Hello everyone and welcome to Suggestive Gaming’s ‘In RETRO-spect’, where we examine a game
or franchise that you may have missed, and take a deeper look at it’s development,
key individuals involved, and its impact on the video game landscape.
Today, we’re going to look at the 1996 PC adventure game Titanic: Adventure out of Time.
Have you ever played a game that impacted you, really left an impression and touched
your soul, but seemingly no-one else ever heard of?
I have a game like that.
Growing up, I was a huge adventure game fan.
Myst, The 7th Guest, and even the LucasArts games were staples of my childhood.
But there was another game I somehow got my hands on.
It was called “Titanic: Adventure out of Time”.
Released in 1996 by developer CyberFlix, Adventure out of Time was created from an idea by writer/producer
Andrew Nelson who thought it would be a unique gameplay decision to “race against the clock”
on a sinking ship.
Thus, the Titanic was chosen, and the team went on to spend two years creating a historically
accurate representation of the ship, even enlisting Apollo 13 screenwriter William Broyles
Jr to research and provide photographic references.
Using CyberFlix’s proprietary software DreamFactory (used in their previous titles such as Dust:
A Tale of the Wired West) the team created a spy mystery thriller set on the Titanic
where the player’s actions throughout the story end up affecting the future and potentially
creating or preventing World War II.
While Titanic: Adventure out of Time sold well enough to exceed CyberFlix’s expectations,
especially with the bump of popularity given by James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic”,
the game didn’t become big enough to stand out above the many other PC adventure games
of the time.
It then fell into obscurity, abandoned by it’s publisher and only very recently, in
December of 2017, finally becoming available to purchase and play by modern means on GOG.com
and later Steam.
So let’s take another look at one of the defining games of my childhood and see how
it stands up.
Titanic: Adventure out of Time sees you, the player, taking on the role of Frank Carlson,
a British secret agent who was tasked with preventing a painting containing hidden war
plans from being obtained by German operatives aboard the RMS Titanic.
Frank survived the ship’s sinking, but had failed his original mission, leading to World
War I and II, and the eventual bombing of London.
However, during the bombing, Frank is somehow sent back in time, with his memories intact,
to have a second chance at his mission.
In a somewhat ambitious move for a game at the time, Adventure out of Time lays out several
tasks and optional side stories for the player to complete; some affecting the main story
and ending, while others simply exist only to learn more about the ship’s vast cast
of characters.
Because the story is told somewhat in real-time, the player must choose which paths to take
and which of the 32 unique characters to meet and help.
These characters might come back later to return the favor, so the player must manage
their time effectively to get everything done before the ship sinks.
With 6 different endings and the aforementioned time management mechanic, Titanic: Adventure
out of Time has a massive amount of replayability.
I’ve personally been playing it for over 20 years and still find new events and character
dialogues that I’ve never seen before.
And that’s what keeps me coming back after all these years.
With so many different combinations and permutations, it’s extremely fun to go back and see what
butterfly effect doing one small task differently will take, not only on the rest of the game’s
events, but on the game’s alternate take on world history.
While the dire circumstances hang over your head, the game does a great job of splitting
the experience into two parts: before and after the iceberg.
Before the ship strikes the iceberg that leads to it’s sinking, the player is able to freely
explore the masterfully accurate ship, and meet the colorful cast of characters that
inhabit it.
The characters are played by real actors with photographic sprites instead of 3D models.
This was due to hardware limitations at the time, and while it may rub new players the
wrong way, at the time it was common practice, with games like Myst taking the same approach.
To me, this is almost more charming; barring some strange facial animations, looking and
speaking to a real person helps the immersion in a game that otherwise shows its age all
over.
The game doesn’t allow the player to be comfortable for that long, however.
After the player progresses the story to a certain point, they are met with a standoff
with the game’s main antagonist, Colonel Zeitel, when suddenly the inevitable happens:
the Titanic hits an iceberg and begins to sink.
From there, the game drastically shifts tone, and the player is tasked with completing their
mission before the final lifeboat leaves, giving them about an hour to wrap things up.
This creates a frenetic and anxious final act, with the player trying to wrap up their
loose ends and say their goodbyes to the characters they’ve met along their journey, as well
as obtain the critical items they need to succeed in their mission.
As a kid, I missed a lot playing this game.
With so many pathways and characters that make up your journey, it was extremely hard
to keep track of everything as youngster.
Playing it throughout the years, however, I’m now familiar with every little sub-plot
and puzzle piece.
While modern games give you hours upon hours worth of gameplay with huge worlds and stories,
it’s rare to find something that’s set in such a confined space, yet is so vast in
its ambitions.
Another thing I’d love to note here is the game’s atmosphere and how well it pulls
it off.
Between the faithful reconstruction of the ship’s decor, as well as the character’s
outfits, accents, and general demeanors, you really feel like you have been teleported
back to the Titanic’s maiden voyage in 1912.
Even walking around the ship alone can give you chills.
Since the game takes place at night, walking around the ship’s deck illuminated by the
moonlight while listening to the amazing classical-inspired soundtrack and terrific sound design put you
right there, even with the game’s extremely low resolution.
Picking up the game and playing it today is just as intriguing and interesting as it was
twenty years ago.
Playing through again for this video, I found new paths and outcomes, even after thinking
I had it all figured out.
The game plays quickly (you can get through it in a couple hours once you know how to
navigate the ship), so multiple playthroughs are heavily encouraged and different outcomes
are hinted at by different characters.
In my opinion, the game still holds up as an extremely enjoyable experience, especially
for the low cost you can get it for on modern digital marketplaces.
Unfortunately, after the release of Titanic, CyberFlix released only one more game: the
pirate themed “Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren” in 1997.
After only selling about 1% of the amount of copies Titanic sold, the company’s further
projects were halted, and the studio folded in 1998.
While Titanic: Adventure out of Time didn’t go on to leave a widespread legacy among the
PC adventure game landscape, it did achieve a cult fandom, leading to various fansites
and petitions for a re-release.
The game also inspired various other Titanic-based projects, such as “Titanic: Honor and Glory”:
a game whose team is striving to create the most historically accurate representation
of the ship ever.
I definitely recommend you go check that project out, and if you have an HTC Vive or Oculus
Rift, go see what the ship looks like in virtual reality.
As somebody who prior-to this game had no interest in the Titanic or the history surrounding
it, this game ignited a passion for the ship and it’s events.
It’s rare that a video game causes you to watch hours-worth of documentaries, or go
to museums and various exhibits to see artifacts and relics of a historical event.
But for me, that was Titanic: Adventure out of Time.
A game that stuck with me since the day I first played it, I only hope that if you’ve
never tried it, this video will inspire you to.
And hopefully, you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.
Hey everybody thank you so much for watching this video.
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you haven’t.
Hit that bell too I guess.
Also, we are Suggestive Gaming after all, so leave a comment if there’s an obscure
game that you love that you’d like to see me cover.
Thanks again guys!