Oh, hi there Nightdive! How’s it going? After releasing fantastic remasters of games like Doom, Quake II, Turok, and even stuff like PO’ed, what else do you have in stock? How about a remaster of an oddly amusing first-person shooter originally developed as a 3DO exclusive back in 1995, featuring a mixture of early 3D graphics and live action characters transplanted into the playing field? And you can kill clowns and zombie ducks? Also, somehow, the game feels so ahead of its time, and that the remastering efforts are downright sublime? Well then, let me tell you about this weird gem called Killing Time.

Oh, don’t worry about them. I killed them all.

Let’s start off by giving you a bit of historical context. Killing Time was originally released in 1995, and was developed and published by the 3DO Company itself, as a flagship exclusive for the failed (but massively underrated) 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. It was a horror-themed (albeit also hilarious, be it intentionally or not) shooter set in an island off the coast of Maine. You play as a researcher trying to unveil a mystery set around the Conway Estate, owned by a crazy heiress who decided to use the powers of an ancient Egyptian artifact to grant her eternal life. As expected, things went horribly wrong, shenanigans ensued, and you’re now exploring the place in order to figure out what the hell happened, and how to fix it.

If only I was greeted by such gentle spirits in other survival horrors…

The game itself is a mixture of old-school Doom with some open world exploration and survival horror elements. I cannot believe Killing Time was actually released way back in 1995, as this is beyond revolutionary for what was being released at the time. The game is comprised of one gigantic map, never separated by loading times. In order to access new areas around the estate, you need to collect keys or solve simple puzzles. Enemies do not ressurect during a playthrough: once they’re dead, they’re dead for good. In essence, you’re free to explore the mansion and its surroundings, until you collect all artifacts needed to beat a simple playthrough. You’re also told to piece the plot together by watching snippets of the events which had happened in the island, out of order.

The butler was a nice chap, but I can’t say the same about these housemaids.

These snippets are comprised of live action performances overlapping with the real time gameplay. They are cheesy as all hell, but in no moment did they feel amateurish. Lines are delivered with gusto, and it’s not hard to piece the plot together. It’s not the most amazing or revolutionary plot in the world, but again, this is 1995 we’re talking about. I once read an article stating that Killing Time is basically the love child of Doom and The 7th Guest… and yeah, I don’t think I could have come up with a better statement. Maybe add in Alone in the Dark for good measure, and that’s the game in a nutshell: equal parts adventure, survival horror, FMV whodunit, and first-person shooter.

Of course, the original 3DO version is quite crappy looking nowadays. If you try to look for some gameplay footage on Youtube, you’ll notice how, visually-wise, the game has aged like roadkill. Also, oddly enough, this remaster is just half-based on the 3DO original. There was a PC version of Killing Time released in 1996, which featured a completely different level layout, and improved gameplay elements, such as being able to freely look up and down with the mouse (that was obviously not possible with the 3DO’s five-button controller). That being said, the FMV footage used in the PC version was different. It was less cheesy, but also less fun.

This game has clowns. Lots and lots of clowns.

Nightdive’s remaster is almost like a third version of Killing Time, when you stop and think about it. Aptly named Killing Time: Resurrected, it takes the level design from the PC version, but the FMV cheesiness from the 3DO version, as standard (you can revert back to full PC visuals, but that’s not as fun). As to be expected from a Nightdive gig, this remaster is just downright fantastic. Yet another case of a remaster being so pristine, it basically negates any reason to play the original versions. I guess that the 3DO version still features “exclusive” level designs… but that would require tracking down a 3DO in order to experience them.

You know the jist: improved textural quality, great lighting effects, rock-solid framerate, a neat resolution boost, better controls, hotkey bindings, yadda yadda yadda. The main difference in this particular remaster is that Nightdive had to figure out a way to restore the quality of the live action recordings as well. Sure, they still look like they were shot with a Super 8, but once again, I’d recommend you to take a look at how they looked in the 3DO and original PC versions, just to give you a slight hint of what those wizards were able to do with their lovely Kex Engine.

It also has zombie ducks.

The neat thing about this remaster is that, for all intents and purposes, there was nothing that needed to be done to the gameplay. No levels were added or removed, no puzzles were changed. This is the same Killing Time released nearly three decades ago, and I can’t believe how well it holds up in this regard. You need to take into account that there’s no multiplayer, nor any kind of co-op experience. There are cheats to incentivize replayability, as well as a slight hint from the devs that you should to try to beat the game once with as few key items acquired as possible.

The overall duration of a playthrough is basically up to you. The overall structure of the game can be a bit confusing at first, considering the mammoth-sized map you’re told to explore, but there’s also an excellent map that allows you to look at your surroundings whilst still being able to move around. It’s really helpful when you complete a puzzle at the end of a maze and need to go back to the entrance of the manor, for instance. No need to constantly bash your head against a wall in order to find a way out.

The level design can feel maze-like at times, but the map overlay can be really helpful.

Killing Time is a weird game, but also one that was shockingly ahead of its time for 1995 standards. An open world first-person shooter with adventure and survival horror elements being released just a bit after Doom… that’s mad impressive. As always, Nightdive has helped revitalize this forgotten gem, with incredible improvements to its visuals, framerate, and controls. It might not be one of the most glamorous outings by the company (I really don’t think a lot of people are even aware that this game has existed for nearly 30 years), but it’s also one of their most impressive feats so far. Finally letting this underrated title have its time to shine on PC and mainstream consoles, you can’t help but respect the hell out of them for that.

Killing Time: Resurrected is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch. The original Killing Time is available on PC and 3DO.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Killing Time: Resurrected was provided by the publisher.