Labyrinth of Time

The Labyrinth of Time is a . Intended to be the first in a series of games, The Labyrinth of Time was a failure and the only game produced by Terra Nova Development.

= Story =

The story of The Labyrinth of Time is widely based on Greek mythology. The game begins after the player_(game) is coming home for work after the weekend. On the way home aboard a subway, the player and the subway car are suddenly sucked into an alternate dimension. Suddenly, a illusion in the form of the mythological character DAEDALUS. Daedalus divulges that King Minos has ordered the construction of a labyrinth that spans the space-time continuum. DAEDALUS has been forced to work as a slave for King Minos. It is up to the player to destroy the heart of the labyrinth, therefore destroying the entire labyrinth itself.

Most of the areas in time that the labyrinth occupies are oddly interconnected in their relationship with one another. The general story of these areas revolves around Martin Garret, an professor intrigued with discovering the tomb of the Sorcerer-King Uxmal at a far-off ziggurat. Uxmal is somehow related to King Minos, though it is never explained. The one man who knew the location of Uxmal s burial site, Mad Dog Maddigan, was buried in the Western_United_States town of Revolver Springs. Mad Dog Maddigan was buried with a map to Uxmal s chamber in the ziggurat. Revolver Springs, however, was destroyed in a fire on May 1, 1882. Martin Garret was about to begin his second expedition to the ziggurat, but suffered from anxiety, as he lost his lucky shirt in the previous expedition.

When the player enters the ziggurat, he is able to retrieve the shirt. He is also able to go back in time to Revolver Springs and pick up a newspaper explaining the location of bodies buried there. The player can then return these items to Garret s hotel room.

Upon returning the shirt and the newspaper, Garret s journal updates. Not only was body of Mad Dog Maddigan located, but Garret s colleague Cornelius Lyon discovered the tomb of King Minos himself. To prevent graverobbers, the tomb is sealed by a combination lock set to Lyon s birthday. When the tomb is found by the player, Garret s corpse is found against the wall with the words ALIVE smeared in blood on the wall. The coffin itself is empty.

Inside the tomb, the player finds a key part to destroying the heart of the labyrinth. Upon the heart s destruction, the labyrinth unfurls at the seams and is destroyed. The player is greeted by DAEDALUS in person. DAEDALUS thanks the player for freeing him, but warns that King Minos is still at large. He then leaves the player floating in an area that does not exist in time or space.

= Sequel =

At the end of the game, a screen appears telling players to purchase the up-coming sequel to The Labyrinth of Time , Lost in the Land of Dreams . Confirmed by Electronic Arts, the sequel was cancelled after The Labyrinth of Time sold poorly.

=Errors=

The Labyrinth of Time is infamous for having serious errors and glitches in the game. Possibly the most famous is incorrect information given to solve a puzzle. To open the door to King Minos s tomb, the player must input Lyon s birthday. The date for Lyon s birthday that can be found in-game is off by two years, making the puzzle impossible to solve without guessing the answer.

Another notorious glitch is a crash (computing) error. In a later part of the game, the player is given a choice of two buttons to press on a teleporter. One button leads to a jail cell. The other button, according to an account from a walkthrough, crashes the game. Since the player is not told which button to press, this glitch has proven frustrating.

=Re-release=

In 2004, The Labyrinth of Time was re-released by Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. for the Personal computer, Mac OS, AmigaOS, and Linux. Having obtained the source code from the developers, Wyrmkeep now owns the rights to The Labyrinth of Time .

=External Links=

*[http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/labyrinth-of-time Labyrinth of Time on MobyGames.com] *[http://www.webomator.com/bws/ Bradley W. Schenck s personal art site] *[http://www.wyrmkeep.com/labyrinth/ Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. s Labyrinth of Time website]