the game is that live action full-motion video characters overlap with the real time gameplay, without breaking to cutscenes (the only exceptions are the opening and closing sequences).[2] These are activated by standing near Tess' spectral pleadings, while in a couple of locations (The Ballroom and the Master Bedroom) clocks can be set to change which vision is shown.

A remastered version of the game entitled Killing Time: Resurrected was released by Nightdive Studios on October 17, 2024, featuring assets from both the PC and 3DO versions.[3]

Development[edit]

The 3DO version of the game began life as "Zombie Xanadu", a concept for a 3D first-person-perspective maze-crawling game populated by undead creatures with inspirations from Agatha Christie.[4] The custom ZX engine, itself derived from a section of the 1994 3DO game Jurassic Park Interactive,[citation needed] was developed to support the project, which could utilize streaming technology on the 3DO game console to render seamlessly transitioning levels drawn via the console's internal Cel Engine. A special case version of the painter's algorithm is utilized for hidden surface removal. The level creation was completed using the DEU editor, before eventually being converted for the ZX engine with several additions.[5]

Several original songs were created for the game. "On This Island" by Robert Vieira and sung by Elizabeth Snyder, which plays in the ballroom, and "Time Trapped Isle" by Larry Reed and the Toot Sweet Jazz Band, which plays over the end credits, are specially credited. Additional music was recorded by the Toot Sweet Jazz Band.

In 1996, Acclaim Entertainment acquired the rights to release three Studio 3DO games for the PlayStation, Saturn, and PC, including Killing Time.[6][7] 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[8] and it was advertised in magazines[9] and on the back of some manuals on games published by the company.

Instead, rights for development of a PlayStation and Saturn version were passed on to Torus Games (who later produced the version of Doom II for the Game Boy Advance). While Torus would work on both versions of the game, the PlayStation version would only advance to a beta stage of development before being canceled,[10] while the Saturn port would be abandoned early in its development without even a functioning prototype.[11]

Rights for development of a Power Macintosh version went to Logicware, Inc. Developer Rebecca Heineman, also known for the 3DO version of Doom, would develop an engine for this version of the game. James "Quasar" Haley, one of the developers of the remastered version, confirmed the game was based on the Atari Jaguar version of Doom that she had previously worked on.[12] This version was also ported to Windows 95. These versions of the game differ significantly from the 3DO version, using different game logic, enemy designs, lower resolution 8-bit artwork, and completely redesigned levels which only make a few references in key areas to the original 3DO designs.

According to tools engineer Michael Lutynski, the game's redone levels were created using the Build level editor from Duke Nukem 3D, then double converted to WAD files and finally to the engine's native format, with no trace of Build in the finished product. LightWave 3D was tested as well, as part of an ultimately canceled attempt to implement room-over-room effects.[13][14]

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, and featured fan made patches and fixes.[15][16] The game was also re-released onto GOG.com by Ziggurat Interactive on November 10, 2016.[17]

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.[18] It was released on October 17, 2024.[19][3]

Gameplay[edit]

The gameplay follows the standard set by most first-person shooters with the player using an assortment of weapons. These include a Colt .45 pistol which can be single or dual wielded, a Remington 870 shotgun, a Thompson submachine gun (Tommy gun), and a flamethrower. The Windows/Macintosh version adds a crowbar for melee attacks, Molotov cocktails, and a magical ankh, which can be used to wipe out many enemies at a time. To finish the game (at least in the Windows/Macintosh version), one must collect the ten Winged Vessels—a stylized form of canopic jar—spread throughout the island of Matinicus, presented as a seamless open world, and each containing a symbolic part of Tess Conway's spirit. These vessels also grant limited-time power-ups (although in the 3DO version, one gives a permanent effect without being activated prior). A rejuvenation vessel can restore the charge of previously used vessels. Some sections in the Windows/Macintosh version 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 the campaign, with guarded weapon caches scattered throughout the island.

The 3DO version has a high score system, in which different player names who played the game (whether finished or not), alongside their final score, are displayed. Exploring maps thoroughly, defeating enemies, and collecting items will increase score. This is entirely absent in the Windows/Macintosh version.

