Killing Time
- December 15, 2016
- The 3DO Company
Get on Steam"Killing Time" is a fast-paced, action-packed shooter game that transports players to a variety of unique and exotic locations. As a time-traveling assassin, players must use their skills and weapons to eliminate targets across different eras while avoiding detection. With a wide range of enemies, challenges, and customizable loadouts, "Killing Time" offers a thrilling and engaging experience for fans of the genre.
Mac OS
PC
Reviews
- Killing Time features a unique open-world design that allows for exploration without loading screens, creating a seamless experience.
- The game has a captivating soundtrack and interesting character development, enhancing the overall atmosphere and engagement.
- It offers a variety of unique enemies and a convoluted yet intriguing plot that keeps players invested throughout the gameplay.
- The game suffers from clunky controls and awkward jumping mechanics, making navigation and combat frustrating at times.
- Many players experience significant technical issues, including crashes and poor compatibility with modern systems, requiring community patches to improve functionality.
- The level design is often criticized for being maze-like and confusing, leading to excessive backtracking and aimless wandering.
- music25 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy and unique soundtrack, blending jazz, ragtime, and moody horror elements that enhance the game's atmosphere. While some players find the music occasionally mismatched with the game's tone, many consider it a standout feature, contributing to the overall experience with its impressive and varied tracks. However, issues like music cutting out during combat and occasional audio stuttering have been noted, impacting the immersion.
“The soundtrack is probably my favorite aspect of the game (besides the shooty, shooty, bang, bang of course) as most of the tracks are tense or creepy while some others feel like party music and fit the different areas.”
“Truly upon revisiting this game over and over again, I stand by that it is a hidden gem of retro shooters, the best part is without a doubt the soundtrack, sound design and very unique visuals.”
“The game's puzzling choice of live studio music covering jazz and ragtime standards, mixed with the usual moody horror synthesizer fare is pretty unique, if not downright goofy at times, but it's all coated in a glaze of faux-Egyptian vibes meant to fit the aesthetic of a story about a cursed island and Egyptian water-clock, so it's all part-and-parcel.”
“Music rarely fits the mood unless it's ambient.”
“At one point I was in the arboretum and topiary region on my way to snag one of the vessels when out of nowhere some ragtime jazz music started playing completely with saxophone and piano. It was the kind of music I'd expect to hear while playing Chip's Quest, not a horror game, especially when I'm climbing a rock path up to an altar to retrieve some ancient vessel.”
- story12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as convoluted yet intriguing, utilizing innovative storytelling techniques such as ghost apparitions and full-motion videos to convey its narrative. Set on an island with a variety of bizarre characters and interconnected areas, players uncover the plot through optional lore and quirky exposition delivered by real actors. While the storytelling approach is unique, it may not appeal to those seeking a straightforward narrative or quick gameplay progression.
“Novel use of ghost apparitions appearing as transparent full-motion videos that playback as a means of storytelling was pretty novel, and it would be years before we saw things like Doom 3 or Bioshock do similar storytelling tricks with in-world voice logs, videos, or ghosts.”
“It has an interesting story told in FMV (make sure you stop at the 'help me' ghosts).”
“There are tons of completely optional story and lore.”
“The story behind this game is about as convoluted as the gameplay itself, so bear with me.”
“Zombie bootleggers fit with the story, but then vampire maids, overgrown beetles, flying Anubis masks, and zombie clowns, among other things.”
“There are some short videos that reveal the story piece by piece.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting dated and clunky visuals that detract from the experience, while others appreciate the unique art style that blends art nouveau and art deco elements. Despite some technical issues on modern systems, improvements in graphics have been acknowledged in recent ports, enhancing the overall visual experience. Overall, while the graphics may not be universally praised, they contribute to a distinctive aesthetic that some players find appealing.
“If all the technical innovation isn't enough, the art style is a blend of art nouveau and art deco that feels like la belle epoque meets the great gatsby, which was novel then, and still a rare sight now.”
“Truly upon revisiting this game over and over again, I stand by that it is a hidden gem of retro shooters, the best part is without a doubt the soundtrack, sound design and very unique visuals.”
“It has greatly improved graphics, the same beautiful soundtrack, and runs very solidly on modern systems thanks to some wizardry on the porter's part.”
“Its clunky controls, dated graphics, and lack of originality make for a frustrating and forgettable experience.”
“Ugly and lazy graphics for the weapons.”
“This game took me years to get up and running simply because it does not run well on modern systems out of the box; going from garbled graphics one year, no sound the next and then just refuses to boot after that - I had given up hope trying to get it up and running.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being uninspired and convoluted, with poor mechanics such as awkward jumping and slow movement near objects. Players feel that the lack of innovation and clarity in gameplay mechanics detracts from the experience, suggesting that the game would benefit from a significant overhaul or remaster to improve its design and level structure.
“You get all the weapons in the first hour of gameplay (the game is quite long).”
“The jump animation is a bit weird, same for crawling, and like another review says, if you get too close to any object, you become very slow; I guess it's a game mechanic for further into the game.”
“Vessel powers are just combat buffs and aren't used in interesting ways to solve puzzles; the game also doesn't tell you this mechanic exists, even in the controls.”
“With uninspired gameplay and a lack of innovation, it's a title best avoided unless you can approach it with fond memories (nostalgia) or you're a glutton for punishment.”
“The story behind this game is about as convoluted as the gameplay itself, so bear with me.”
“- jumping mechanics and physics are awful, often requiring strafe running to get enough speed to jump small gaps.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its unique blend of cheeky camp and dark atmosphere, enhanced by effective music and a variety of strange monsters. Players appreciate the immersive ambience and the tension it creates, making for a fun and engaging experience, especially with the aid of fan patches and guides. Overall, it is recognized for its impressive atmospheric qualities for its time.
“With a fan patch and a guide when you get lost, it is a lot of fun to play and has a dark atmosphere that keeps you on edge with the music and strange monsters.”
“It has great atmospheric ambience and music, and a ton of different enemies.”
“Crazy good atmosphere for a game of its time.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real sense of immersion.”
“Despite the game's setting, the atmosphere fails to evoke any genuine tension or excitement.”
“The overall ambiance is dull, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing significant issues such as being limited to a low resolution of 640 x 480 and encountering stuttering at 20fps when playing at original hardware speed. While a few users report smooth performance, others face problems like audio stuttering during FMVs and music interruptions.
“Yeah, you're still stuck in 640 x 480 mode, and will be stuck with a stuttering 20fps if you select to play the game at its original hardware speed.”
“Lots of people in reviews seem to have trouble running the game, but it's run perfectly fine for me aside from FMV audio stuttering and music suddenly stopping sometimes.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features strong character development, contributing to its engaging plot and unique enemies, while maintaining a straightforward gameplay experience.
“Similar to its remastered version, 'Killing Time: Resurrected', it is a very straightforward game with an interesting plot, unique enemies, strong character development, reliable weapons, and a very catchy soundtrack.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have reported experiencing sound glitches, indicating that stability issues may affect the overall audio performance of the game.
“The game is plagued by sound glitches that disrupt the overall experience.”
“I encountered numerous sound glitches that made it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
“The frequent sound glitches really detracted from the immersion of the game.”
