Killing Time Download PC

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.

Characters

"Tess Conway" (played by actress Lise Bruneau): Inheritor of her parent's 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 Conway 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 nurturing them with food and drink long enough to gain her 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 DeVries": Tess' associate, and 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. With a short temper and a broad mean streak, it's 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 Set (Seth).

"Byron": Tess' Archaeologist friend, Byron falls hopelessly in love with Tess, while helping her to decipher the instructions for the Water-Clock. All his efforts to woo Tess however, are futile of course, and the lonely Byron is reduced to nothing but another hapless pawn in the long run of things. More clever than anyone else however, he knows the true power of the Water-Clock, and keeps it to himself, carefully observing Tess' attempt for immortality so that he might learn from her mistakes.

"Mike": 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.

"Robert": Robert has been the Conway's official butler for years, and even goes as far as to reminisce over Tess and Lydia's adolescence together. Perhaps one of the game's only "truly innocent" characters, Robert laments over Tess' transformation after the death of her parents, and keeps a wary eye on Duncan, who he openly distrusts. He is Byron's only friend, and 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 Tweksbury": Tess' childhood friend, Lydia is kept on the isle for mysterious reasons 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. All the same she remains miserably trapped on the isle, and spends most of her time drowning her worries in gin.

"Angela Conway": Tess' 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, if one deciphers her riddles.

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. GamePro's Atomic Dawg also approved of the stylish visuals and music and especially the use of real-life weapons for the player's arsenal, though he criticized the need to use button combinations to change weapons or look up and down. Next Generation complimented the humor and gave the game four out of five stars, concluding, "In short, Killing Time is the bastard child of Doom and 7th Guest, and it works."