Weapons[edit]

  • Crowbar (Windows/Macintosh version only)
  • Pistol
  • Double Pistols
  • Shotgun
  • Tommy Gun
  • Molotov (Windows/Macintosh version only)
  • Flamethrower
  • Ankh (Windows/Macintosh version only)

Enemies[edit]

  • Duck (3DO version only, initially planned for the Windows/Macintosh version but later scrapped, later added back to Resurrected)
  • Hunter
  • Gardener (Windows/Macintosh version only)
  • Two-headed dog
  • Wasp
  • Gangster
  • Thug (Windows/Macintosh version only)
  • Harpy / Flying skull
  • Clown
  • Chef
  • Maid
  • Diabolic maid (Windows/Macintosh version only)
  • Roach
  • Specter (Windows/Macintosh version only)
  • Scarab
  • Prohibitionist
  • Cloud demon
  • Skeleton
  • Smoking skeleton (3DO version only, later added back to Resurrected)
  • Dung Ball (in 3DO version) / Crawler (in Windows/Macintosh version)
  • Bat (3DO version only, later added back to Resurrected)
  • Anubis head
  • Avatar of Seth (Duncan De Vries)
  • Avatar of Isis (Tess Conway) (Windows/Macintosh version only)

Vessels[edit]

  • Ears - displays enemies on the map
  • Hands - grants unlimited ammunition
  • Eyes - increases map detail
  • Liver - eliminates enemies
  • Nose - highlights ammunition locations on map
  • Mouth - highlights secret areas on map
  • Legs - doubles player's running speed
  • Back - grants invincibility
  • Chest - doubles player's maximum health (also immediately and permanently increases default maximum health in the 3DO version if picked up)
  • Arms - increases damage by eight (only applies to crowbar melee attacks in the Windows/Macintosh version)

Plot[edit]

Spoiler Warning: Plot details follow.

The player character is a former archaeology college student (voiced by Bruce Robertson) who has set 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 discovers 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 island (including the wildlife) into either restless ghosts, demons, or undead zombies. In the opening cinematic of 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[edit]

  • Tess Conway (played by Lise Bruneau, voiced by Yayoi Jinguji in the Japanese dub): Inheritor of her parents' wealth as well as the Conway Estate, Tess will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Obsessed with being young and beautiful forever, Tess acquires the Ancient Egyptian water clock in the hopes of using it to stop time itself. Tess keeps her most useful pawns close to her on the isle, nourishing them with food and drink long enough for her to have them help her fulfill truest ambitions. When at last she has the power of the water clock within her grasp, she is murdered and subsequently activates the water clock too soon in order to save her life and curse her killer. This action ends-up trapping all the people on the island, and the timing causes the experiment to go horribly wrong. Tess and her friends become restless spirits while the rest are turned into mindless zombies.
  • Duncan De Vries (played by Eric Flom): Tess's associate, and her key to the black market. Duncan is an ambitious bootlegger trying to make a name for himself in the world of crime. His goal to marry Tess in order to acquire her property and wealth. Duncan does whatever Tess asks in order to gain her favor. Later on, it is revealed that he is the one responsible for smuggling the water clock to the Conway Estate, with the help of his own henchmen. With a short temper and a broad mean streak, it is no wonder how quickly he turns to murder when he finds out that Tess has no mind for marriage. With her dying breath, Tess curses Duncan, and possesses his body with the vengeful spirit of the Egyptian god Set (Seth).
  • Byron Flemming (played by Colin Thomson): Tess's archaeologist friend who speaks in a German accent, Byron falls hopelessly in love with her, while helping her to decipher the instructions for the water clock. All his efforts to woo Tess are of course futile. The most clever person on the island, he knows the true power of the water clock.
  • Mike Murphy (played by Tim Flanagan): Duncan's rent-a-cop body guard, Mike follows Duncan around and makes sure everything goes smoothly. Officially the "guard" of the estate, Mike finds himself without much of a job to do most of the time. He appears only once by himself in the game to offer a quick warning to beware of both Duncan and Tess (although unused cutscenes included in Resurrected suggest that he was to have a more proactive role in helping the player throughout their journey).
  • Robert Kenilworth (played by Edward Sarafian): An England native, Robert has been the Conways' official butler for decades, and even goes as far as to reminisce over Tess and Lydia's childhood together. Robert laments over Tess's transformation after the death of her parents, and keeps a wary eye on Duncan, whom he openly distrusts. He is Byron's only friend. He appears often to offer friendly advice on how to navigate the Conway estate. Robert dislikes what is going on but remains a loyal servant out of honor for the dying memory of the Conway family.
  • Lydia Tewkesbury (played by Paula Sonenberg): Tess's childhood friend, Lydia is kept on the isle for reasons unknown, though it would seem as though Tess gains confidence from being two steps ahead of Lydia at all times. Lydia confesses later in the game that she is sick of being in the shadow of Tess and works to bring her whole establishment down from the inside by leaking as much information as she can to Duncan. Both Duncan and Mike grow fond of Lydia during the course of the game primarily because she is physically attractive. At the same time, she remains miserably trapped on the island and spends most of her time drowning her worries in gin. When her mother found out that Tess stores a copious amount of gin within the Estate, she led her friends from the Woman's Christian Temperance Union to raid the Conway Estate, only for them all to be trapped by both Tess and Lydia in the Estate's wine cellar. Two unused scenes, one featuring Robert and another featuring Lydia herself, suggest that Lydia was to be an aspiring singer, with Here on This Island (the song that plays on the lounge at the West Wing) being assigned to her.
  • Angela Conway (played by Ashley Penrod): Tess's niece, this ghost of a young girl appears often in the game to spout cryptic poems, particularly in junctions in the hedge maze. Seemingly wise beyond her years, she understands what must be done and where to go and hopes that one can decipher her riddles in order to get the job done.

