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Nightdive Studios’ quest to revive some of gaming’s most bizarre and long-forgotten treasures shows no signs of slowing down. With the release of PO’ed: Definitive Edition earlier this year, it was a clear-cut signal that the team is ready and willing to embrace titles that may not be the most recognisable in an increasingly crowded market, but nevertheless represent and preserve them, unearthing titles that would otherwise have fallen ever further into obscurity.
Killing Time: Resurrected, originally developed by Studio 3DO and released in 1995, is another example of Nightdive’s valiant endeavour to spruce up curios, and from a technical point of view at least, it’s one of the studio’s most impressive efforts yet. Its presentation has been greatly enhanced while still retaining everything that made this 3DO FPS so unique, resulting in a product that frankly makes the original release borderline obsolete.
Much like PO’ed, however, Killing Time isn’t the kind of game that we’d feel comfortable recommending to just any old FPS fan. With its comedy-horror theme, non-linear gameplay, and live-action ‘cutscenes’, it’s an experience that will likely only appeal if you’re either already familiar with the original release and want to tap into some lost memories, or you’re eager to explore every dusty corner of the genre. In short, it’s a weird game, but we’ve been quite enamoured with it.
Taking place within the estate of wealthy heiress Tess Conway, you’ve been tasked with locating and destroying the mystical Egyptian Water Clock in an effort to reverse a curse placed upon Matinicus Isle. Standing in your way are hordes of ghosts, ghouls, and a host of other weird and wacky supernatural horrors.
Killing Time largely refrains from telling you what to do or where to go. Like a lot of older games, progress is very much down to your own agency and willingness to explore every nook and cranny. Now, the benefit with any remaster is that you can be sure there will be guides out there to offer a helping hand if need be, but if you’re looking to go into this solo, just keep in mind that Killing Time is about as transparent as a brick wall; hitting a switch may open up a nearby passage, but finding it is all down to you, buddy.
Thankfully, then, it helps that the environments are almost always a pleasure to explore. Sure, the rural countryside surrounding the central manor is somewhat bereft of unique assets, but there’s always a path to explore, a hidden cave to plunder, or a handful of shotgun-wielding Duck Hunters to gun down.
As for the manor itself, it’s a bonafide maze of luxurious rooms, locked doors, ornate corridors, and secret passageways. Filled to the brim with utterly bonkers villains like the Murder Clowns, the Butcher Chefs, and the fist-punching Housekeepers, inching your way through will make you realise just how unique Killing Time is within the FPS genre.
To add to this, the game’s surprisingly comprehensive storyline is told via 7th Guest-inspired live-action performances dotted around the environment. Activating these is simply a case of standing in front of a ghostly apparition that will briefly animate to indicate an upcoming presentation. Live actors then either converse directly with you or one another, adding more and more layers to the unfolding narrative.
The scenes are often very humorous and always intriguing, and they do sometimes offer up vague clues as to what you should focus on going forward. One of the earliest scenes blocks you from entering the mansion without an RSVP, so it stands to reason that you need to go and find one.
In terms of gameplay and mechanics, Nightdive has really nailed how a classic FPS should feel on modern consoles by this point. Right from the start, it’s got a near-perfect balance of twin-stick controls blended with gyro aiming, allowing you to move around via the analogue sticks while providing razor-sharp precision with the added gyro. Of course, the original release lacked the ability to look up or down, so this addition alone makes Killing Time feel a lot more up-to-date (just make sure to invert the Y-axis like a normal person – joking, gosh).
Like all Nightdive games, Killing Time also boasts a smorgasbord of enhancements that you can toggle on or off as you see fit. So if you want to disable things like the high-res textures or the auto-aim ability, you can, and we’d also encourage toggling the ability to swap between the enemy assets used in the 3DO and PC versions of the game to see which style you prefer (your own gun sprites change when you toggle this too, which is pretty cool). There are also cheats you can activate via the pause menu, so you can enter God Mode if you wish, or simply toggle a complete version of the map to give you a slight helping hand.
Unlike the visuals, there arent really any ways to alter the audio beyond basic volume settings, but we’d say it’s good enough as it is. The quirky music changes reasonably frequently as you make your way through different areas, but not so frequently that you can’t appreciate each tune on its own. Guns sound chunky, the voice acting is surprisingly top-notch given the era of the original game’s release, and the end credits track is an absolute delight.
Really, the only technical issue we came across was a very slight pause during gameplay as you move from one key area to the next. You can explore the entire island without any major interruptions, but the game can’t load everything all at once, so a brief pause for about one or two seconds at most will occur at rare intervals. It’s not a major issue, just something to keep in mind.
Conclusion
Killing Time: Remastered is yet another success for Nightdive Studios, with the team unearthing a forgotten cult classic and bringing it right up to date for modern consoles with revamped visuals and updated controls. Like PO’ed: Definitive Edition, however, it’s not a game that’s going to appeal to everyone thanks to its bizarre cast of characters and unorthodox method of storytelling. That said, if you’re curious to experience one of the more unique games in the FPS genre, this is without a doubt the best way to do so.