1996 · The Bitmap Brothers · Shooter

The Chaos Engine 2

The Chaos Engine 2 is the sequel to The Chaos Engine. The Chaos Engine 2 is a top-down action game like its predecessor, but is this time always a split-screen two-player game. The characters "Thug" and "Preacher" have been cut for this sequel.

Released: 1996
Platforms: Amiga Amiga 1200 Amiga CD32
Genres: Shooter
Developers: The Bitmap Brothers
Publishers: Renegade Software
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: United Kingdom

About

The Chaos Engine 2 is a top-down shooter video game, and sequel to The Chaos Engine, released for the Amiga in 1996 and developed by The Bitmap Brothers. A Sega Mega Drive version was planned but never released.

›Story

The heart of the Chaos Engine explodes in a blinding flash of light and, form the twisted remains, the face of Baron Fortesque appears. He speks, bows his head and the image fades. As the smoke clears no trace of the Baron ca be found.

The scientis steps forward and begins to examine the strange dials and bizarre read-outs that still seem to be functioning withing the ruins. Suddenly he proclaims that the Baron has escaped and that the only way to catch him now is to use the remmants of the machine to follow him, back trought time...

Keywords

steampunk

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Unlike its predecessor, The Chaos Engine 2 is a split-screen deathmatch between two players, one of which may be controlled by the computer: there is no co-operative mode available. Instead, each player must try to obtain the greatest score, either by simply killing the opponent repeatedly or by collecting objects, destroying monsters, fulfilling tasks and solving puzzles. Conversely, points are lost if killed. Inventories are dropped upon death, which means that if a quest requires a key to unlock a door or a safe, it becomes necessary to kill the opponent should they acquire it before the player.

If a human opponent has the highest score at the end of a round, they move on to the next; if the computer defeats the player, the round is replayed until the user wins. A game can be played across 4, 8, 12 or 16 rounds, with each consisting of a different environment: Medieval, Aztec and Chaos.

Story

During the original game, the protagonists succeed in destroying the Chaos Engine, a time-travel device. Its creator, Baron Fortesque, appears to have been defeated. However, in The Chaos Engine 2, it transpires that he and the protagonists are all trapped within a temporal singularity created by the destruction of the Chaos Engine device. In order to survive they must assist the Baron in rebuilding the device, though only one of them will be able to escape the singularity.

Reception

The Chaos Engine 2 was met with highly positive reviews. Amiga Computing commented that "the graphics are smooth and flowing, the action non-stop and there is a huge amount of playability." In a similar vein, CU Amiga praised it as a "totally brilliant single or multi-player game." Amiga Format criticized the difficulty of the single-player deathmatch against the computer, with the reviewer remarking that while it provided players with "plenty of challenge...

the computer seemed to have way too much of an unfair advantage." Amiga Power and The One both previewed the game in 1995 and 1996 respectively, but neither magazine survived to see it published.