Endings[edit]

The 3DO version only has a single ending, in which the Avatar of Seth gets defeated with a Tommy gun by Tess, who appears out of the thin air wearing a black robe, presumably from the underworld Duat. Upon dying and transforming back to Duncan, he expresses his regret of not killing Tess earlier. Tess laughs at both him and the player, imprisoning them in Duat alongside the rest of the undead dwellers of Matinicus Isle.

The Windows/Macintosh version expands on this by having two endings, depending on the final outcome of the battle against Tess under the form of the Avatar of Isis. If the player gets defeated by Tess, the last part of the original 3DO version's ending will be played. However, if the player manages to defeat her instead, a good ending will be played. In this exclusive ending, the player finally goes back to the boat that he used to access Matinicus Isle, pointing out that Dr. Hargrove's words on the water clock were indeed true, alongside Tess' treacherous ambition to use its true power. He relates his plans of revisiting the isle the next day, in hopes of being able to recover what remains of the water clock to show to the archaeological society, hoping for plentiful funds to conduct a more thorough expedition. As the scene fades out, Tess can be heard emitting a distant cackle, suggesting she may not be done with the player yet.

Spoilers end here.

Areas[edit]

3DO version[edit]

  • Beginning/outdoor part
    • In the Beginning: Matinicus Unbound
    • Conway Courtyard: Duck and Cover
    • Outer Patio: Invitation to Death
  • Conway Estate (ground floor)
    • Great Hall: Robert's Welcome
  • East wing
    • Tess's Temple
    • Circus Mortus
    • Columns of Seth
    • Pyramid of Pain: Osiris Hunting
    • Ballroom: Ghostclock
  • Dining room and kitchen
    • Dining Room: Lingering Guests
    • Hell's Kitchen: Chef's Night Out
    • Pleased to Meat You
    • Deadly Ends and Magic Lanterns
  • West wing
    • Egyptian Switches
    • Assyrian Experience: Go East
    • Pyroglyphics
    • Tess's Lounge: Supporting Rolls
    • Byron's Library: Spines but No Pages
    • Gangster U: A Hardcover to Look Up
  • Secret maze labyrinth
    • Angela's Garden of Secrets
    • Hedge Your Bets
    • Tommygun Gardener: Don't Get Clipped
    • Old Foundations: Tess's Secret Path
  • Wine cellar
    • Elevator Shoes
    • Lydia's Mummy Dearest
    • Hopscotch on the Rocks
    • Parlor Games: 20 Ways to Die
  • Sewers
    • Have a Ball
    • Sewer Rats
    • Necropolis
    • Dankmosphere
  • Conway Estate (upper floor)
    • Upper Hall: Flapper's Palace
  • West wing (upper floor)
    • Cleaning Your Clock
    • Maids in the Shade
    • Room Service 4 Tess
  • Secret east wing (upper floor)
    • Mike's Retreat: Guard No More
    • Bonus Blast: The Roaring Twenties
  • Master bedroom
    • Tess's Room: Who Dunnit
  • The attic (climax part)
    • Attic Intro: Curse of Matinicus
    • Attic Memories: Short But Sweet
    • Losing Your Ka
    • Darkling Attic: Atum's Nightfall
    • Bloodclock Hunting
    • Time2Die
    • Hargrove's Storeroom: Split Level

