By KEVIN HOOVER
CD-based games of the ‘90s offered a considerable increase in storage over their plastic cartridge predecessors, and developers of the period sought to engorge each byte with as much gaming goodness as they could. Enter the full-motion video (FMV) era of gaming: live-action video, shot with real actors on real sets, replaced the pixel art platforming hijinks of Mario and Sonic. Filling out those shiny discs with interactive movies was a novel idea that rightfully earned its fifteen minutes of fame, but the approach meant that actual player involvement with the game itself was generally at a minimum, and replayability was the equivalent of watching the same movie over … and over … and over …
1995’s Killing Time bucked that trend. Instead of going all-in on FMV, the devs interspersed live-action scenes throughout an otherwise traditional FPS. Developed by The 3DO Company – and released on the ultra-expensive 3DO console before being ported to Windows and Mac – the game attained a cult following. Now, Nightdive Studios and Ziggurat Interactive are bringing the horror-heavy shooter to modern consoles and PC as KILLING TIME: RESURRECTED, with a fresh splatter of paint and other new features, on October 17th.
From the press release:
“Set in the early 1930s, KILLING TIME: RESURRECTED casts players as a former Egyptology student trapped in the estate of wealthy heiress Tess Conway. Ms. Conway’s ritual to bestow eternal life backfires, and her high-society friends vanish without a trace. It’s up to players to find and destroy the mystical Egyptian Water-Clock to undo its curse and face a legion of supernatural horrors.
The original Killing Time quickly became a smash hit among fans of action, adventure, mystery and puzzle games when it was released in 1995. KILLING TIME: RESURRECTED features toggleable high-resolution character artwork/sprites from the original 3DO and PC versions of the game, upscaled environmental texturing, smoother gameplay, more responsive controls and expanded control and key-bind settings.”
Features include:
- Murder Around Every Corner: Face off against enemies from both 3DO and PC for the first time, utilizing weapons that were once exclusive to each version. Discover at your own risk unearthed cut content, including the pool house, shipwreck and a variety of ancient artifacts.
- Ghost Stories: Experience and interact with otherworldly apparitions through a collection of over 50 live-action video sequences. These restored specters offer vital clues about the horrific events that once occurred in the cursed Conway mansion.
- Stunning Graphics: Immerse yourself in visuals in (up to) 4K resolution at 144 FPS, with anti-aliasing and upgraded/new 2D screens and menu art. Look up and down and turn around with a complete 360 view. The three-dimensional mansion offers outdoor areas, staircases and intricately detailed ceilings and floors.
- Max Efficiency: A fright-fest for the true aficionado of first-person corridor mayhem, enjoy continuous gameplay with no load time between areas and much more!
- Updated Controls: Modernized control scheme that supports current-generation controllers.
KILLING TIME: RESURRECTED releases on October 17th on PC via Steam and GOG, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. For more information, follow Nightdive Studios.
