Exhumed (video game)
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| Exhumed | |
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| Developer(s) | Lobotomy Software |
| Publisher(s) | Playmates Interactive Entertainment |
| Engine | Slavedriver/Build |
| Release date(s) | 1996 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Sega Saturn, PlayStation PC |
| Media | CD-ROM |
Exhumed is a First-person shooter, developed by Lobotomy Software and published by Playmates Interactive Entertainment. It was released in 1996 in the US, for Sega Saturn, PlayStation and the PC. The US version goes by the title Powerslave.
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[edit] Synopsis
Exhumed is set in an area around the ancient Egyptian city of Karnak in the late 20th Century. The city has been seized by unknown forces, with forces sent to the valley of Karnak, to uncover the source, disappearing. You are sent in to the valley as the hero to save Karnak and the World. The player finds himself battling hordes of evil creatures including mummies, anubis guardians of the dead, Scorpions and Evil spirits.
[edit] Gameplay
Throughout the game gameplay follows a standard First-person shooter formulae. Familiar elements, from the genre, such as collecting keys to open doors in a level are present.
As the game progresses, the player picks up a number of artifacts which in turn gives himself 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 of the maps. In a similar fashion, there are a number of key symbols (Power, Time, War and Earth) that can open sealed areas in previously visited maps. As a result of this Exhumed can be seen as a 3D Metroidvania and a precursor to 2002's Metroid Prime.
Each map is connected together by a world-overview map in a similar manner to Super Mario World.
It should be noted, however, that this non-linear system only applies to the console versions.
Weapons
- Machete
- Pistol : Standard handgun
- M-66 : Machine gun
- Amun Mines : Grenades
- Flamethrower
- Cobra Staff : Shoots magical homing missiles
- The Ring of Ra : Unleashes deadly red fireballs
- The Manacle of Power : Shoots homing blue lightning flashes
[edit] Secrets
Throughout the game there are eight pieces of a radio transmitter, that need to be assembled in order to receive the good ending, whereby you become an immortal, rather than being buried with the dead, only to be excavated years later.
Another set of secret items are the team dolls. If the player collects the first ten team dolls he receives Dolphin Mode, which allows you to swim faster and jump out of water. If you acquire four more dolls then you receive Vulture Mode allowing you to fly anywhere. Collecting all 23 dolls gives you access to the hidden game Death Tank.
Note that Death Tank does not seem to be present in the UK and PlayStation version of Exhumed.
Owners of Duke Nukem 3D on the Saturn can access the sequel, Death Tank Zwei, if they have a save game from Powerslave or Quake saved on either the system Backup RAM or a RAM cart.
[edit] Game Versions
[edit] Console
The first version of game to be released was on the Sega Saturn, shortly followed by a slightly tweaked release on the PlayStation, with smaller levels to cope with the lesser amount of video RAM. Both these versions are based on Lobotomy Software's Slavedriver Engine and feature a true 3D world, similar to Quake. It is worth noting that the same engine was used to power the Sega Saturn versions of Duke Nukem 3D and eventually Quake.
Sprites, however, were represented in 2D, similar to games such as Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. The game features coloured dynamic lighting too.
Level progression is handled as a "hub system" of levels, in a similar manner to HeXen.
[edit] PC
The PC version of Exhumed used the Build engine, and such does not have the true 3D maps and dynamic lighting as the console version. This version shares sprites with the console versions. The level system is not hub-based in this version, but rather a linear progression, similar to Doom. A lot of gameplay mechanics from the console versions have been altered here as well.
[edit] Trivia
- Voice narration in the game was performed by Don LaFontaine, aka "The Voice-Over Guy".
- There was a sequel planed for the Playstation but never released because the disbanding of the company.