Windows/Macintosh version[edit]

  • Dock
  • Courtyard
  • The Gardens
  • The Kennels
  • The Hunter’s Cabin
  • The Lighthouse
  • Conway Estate (contains The Great Hall)
  • 2nd Floor West Wing (contains The Guest Quarters)
  • 1st Floor East Wing Conway Estate (contains The Ballroom)
  • Kitchen
  • Wine Cellar
  • The Sewers - Level 1
  • The Sewers - Level 2
  • Temple of Isis
  • 1st Floor West Wing Conway Estate (contains The Firepit and The Library)
  • The Caverns
  • The Lookout Tower
  • The Mausoleum
  • The Topiary
  • The Arboretum
  • Hedge Maze
  • 2nd Floor East Wing Conway Estate (contains The Master Bedroom)
  • The Attic and Towers (contains The Vessel Altar and Hall of Mirrors)

Keys[edit]

  • 3DO version
    • RSVP invitation (listed as the green-blue slot on HUD in the 3DO version, must be retrieved from any of the hunters in Outer Patio: Invitation to Death)
    • Yellow-Orange Key (found in Columns of Seth, used to access Dining Room: Lingering Guests and subsequent levels)
    • Red Key (found in Hell's Kitchen: Chef's Night Out, used to access Deadly Ends and Magic Lanterns)
    • Violet Key (found in Deadly Ends and Magic Lanterns, used to access the portion of Upper Hall: Flapper's Palace that houses the orange/Arms vessel)
    • Yellow-Green Key (found in Elevator Shoes, used to access Egyptian Switches and subsequent levels)
    • Yellow Key (found in Sewer Rats, used to access the secret Upper East Wing section of Conway Estate)
    • Orange Key (found in Assyrian Experience: Go East, used to access Gangster U: A Hardcover to Look Up)
    • Green Key (found in Gangster U: A Hardcover to Look Up, used to access Angela's Garden of Secrets and subsequent levels)
    • Purple Key (found in Old Foundations: Tess's Secret Path, used to access Tess's Room: Who Dunnit and all subsequent levels)
    • Blue Key (found in Room Service 4 Tess, used to access Hopscotch on the Rocks and subsequent levels)
  • Windows/Macintosh version
    • RSVP Invitation (found in the Hunter's Cabin)
    • The Wine Cellar Key (Blue Key)
    • The Kitchen Key (Yellow-Orange Key)
    • The Kitchen Annex Key (Red Key)
    • Master Bedroom Annex Key (Purple Key)
    • Temple of Isis Key (Green Blue Key; also unlocks The Mausoleum)
    • Second Floor - East Wing Mansion Key (Yellow Key; also The Lookout Tower)
    • First Floor - West Wing Mansion Key (Yellow Green Key; also The Topiary)
    • The Library Key (Orange Key)
    • The Hedge Maze Key (Green Key; also The Caverns)
    • Master Bedroom Key (Violet Key)

Quirks and differences between 3DO and Windows/Macintosh versions[edit]

Alongside all aforementioned differences, there are other significant quirks and differences between the two versions of the game, defining each one from another.

