Total Eclipse (1993 video game)
| Total Eclipse | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Crystal Dynamics |
| Publisher(s) | Crystal Dynamics |
| Producer(s) | Jon Horsley |
| Composer(s) | Burke Trieschmann |
| Platform(s) | 3DO, PlayStation |
| Release |
3DO PlayStation |
| Genre(s) | Rail shooter, space flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| EGM | (3DO) 6.5/10 (PS1) 5.6/10 |
| Next Generation | (PS1)  
|
Total Eclipse is a space shooter for the 3DO. It was later ported to the PlayStation under the title Total Eclipse Turbo. The game was copyrighted in 1993 but not made available to the public until 1994, leading some sources to mistakenly list its release date as 1993. A sequel, Solar Eclipse, was released for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation.
Earth is attacked by an aggressive alien race known as the Drak-Sai. The aliens use their powerful weapon, the Sun Dagger, to initiate a supernova in the sun. The player must pilot his ship across four planets and ultimately destroy the Sun Dagger to prevent further destruction.
The game is played in a third person, behind-the-player perspective as the player's ship flies a predefined path across each level. The player is free to maneuver around to dodge obstacles and attack enemies, but the course for each level is fixed.
Gameplay is divided into two phases, surface and tunnel. In surface mode, the player flies over 3D heightmapped terrain, avoiding slamming into mountains and obstacles. In tunnel mode, the player flies through a 3D tunnel, avoiding mechanical traps such as large moving doors and twisting passageways. The player transitions from surface mode to tunnel mode by flying into a tunnel when it approaches in surface mode, and each tunnel returns the player to surface mode when the player reaches the end of the tunnel. The exit of the tunnel appears later in the surface mode of the same level, so the player may miss a power-up (or a challenge) on the surface by taking a tunnel and vice versa. Some tunnels are optional and may contain bonus items to make the player's ship stronger, while other tunnels are located at a dead end (typically with an unavoidable cliff face) in the surface mode. If the player fails to properly guide his ship into the tunnel at that point, his ship will collide with the dead end terrain and explode, costing a life.
In both modes, enemies attack the player. Colliding with enemies, being shot by enemies, and colliding with the level itself will cause damage to the player's ship, draining the ship's armor. When the armor reaches zero, the player's ship explodes, a life is deducted from the player's stock, and play resumes at a predefined point earlier in the level.
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Wikipedia