Killing Time – the cult classic haunted house FPS originally released for the short-lived 3DO console back in 1995 – is being resurrected and remastered by retro specialists Nightdive Studios, and the developer is teasing that 2002’s The Thing is up next.
Set in 1930s Maine, Killing Time’s spookily comedic action unfolds on the expansive, island-bound estate of a wealthy heiress who disappeared after attempting to use an Ancient Egyptian water clock said to grant eternal life. It’s up to players, in the role of an Egyptology student, to fend off the estate’s many horrors (ranging from killer clowns to demonic maids and cleaver-wielding chefs), locate the water clock, and end its evil influence.
It’s a shoot-y, puzzle-y type of journey set across more than 45 seamlessly connected areas incorporating hundreds of rooms – the mansion’s ghastly inhabitants often created by turning FMV actors into sprites – and Nightdive’s remaster, titled Killing Time: Resurrected, aims to provide a thorough upgrade for the whole ridiculous thing.
It promises toggleable high-resolution character artwork and sprites, upscaled environmental texturing, smoother gameplay, more responsive controls, plus expanded control and key-bind settings. And, on PC at least, there’s support for 4K resolutions and 144 FPS, plus anti-aliasing options, and upgraded 2D screens and menu art.
Killing Time: Resurrected doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’ll be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch when it eventually shows up. And as for Nightdive’s other projects, the studio is currently teasing a remaster of 2002 squad-based survival horror shooter The Thing – based on the classic John Carpenter movie of the same name. That tease came via social media, along with the promise of a reveal during this Friday’s IGN Live.