3DO version[edit]

Maps[edit]

  • Due to technical limitations, many maps have a more labyrinthine appearance, with a heavy emphasis on puzzles. Some maps, such as Tess's Temple, do have a larger section, but no wider outdoor areas are available (the beginning grassy area of In the Beginning: Matinicus Unbound, ironically, has an invisible barrier, preventing the player from going any further into the trees).
  • The dining room has furnitures with a rather notable three-dimensional appearance, taking advantage of the limitations of the painter's algorithm used to draw walls.
  • The hedge maze is located nearby Byron's Library: Spines but No Pages, accessible only from a secret passage that can be accessed by two different ways, but requiring the Green Key.
  • Some maps have false doors which, if activated, will damage the player. These are prominently featured in the hedge maze maps, where some wrong answers to Angela's riddles are presented as these, while others simply lead to different paths with other kinds of traps, namely more enemies and bad health pickups. Other maps using these false doors are Parlor Games: 20 Ways to Die and Tess's Room: Who Dunnit.
  • The hedge maze maps also feature bad health orbs that will throw knives at the player if they pass on a certain angle the orbs are facing at.
  • Once the player has reached the attic, they cannot return to any prior maps, including Tess's Room: Who Dunnit. A wall will block the path back to that map, and the game will no longer allow the player to save their progress; only loads of the previous savegame are allowed during the game's climax levels.

Weapons and items[edit]

  • Ammo amounts remain the same across all difficulties (5 for small ammo types and 20 for large ammo types). Instead, these decide the numbers of ammo pickups and their locations, alongside the numbers of enemies, their damage output, and locations of the keys and vessels.
  • Additional ammo can be picked up from ammo crates, which will either give random ammo or explode (depending on the RNG) if the player presses Use nearby them. These crates are shootable, their explosion obliterating everything within their radius (although much more forgiving to the player, at least to an extent).
  • The Tommy gun shoots three consecutive shots each time. It is also the only rapid-fire weapon in the version of the game, in which the player can continuously shoot by holding the Fire button.
  • The flamethrower is the strongest weapon in this version (explicitly mentioned in a document as "the game's BFG"), able to take down various enemies with only a few shots. Its maximum ammo amount is 50, with each shot costing only 1 gas ammo.
    • Its projectiles pass through all actors and damage everything until they hit the wall.
  • Depending on the difficulties, the keys and vessels will also change locations, offering a more unique challenge in themselves, although the latter tend to be placed in secret sectors that require exploring the levels thoroughly.
  • Rejuvenation vessels are more numerous in the 3DO version. However, they do not stack up, so it may be best for the player to use other more necessary vessels first before picking them up.
  • Yellow health orbs replenish the player's health entirely, no matter how much maximum health they have.
    • Some health orbs dropped by enemies may also devolve within a few seconds before they permanently disappear (e.g. from cyan 10% health orb to violet 5% health orb, or from violet 5% health orb to red bad health orb).
  • Water clocks spawn randomized on dedicated sectors on all attic levels, pre-calculated while a new player is starting the game.

Enemies[edit]

  • Due to technical limitations, only two enemy types may be present in each map.
  • Some enemies (particularly, the human zombies) sometimes have their sprites and animations flipped, giving a more unique sense of variation.
  • Enemies that leave behind a corpse have rotating corpse sprites, an unusual feature at the time.
  • Enemies drop items once their death animation is finished playing.
  • While many enemies have different rotating sprites, they usually only face the player whenever attacking, rendering enemy infighting impossible.
  • Clowns attack with the infamous tickle attack, which will freeze the player in place if the attack registers and produce a laughing damage sound. This has made the 3DO iteration of the enemy one of the game's mascots among fans and players alike.
    • A variant of this enemy, which would hide behind pillars and throw worm-infested pies at the unsuspecting player, was planned for use in a forest level, but ultimately scrapped. An earlier iteration of the cover art, drawn by Iain McCaig, shows the clown holding a pie. This was later changed into a generic hand with claws, although in-game, the clowns have no visible claws.
  • Two-headed dogs located in Columns of Seth are based on poodles, which were historically bred for waterfowl hunting. Apart from their usual behavior of chasing the player and attacking in a near distance, they have a leaping move, in which they will disappear once the animation is finished, respawning at where they were originally placed in the map.
    • The dogs were initially planned to be introduced in another courtyard level, which did not materialize.
  • Cloud demons spawn from smokes located in Assyrian Experience: Go East, sharing the same attack pattern as the two-headed dogs to an extent. They detect player's existence on a nearby distance, attacking them if detected.
  • Harpies, wasps, and beetles disappear after getting killed.
  • Dung balls have two states; rolling state and crawling state. Their attacks make distinct pain sounds, depending on which state they are on.
  • Anubis heads shatter into debris for their death animation, before disappearing.
  • Duncan simply chases the player around after spotting the player, only making his own sounds similar to all other monsters.
    • However, he gradually gets stronger as the player attempts to kill him throughout the attic levels. If the player took him down with a few simple shots earlier, his subsequent respawns require far more ammo to take down, until the player manages to destroy all the water clocks.

