Killing Time: Resurrected Review

Killing Time was originally developed, by studio 3DO, for the aptly named 3DO console and released in 1995. Once the less than stellar console went belly up in 1996, the game was released for Windows and MAC. While the 3DO itself was a failure, Killing Time was received generally well by critics and players alike. Fast forward to 2024, NightDive Studios once again worked their magic by restoring another game that could’ve been lost to time. How does it hold up almost 20 years later? Let’s find out.

Killing Time: Resurrected is the 1930s where players, as a student studying Egyptology finds himself trapped in the estate of wealthy heiress Tess Conway. Miss Conway attempts a ritual to bestow eternal life that unfortunately backfires catastrophically causing Tess and her high-society friends to vanish into thin air. It’s up to you to find a and destroy the mystical Egyptian Water-Clock to undo its curse; all while surviving the onslaught of supernatural horrors.

Killing Time: Resurrected is a first person shooter where you roam around the various areas such as a mansion, dog kennel, forests, caves; just to name a few. As with any other games in the same genre, players will explore the areas and find additional firepower and hidden secrets.

The game offers a decent variety of weaponry; you’ll be able to get up close and personal with a knife or crowbar. If you like a more distanced approach, you’ll be able to use a pistol, tommy gun, shotgun and even a nice flamethrower to burn those evil clowns to a crisp.

This enhanced version of Killing Time features a bevy of interesting features. Players can toggle high-resolution character artwork/sprites from the original 3DO and PC versions, upscaled environmental texturing, smoother gameplay. In terms of quality of life improvements, the developer expanded the controls and making them more responsive.

The game is straight out of the 1990s and it shows. Enemies and characters are all digitized, a trend Mortal Kombat kicked off in 1992 which is a bit of a breath of fresh air in a generation either trying to be between ultra realistic or cartoonish. The levels offer a decent visual variety from highly colorful such as the Mansion to the extreme darker type such as navigating a forest. The soundtrack is one of the worst I’ve actually ever heard; I can’t tell if it’s a joke soundtrack given the game’s goofy presentation/premise or if someone actually thought this was a banger.

Much other classics from the 1990s, good or bad, the core problem remains: the gameplay is archaic and outdated. Trying to your way into maze like areas that barely differentiate from themselves is annoying and irritating. Remember, most games similar to this in the 1990s didn’t offer any help or direction to guide you. For example, the mansion. Trying to find keys for various doors is incredibly annoying. And despite the map, trying to remember where the doors are is a nuisance that leads you to go around in circles.

Killing Time: Resurrected is mindless shooter where players just around killing everything. While the gameplay/shooting in and of itself is a blast and holds up generally well, the archaic DOOM formula find key, find door, rinse, repeat gets old and irritating as you’d expect. The exteriors are fun and enjoyable to explore, but insides are confusing and visuals makes it easy to miss doors. If you’re craving an old school 1990s experience, Killing Time: Resurrected is definitely the best option out there. However, if you enjoy a more linear, straight to the point experience, Killing Time: Resurrected will be an irrtating experience.