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Amiga, Atari ST, Amiga CD32, MS-DOS, RISC OS, Sega Mega Drive, Super NES, Mobile Phone
Release date
1993
Genre(s)
Run and gun
Mode(s)
Single Player
The Chaos Engine is a top-down run and gun computer game developed by the Bitmap Brothers and published by Renegade Software in 1993. It was first released for the Commodore Amiga, with an enhanced version available for AGA Amigas, and later ported to MS-DOS, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari ST, Amiga CD32, RISC OS and Sega Mega Drive platforms. USA releases of SNES and Sega versions were retitled Soldiers of Fortune, and the character The Preacher had his clerical collar removed and was renamed The Scientist.
Setting
The setting is a steampunk Victorian era England. Baron Fortesque, a grand inventor, has succeeded in his greatest creation yet - the Chaos Engine. Unfortunately (for the rest of the proud kingdom), the Engine then proceeds to both capture and assimilate its creator, then begins to change the countryside for the worse. Vile monsters and destructive automata appear everywhere, bringing the citizens to the verge of panic. This lures a number of mercenaries on a potentially rewarding quest to find the root of the problem and swiftly bring a full stop to it.
Introductory sequence
The introductory sequence is displayed in text on the screen on the floppy disk based Amiga versions, but a slightly modified (but nonetheless dramatic and evocative) version is narrated with a voiceover on the Amiga CD32 version, together with some scene-setting animations. The original intro states:
“
Sometime in the last century, an experimenter with time, space and early computers created a bizarre machine...The Chaos Engine. Although primitive, the machine became incredibly powerful, and turned against its creator. Its power to corrupt time and matter was out of control. A cloud of chaos descended over the land. Humans and animals were turned into ravenous beasts. The results were soon discovered...
Enter six hard nailed mercenaries for hire:
The Mercenary (Caption: 'A good all-rounder. He is quite mad and enjoys nothing more than experimenting with a collection of unsavory weapons')
The Brigand (Caption: 'Another well rounded talent and a cut throat bandit to boot)
The Gentleman (Caption: 'A lean and clever character. He is a dapper chap without a doubt. What he lacks in muscle he makes up with wit')
The Navvie (Caption: 'The strongest of the six characters. A good fighter with heavy weapons. Although he only has a few specials they are very destructive')
The Thug (Caption: 'When it comes to characteristics he could pass for the Navvie's brother. The Thug is a mammoth of a man, a little stupid but very powerful')
The Preacher (Caption: 'The smartest of the six characters but then, he has God on his side. Beware, his perverse nature is not to be trusted')"
”
Characters and weaponry
The player(s) choose two mercenaries from the group of six to take on the task of defeating the mad Baron Fortesque and the Chaos Engine itself. In one-player mode, the computer artificial intelligence controls the second player (in a co-operative fashion), so that one never has to fight the chaos alone. The predetermined weapons of the six "heroes" are the cannon (Navvie), the shotgun (Thug), the machine gun (Mercenary), the rifle (Brigand), the pistol (Gentleman), and the lightning gun (Preacher).
Levels of play
There are four worlds, each consisting of four levels. The worlds (in order of visitation) are "Forest", "Workshops", "Fortesque Mansion", and "Sewers", each with its own dynamic industrial music score. The players must traverse through each level, picking up power-ups, gold and keys to pass through the various puzzles and mazes. A number of "nodes" must be activated via weapon fire to open the final doors at the end of the level. Secret routes and hidden items are plentiful along the way. At the end of every second level the player has a chance to spend their collected riches to upgrade their weapons, increase the number of hit points of their character, purchase new items and improve other character attributes. Finally, at the end of the sewers the players will face up to the Chaos Engine itself in a last battle. Upon its destruction, the narrator of the game is revealed to be the Baron himself, trapped within the machine and studded with implants. His final words are: "I have guided you here so that you might set me free. The Chaos has ended... you will be remembered."
Development team
Developers included Steve Cargill, Simon Knight, Dan Malone, Eric Mathews and Mike Montgomery. Music composers were Joi for the title theme and Richard Joseph for everything else.
Beta version
An early version of the game was previewed on the British TV show Gamesmaster, and some screenshots were featured in Amiga magazines of the time. The early version was reportedly "running on an Amiga 3000" and featured simultaneous three player action.
Sequel: Chaos Engine 2
The sequel, Chaos Engine 2 appeared in 1996 for AGA Amigas and 1 MB Amiga 500, with a rough beta version also in existence for Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The game pits the player characters against each other as prisoners of Baron Fortesque, and is basically a competition game instead of a co-operation one. It was severely unfinished when released, due to the publisher rushing it out, and the game brought disappointment to many fans of the finely-honed first game. Little concrete information is found on the sequel, save for the page on the developers' website.
External links
The Chaos Engine at The Bitmap Brothers Tribute
Secrets of the Chaos Engine at AMIGAGAMES.COM
The Chaos Engine series at MobyGames
Chaos Engine at Bitmap Bros.
Chaos Engine 2 at Bitmap Bros.
Chaos Engine Amiga Longplay at Recorded Amiga Games.