Other quirks[edit]

  • Other than in the Easy difficulty, the 3DO version features falling damage (costing 10.25% of the player's health for each fall) and two pit traps with more varying damage upon falling, ranging from 5% to 15% (one located at Pyramid of Pain: Osiris Hunting, leading to Dankmosphere, and another at Maids in the Shade, leading to Assyrian Experience: Go East).
  • The player makes different pain sounds depending on the damage source. Depending on some maps, these can be rather inconsistent within similar types of enemies.
    • Even the pain and death sounds for similar types of enemies differ upon different levels, either due to technical limitations, a programming oversight, or (at least in one case, in which roaches in Mike's Retreat: Guard No More use a bell ringing sound for their pain sound as an Easter egg) deliberate decisions.
  • Swinging doors are commonly used, alongside polyobjects such as horizontally sliding doors and sliding sectors.
  • Doors, switches, and other kinds of objects requiring the Use button have different sounds upon activation.
  • Collecting all keys and vessels is not necessary in order to finish the game (in fact, the player can speedrun the game with several tricks without collecting any vessels), although some keys are still necessary to pick up in order to progress throughout the game.

Windows/Macintosh version[edit]

Maps[edit]

  • Indoor areas tend to have a more realistic but narrower, claustrophobic architecture (although the maze aspects are still intact in some parts), while wider outdoor areas offer a change of pace for players.
    • Some parts loosely based on the 3DO version's maps are significantly less spacious, perhaps even bordering claustrophobic.
  • The dining room no longer has a convincing three-dimensional effect on the furnitures, instead having black space on what should otherwise be transparent space.
  • Due to lack of damaging linedefs, some maps (such as the hedge maze and the attic) instead have additional sectors with more enemies behind doors with false answers to their respective puzzles.
  • The hedge maze is located just right behind the Conway Estate.
  • The player can still backtrack to all levels after reaching the attic. In fact, this is crucial to destroy all the water clocks in order to defeat Duncan.

Weapons and items[edit]

  • Ammo amounts depend on difficulties too (for example, the Easy difficulty gives 10 bullets for the small type while in Normal, they only amount 5), although they also affect the numbers across all maps.
  • Ammo crates are absent in this version, so the player needs to be even more conservative on ammo usage (especially on higher difficulties).
  • The Tommy gun shoots two consecutive shots, which can be further continued by holding the Attack button, making it closer to Doom's chaingun.
  • The flamethrower is significantly reduced in power, now resembling Doom's plasma rifle much more. Its maximum ammo amount is 240, with each shot costing 8 gas ammo.
  • Keys and vessels remain on the same place, regardless of difficulties.
  • Although only three are available in this version, rejuvenation vessels stack up in the Windows/Macintosh version, ensuring a better gameplay flow.
  • Yellow health orbs only replenish the player's health by 50%.
    • All health orbs dropped by enemies remain the same until they disappear.
  • Water clocks, notably the main water clock located in the attic, are placed on fixed areas.

