Summary
Killing Timeis making a comeback after nearly 30 years. The horror-themed shooter will soon return in the form of an HD remaster, which stems from a partnership between Ziggurat Interactive andNightdive Studios.
Killing Timeoriginally debuted onthe failed 3DO consolein 1995 before making its way to PC a year later. Following the 3DO’s discontinuation, the game also received a Macintosh port in 1997.Killing Timereceived largely positive reviews at launch, with many critics praising it for its smooth performance, varied weaponry, and gallows humor.
Killing Time Resurrected Coming in 2024
Theclassic ’90s shooteris now set to make a return in the form ofKilling Time Resurrected, a remaster that was announced at the 2024 edition of the Guerrilla Collective showcase. The June 6 event saw publisher Ziggurat Interactive share the game’s announcement trailer, which showcases its improved graphics. Aside from high-definition visuals, the new version ofKilling Timealso promises to deliver reworked and more responsive controls, including modernized keybinding settings.
In terms of graphical enhancements,Atari subsidiary Nightdive Studioshas upscaled the original shooter’s environmental textures, in addition to creating high-resolution versions of its character sprites. Retro gaming aficionados who would prefer a more vanilla experience will still be able to get it, asKilling Time Resurrectedwill allow players to switch between its updated and original graphics via a simple settings toggle. The remaster’s announcement also mentions the promise of “smoother gameplay,” which appears to match the contents of the game’s trailer. Namely, the minute-long video depicts the shooter running at 60 frames per second.
Killing Time Resurrectedwill be published by Ziggurat Interactive, a Denver, Colorado-based distributor specializing in classic game preservation and restoration. The remaster is still without a firm release date, with Ziggurat merely stating that it aims to launch it sometime in 2024.Killing Time Resurrectedwill be available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Ziggurat has yet to share any pricing information. PC gamers can alreadywishlistKilling Time Resurrectedon Steam.
Killing Time Resurrected May Improve the Original Shooter’s Critical Flaw
While the HD visuals are being touted as one of the key selling points of the upcoming release, that may not necessarily be its biggest one; the remaster’s promise of a reworked control scheme could prove to be just as consequential, if not more so. That’s largely becauseKilling Time’s weird controls were widely considered as one of its biggest shortcomings at launch, at least as far as the non-3DO versions of the shooter were concerned. Between unintuitive keybindings, clunky aiming, and a bizarrely sensitive jump button, the originalKilling Timedidn’t feel nearly as responsive as themost critically acclaimed ’90s FPS games.
