PowerSlave

PowerSlave
NA MS-DOS cover art
Developer(s)	Lobotomy Software
Publisher(s)	Playmates Interactive Entertainment (NA) BMG Interactive (EU/JP)
Director(s)	Brian McNeely
Producer(s)	Chris Archer
Designer(s)	Brian McNeely
Programmer(s)	Ezra Dreisbach
Engine	Build (PC)/SlaveDriver (consoles)
Platform(s)	Sega Saturn, PlayStation, MS-DOS
Release date(s)	Sega Saturn NA: October 31, 1996 EU: October 1996 PlayStation NA: March 1, 1997 EU: April 1997 MS-DOS NA: December 31, 1996 EU: 1996
Genre(s)	First-person shooter, action-adventure, platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

PowerSlave, known as Exhumed in Europe and as A.D. 1999: Pharaoh's Revival (Japanese: 西暦１９９９ ファラオの復活, Hepburn: Seireki 1999: Pharaoh no Fukkatsu) in Japan, is a first-person shooter developed by Lobotomy Software and published by Playmates Interactive Entertainment. It was released in North America, Europe and Japan, for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and MS-DOS over the course of a year from late 1996 to late 1997. On May 24, 2015, Powerslave EX, an unofficial remake based on the PlayStation version, was released for free,^[1] but has since been removed for download until further notice.

Synopsis

PowerSlave is set in and around the ancient Egyptian city of Karnak in the late 20th century. The city has been seized by unknown forces, with a special crack team of hardened soldiers sent to the valley of Karnak, to uncover the source of this trouble. However, on the journey there, the player's helicopter is shot down and the player barely escapes. The player is sent in to the valley as the hero to save Karnak and the World. The player finds himself battling hordes of evil creatures known as the Kilmaat, including mummies, Anubis soldiers, scorpions, and evil spirits. The player's course of action is directed by the spirit of King Ramses, whose mummy was exhumed from its tomb by these evil creatures to drain it of its power, and use it to control the world.

In the console versions, there are two endings, depending on the player's course of action during the game. In the good ending, the protagonist has collected eight pieces of a radio transmission device, so he can send a rescue signal and be extracted from the Valley. After reclaiming the mummy of Ramses, the Pharaoh thanks him for his effort, and promises the player that he will inherit Ramses' Earthly kingdom, and that the Gods will bless him with eternal life and make him ruler of the world. After escaping the collapsing tomb, the player is indeed rewarded as such, and becomes a powerful and benevolent Pharaoh of the entire planet. In the bad ending, the player has failed to collect all eight pieces of the radio transmitter, and is subsequently buried in the tomb of Ramses, only to be excavated centuries later by the now ruling forces of the Kilmaat.

In the MS-DOS version, there are two slightly different endings, again depending on the player's course of action, but only in the final stage. The final stage takes place aboard the Kilmaat mothership, where a nuclear weapon has been armed and is set to go off in 15 minutes, and has enough power to obliterate the planet. In the bad ending, which occurs if the player loses all of their lives or fails to disarm the bomb in time, Earth is destroyed in a massive nuclear blast. In the good ending, which occurs if the player makes it to the bomb on time, the Kilmaat retreat from the planet, but unfortunately for the main character, he's stuck on their ship and needs to find a way off.

Gameplay

Gameplay follows the standard first-person shooter formula. Familiar elements from the genre, such as collecting keys to open doors in a level, are present.

The player character must acquire artifacts which give him new abilities. Such abilities include being able to jump higher, levitate, breathe underwater, walk in lava, walk through force fields and jump further to reach previously inaccessible areas. In the console versions, the player goes from level to level via an overworld map.

History

Development

At one point, the MS-DOS version was to be released by 3D Realms as one of their games to show off the power of the Build engine. During this time, the game was known by its working title Ruins: Return of the Gods. Apogee Software released screenshots of the early working version with a slideshow of another of its published titles, Mystic Towers. 3D Realms eventually dropped the title, which was then picked up by Playmates Interactive Entertainment and published.

The U.S title PowerSlave is a reference to the Iron Maiden album of the same name, which also features an Egyptian-themed cover.

Voice narration in the game was performed by Don LaFontaine, also known as "The Movie Trailer Guy".