Enemies[edit]

  • The maps of the Windows/Macintosh version have more than two enemy types, compared to the 3DO version.
  • No enemies have their sprites and animations flipped, similar to Doom.
  • Enemies that leave behind a corpse only show a single death sprite, compared to their 3DO counterparts.
  • Enemies drop items as early as their death animation starts playing. This is inherited from the Jaguar Doom engine.
  • All enemies have traditional rotating sprites, and as such, can be provoked into enemy infighting.
  • Clowns simply only punch the player in this version. However, their spandex outfit has also received a fan recognition as well.
  • Two-headed dogs are based on more contemporary guard dogs, possibly a German shepherd or a Doberman. They also lack the leaping move, relegated to only chasing the player and attacking if nearby.
  • Cloud demons act more similar to the lost souls of Doom, hidden throughout some level sections and directly targeting the player.
  • Flying skulls, wasps, and beetles leave behind a corpse after getting killed.
  • Anubis heads explode in their death animation, before disappearing.
  • Crawlers were initially planned to have a rolling state similar to the 3DO version's dung balls, as evidenced by the discovery of unused sprites, but for unknown reason this was never implemented. This was eventually restored in Resurrected.
  • In addition to playing his own sounds while chasing the player by default, Duncan will proclaim himself as the Avatar of Set once he spots the player, while also mocking the player once he gets temporarily defeated by weapon attacks up to four times.
    • "Mortal! I am now the Avatar of Set, Ruler of the Night! Your soul belongs to me!" (when Duncan first spots the player)
    • "You cannot kill me, mortal!"
    • "Time has no meaning here, you are damned for eternity!"
    • "It was I who slew the souls on this cursed island, and I will laugh as you die before me!"
    • "The clock imprisons you here! You cannot escape your fate!"
  • Unlike the 3DO version, Duncan does not gradually get stronger as he gets temporarily taken down by the player.

Other quirks[edit]

  • The Windows/Macintosh version has no falling damage (other than the instant death water sectors) and only features one section similar to the falling traps found at the 3DO version, located in the Topiary.
  • The player only makes one identical pain sound (shared with the sound made when attempting to activate dummy linedefs), akin to Doom.
  • Only vertical doors are available throughout the game, inherited from the Jaguar Doom engine.
  • Additionally, locked doors and switches make the same sound upon activation, as do all doors.
  • All keys and vessels must be collected in order to finish the game. All the water clocks are located behind special "magic" doors that can only be opened by putting all ten vessels into a pedestal, located in the path leading to the attic (which also houses the main water clock).
  • In an inexplicable manner, Tess' lines as the game's final boss are spoken in a Midwestern accent, in contrast to all her Trans-Atlantic accent lines in the 3DO version (which are retained alongside all ghost visions in the Windows/Macintosh version).
  • Despite also voiced by Bruce Robertson, the narrator player's sound is much deeper in the good ending.

Reception[edit]

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.[20][21] 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.[21] Next Generation complimented the humor and concluded, "In short, Killing Time is the bastard child of Doom and 7th Guest, and it works."[20] GameSpot concluded that the PC version was a "breath of very fresh air", due "largely to a thoughtful design interweaving setting and story with healthy doses of gunplay and gore."[22]

The game was awarded the 3DO Adventure Game of the Year.[23] In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the 3DO version 2nd on their "The GamesMaster 3DO Top 10."[24]

Trivia[edit]

