Time Fighter

Time Fighter

Game No.	502
Voting	4.75 points, 4 votes
Developer	Title screen: Jared Derrett
Company	CRL
Publisher	Electronic Arts, CRL, Prism Leisure, Armati (Turbo Games / Max Media), Zafiro Software Division
Release	1988
Platform	C64
Genre	Beat'em up, Platformer‎
Gamemode	Singleplayer
Operation
Media
Language

Description[edit | edit source]

Start menu of the game Timefighter

Time Fighter is a classic platformer with beat 'em up and shoot 'em up elements. You control your character through different levelss, all of which represent different eras. In each time period - from the Stone Age to a future scenario in outer space - the character finds himself in a dangerous situation and has to defend himself against numerous opponents with the weapons of the respective era.

Design[edit | edit source]

The largest part of the screen is taken up by the scrolling game world, in which the character is located together with many enemy sprites. The lower quarter of the screen is taken up by the status displays, which show the available weapons, the energy level, the available lives and the current score and high score.

Level 2 - with bow and arrow in a medieval castle....

Level 3 - cowboys & Indians in a western world...

Level 4 - A gangster scenario in the early 20th century...

Graphics[edit | edit source]

The graphics of the game are very simple, but purposefully designed. Each level is visually different and also has its own obstacles. The sprites are only in one colour and therefore look very generic, but the movements are animated quite smoothly.

Sound[edit | edit source]

The game has no music and only very few sound effects. Only a few stepping sounds and hit noises made it into this budget production.

Hints[edit | edit source]

Level 2 takes place in the Wild West

In all levels, the goal is to reach the exit at the right-hand side. In each level, you have different weapons at your disposal and need to overcome different obstacles. Therefore there is a bit of variety and a learning curve involved in each level.

Controls[edit | edit source]

: Walk/hover to the right.
: Run/float to the left.
: Hallway/ladder up, climb up, set angle of stone throw.
: Hallway/ladder down, climb down, bend over.
: Jump left.
: Jump right.
: Fire weapons, fist punch, start game.
: Throw stone/grenade (adjust angle by pulling joystick up, then press fire at desired arm angle.

Tips[edit | edit source]

When you reach a new level, you get an extra life.
Level 1 (Stone Age): If possible, eliminate the enemies from a distance with stone throws.
Level 2 (Middle Ages): It is unproblematic to get close to enemies. You only have to be careful of arrows. It is recommended to take cover on stairs. Arrows also penetrate walls (for whatever reason). However, you can also use this to your own advantage.
Level 3 (Middle Ages) and Level 6 (Present): As soon as you are on a staircase, there is no collision with passing horses or motorbikes.

Solution[edit | edit source]

The solution is basically the same as in any game of this genre. Ultimately, it's about dodging enemies, projectiles and obstacles. However, you have to adapt your strategy a little to the changing conditions in each level. The longplay video in the lower section of this article offers a good insight into sensible strategies.

Cheats[edit | edit source]

There are currently no known cheats. The CSDb includes cracks with a trainer option.

Votes[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
4.75 points at 4 votes (rank 1020). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	6	9 February 2022 - "good" - 20,000 downs
Lemon64	4,7	9 February 2022 - "satisfactory" - 24 votes
ASM	4,6	Issue 04-1988 - "satisfactory"" - "The graphics and sound are not up to today's standards. It would just be a waste of money."^[1]
ZZap!64	3,1	Issue May 1988 - "so-so" - "The only positive feature about Time Fighter is the fluid animation of the Sprites [...] Leave it well alone." ^[2]

Reviews[edit | edit source]

Zore: "No music, graphically rather disappointing, but very difficult. The game principle is comparatively simple, but the difficulty level is too demanding. It's hard to say anything positive about the budget title, which offers some variety in the level design and actually includes some interesting approaches and well-done animations. But the gameplay itself is frustrating. Poor collision detection, respawns often leads directly to energy losses and when you loose a life you have to restart the level from its beginning. All those issues really spoil the fun of time travelling.