Releases

Console

The first version of the game to be released was on the Sega Saturn, shortly followed by a release on the PlayStation, with tweaked gameplay, added architecture, some different levels, and other changes. Both of these versions are based on Lobotomy Software's SlaveDriver engine and feature a true 3D world, similar to Quake. The same engine was used to power the Sega Saturn versions of Duke Nukem 3D and Quake.

Besides some changes in the levels (rooms in one version that are not in another, added architecture in the PlayStation version), the levels Amun Mines, Heket Marsh, Set Palace, Cavern of Peril, and Kilmaat Colony are almost completely different between the two versions. In the Sega Saturn version, ammo and health pick-ups dropped by an airborne enemy remain airborne, as opposed to falling to the ground in the PlayStation version. There are exclusive powerups on the Sega Saturn such as the All-Seeing Eye, Invisibility and Weapon Boost. Also exclusive to the Sega Saturn is the ability to bomb-boost, which is similar to rocket jumping in other FPS games.

Sprites are represented in 2D, similar to games such as Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. The game features colored dynamic lighting, but only in the console versions.

Level progression is non-linear, letting the player go to any previous unlocked level at any time. Some levels have areas which are only accessible after getting a certain ability or weapon, similar to the Metroid series. This adds an exploration aspect not usually seen in FPS games at the time.

Additionally, there are eight pieces of a radio transmission device hidden in eight of the stages. Stages with a hidden transmitter piece will emit a steady beeping noise on the overworld map, and can be heard beeping when the player is near their location. Collecting these pieces will affect the ending of the game.

Exclusive to the Sega Saturn version is a hidden minigame: Death Tank, which is unlocked by collecting all 23 Team Dolls hidden in the game.^[2]

MS-DOS

The MS-DOS version of PowerSlave features many differences from the console versions. The MS-DOS version was built on the Build engine, licensed from 3D Realms. The version used is a slightly earlier version of the engine, made sometime before the version used in Duke Nukem 3D. The light sourcing from the SlaveDriver engine is not used; the Build engine's own light sourcing is used instead; the game also uses "fake" dynamic lighting where sectors light up as projectiles or "glowing" objects in general pass through.

The HUD interface is different; featuring an ammo counter, lungs (oxygen levels) for swimming and animated mana and blood vessels. Players have usable Mana energy that can cast spells once the spell has been acquired (e.g. collecting a torch allows the player to use energy to illuminate dark areas). Ammo is not universal, instead of blue orbs usable for all weapons, separate ammo is needed. Grenades are used instead of Amun mines. Some sprites are different (e.g. M60 machine gun), sprites are larger and more animated in general. Audible words are used for the player character instead of grunts. Mummies fire a "white skull" attack, or a partly homing red one, that when hit, turns the player into a mummy momentarily, additionally with the most powerful weapon in the game: the Mummy Staff, which can destroy all enemies within range of the player. The player reverts to normal once the weapon is used. Checkpoints are placed throughout the level by indication of golden scarabs and Saving is automatic between levels.

Levels are conducted in a more linear format. Players can replay previously completed levels, but later stages may only be played after completing the level prior. The Manacle of Power fires a lighting cloud above the enemy, rather than firing lighting bolts from the player's hands. Most of the artifacts from the console versions are not present (except the Sobek Mask, which is a spell). The powerups in the Sega Saturn version are included as spells (invisibility, invincibility and double damage). The Ring of Ra weapon is not included. Weapons pause to reload after a certain number of shots are fired. Some enemies have different death animations when killed by fire/grenades; bosses have longer death animations. There are extra lives instead of health extensions. The Amnit enemies are not included; instead there is the giant Ammut miniboss which has ramming and biting attacks. There is additional story text. The transmitter, which was a set of eight key items needed in the console versions to get the better ending, is not in the MS-DOS version per se, but it is seen before the final stage of the game, where the player receives orders to attack the Kilmaat ship. Likewise, the Team Dolls are not in the MS-DOS version.

Legacy

On May 24, 2015, an unofficial remake based on the PlayStation version was released by Samuel "Kaiser" Villarreal for free.^[3][1] In May 2015 it was announced that publisher Night Dive Studios had acquired the game rights for a digital distribution re-release.^[1] Villarreal and Night Dive working on a re-release,^[4] but currently the beta downloads are removed.

Reception

The 1997 review by GameSpot called the game flawed but fun, worth buying on discount.^[5] A 1up.com article on the Sega Saturn mentioned that "PowerSlave featured one of the most impressive 3D engines in any 32-bit game.".^[6]

References

External links

• PowerSlave at MobyGames