  • Many of the keys have symbols that differ from the symbols of the doors they actually lock. Out of all the keys, the Yellow-Orange Key is the only one which symbol is not used in any locked doors (the Orange Key and Green Blue Key doors share the same symbol).
  • Putting certain names in the Windows/Macintosh version will grant different kinds of starting weapons and/or ammo, depending on the names.
    • For example, putting either John Woo or Chow Yun Fat will give the player the dual pistols and 200 bullets as a starter.
  • According to a leaked build (internally listed as Alpha 2.2), the 3DO version was initially planned to contain up to 59 levels, although only 45 are playable and the rest not included in the beta. This number remained within the final versions of the release.
    • Planned additional levels include a pier, a forest, a cottage, a clearing area, a lawn, a conservatory, and an inner pool. The Windows/Macintosh version possibly took inspiration from a few of these.
  • Time2Die was another developing title of the game, as evidenced by a preview featured in the 3DO port of Soccer Kid as well as a handful other media coverage. The title was eventually retained in one level of the 3DO version, making up part of Tess' attic, where the water clocks are stored.
  • The lack of ducks in the Windows/Macintosh version is due to an unexpected supervision by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who objected to the inclusion of ducks in the game, even after a clarification that the ducks are zombified alongside all other denizens of the island.
    • Despite the eventual removal, the completely programmed AI of the duck remains in the game, accessible only by cheat or debugging programs. The ducks would later be included again in Resurrected.
  • The Windows/Macintosh version is still related to the PlayStation port of Doom and, subsequently, Doom 64, as both share the Jaguar Doom port codebase.
    • Coincidentally, a two-headed dog (which would have a fleshy appearance, as designed by Gregor Punchatz, in comparison to the Killing Time iterations) was planned as a new enemy in Doom 64, although this was ultimately scrapped.
  • Studio 3DO also distributed Strife in Europe. Coincidentally, both Strife and Killing Time share a rather similar hub system, with their own ways of interactive story-telling: Killing Time by means of in-game FMV-based scenes, and Strife by means of non-playable characters.

External links[edit]

Sources[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Jump up ↑  (23 July 2015). "Zoom Releases Killing Time Game and Announces Strategic Partnership with Prism Entertainment." Lightning Releases (archived 🏛). Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  2. Jump up ↑ Killing Time. (November 1995). Electronic Gaming Monthly, 76, 142–143.
  3. ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1  (17 October 2024). "Killing Time: Resurrected Released." Blue's News. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  4. Jump up ↑ McCaig, Iain. "Killing Time 3DO Box Cover Art." Original Video Game Art. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  5. Jump up ↑ Nightdive Studios (5 December 2024). Conv2ZX.txt. Killing Time: Resurrected SDK. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  6. Jump up ↑ In the Studio. (1996, July). Next Generation, 19, 20.
  7. Jump up ↑ Acclaim to Bring 3DO Titles to PSX, Saturn. (August 1996). GamePro, 85, 17.
  8. Jump up ↑ Coming Soon. (May 1997). Electronic Gaming Monthly, 94, 29.
  9. Jump up ↑ Advertisement. (June 1997). GamePro, 105, 95.
  10. Jump up ↑ "Killing Time (Apr 28, 1997 prototype)." Hidden Palace. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  11. Jump up ↑ Killing Time. Sega Retro. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  12. Jump up ↑ Haley, James (11 October 2024). Killing Time: Resurrected. Doomworld. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  13. Jump up ↑ Lutynski, Michael (20 December 2024). Clarification from Killing Time PC programmer. Doom Wiki. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  14. Jump up ↑ MacDee, Mike (16 May 2013). "MY INTERVIEW with MIKE LUTYNSKI." The Conway Estate (archived 🏛). Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  15. Jump up ↑  (23 July 2015). "Killing Time." Zoom Platform. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  16. Jump up ↑ MacDee, Mike (14 January 2016). "REVIEW OF THE ZOOM PLATFORM REVIVAL." The Conway Estate (archived 🏛). Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  17. Jump up ↑  (10 November 2016). "Release: Killing Time." GOG.com (archived 🏛). Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  18. Jump up ↑ Scullion, Chris (6 June 2024). "3DO horror comedy FPS Killing Time is being remastered by Nightdive Studios." VGC. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  19. Jump up ↑ Romano, Sal (17 October 2024). "Killing Time: Resurrected launches October 17." Gematsu. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  20. ↑ Jump up to: 20.0 20.1 Killing Time - Rating 3DO. (December 1995). Next Generation, 12, 185.
  21. ↑ Jump up to: 21.0 21.1 Atomic Dawg. (January 1996). ProReview: Killing Time. GamePro, 88, 104.
  22. Jump up ↑ Poole, Stephen (1 May 2000). "Killing Time Review." GameSpot. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  23. Jump up ↑ 3DO Company, The (19 December 1995). "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 (archived 🏛). Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  24. Jump up ↑ The GamesMasters 3DO Top 10. (July 1996). GamesMaster, 44, 75.
Source code genealogy
Based on Name Base for
Doom (Atari Jaguar) Killing Time (PC) Killing Time: Resurrected
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