Killing Time

Killing Time is a first-person shooter in which the player finds themselves on an abandoned island estate belonging to a wealthy family, where an occult ritual took place back in the 1920s. Exploration takes place across interconnected interiors and outdoor gardens; you search for keys and items that open further parts of the mansion, while fending off attacks from ghostly enemies ranging from reanimated corpses to strange mechanical creatures. The arsenal ranges from primitive weapons to more powerful ones, and part of progressing involves following clues that gradually explain what actually happened in the house. The mansion is designed as one interconnected whole, where a key found in one spot opens a door two floors away, so the player keeps returning to places they've already passed through.

The most interesting feature was the live-action video sequences embedded directly into the environment: at certain spots, ghosts of the house's former inhabitants would appear and play out short scenes from the past. This idea was ahead of its time and gave the game an exceptional atmosphere — the story wasn't told through an interrupting movie but unfolded around the player as they moved through the house. The sound design relied on oppressive silence, creaking, and sudden noises, making the island feel like a genuinely inhospitable place where no one is ever truly alone. The combination of live-action footage and game environment also showed that the disc could be used more cleverly than just for playing a long movie clip between levels.

The 3DO version was among the better-looking shooters on the console, with fairly detailed textures and large levels, at the cost of slower movement speed. Reviewers praised the atmosphere and the scale of the mansion, while criticism targeted the pacing and the fact that getting lost could drag on. Its influence is visible in later horror games that tell their story through the environment and found recordings instead of long dialogue. Today, Killing Time stands out precisely for its blend of filmed ghosts and exploration, even though the controls take some getting used to without modern aiming.