Controls

Control	Action
	Move up
	Move down
	Move left
	Move right
	Fire
	Change special
	Fire
	Swap special
	Fire
	Fire
	Virtual keyboard

The Chaos Engine

In this steampunk top-view run and gun game you must battle the Chaos Engine’s creations across Victorian England before taking on its inventor Baron Fortesque. Choose two mercenaries from a group of six. Traverse four landscapes collecting power-ups, gold and keys and solving puzzles. Spend your riches on upgrading your weapons and character attributes.


ONE PLAYER & CPU	Selects a single player game with an AI controlled partner.
TWO PLAYER	Selects a two player game. Requires two controllers.


START NEW GAME	Starts the game from the first stage.
ENTER PASSWORD	Allows you to enter a password. Note: A password for a single player game cannot be used for a two player game and vice versa.

How to play

Nodes

In each stage you need to activate a number of nodes by shooting them. Once enough nodes have been activated, the exit to the next stage will open.

Some stages also contain an alternative exit, which opens on all activating all nodes in the stage, and takes you to a more advantagious starting position in the next stage.

Items

Treasure: Pick up to earn money
Food: Heals health
Silver key: Opens a path forward
Gold key: Opens a path to hidden areas
Checkpoint: Players will respawn from here upon death
Special power: Gives one activation of a special ability
Weapon power: Increases the power of the character’s weapon

You can also find single-use special abilities in the stage. Picking one of these up will activate it immediately.

Special abilities

To activate the selected special ability (change with ) press and hold Fire ( / )

Hiring characters

Portrait
Attributes
Name
Weapon
Weapon power
Special ability inventory
Starting special ability
Starting special power
First player’s chosen character
Second player’s chosen character
Money
Hiring cost
Character roster

Attributes

Skill: An overall rating which affects all other attributes and determines when powerups and special abilities become available.
Health: How much life force the character has. When this runs out, he’s dead.
Speed: How fast the character can move.
Wisdom: (AI controlled characters only) How skilled the AI controlling this character will act.

Equipping characters

Lives
Portrait
Attributes
Money
Weapon
Weapon power
Special ability inventory. Select to equip.
Equipped special ability
Special power
Select to buy extra lives
First player’s character
Second player’s character
Select to buy training in specific attribute
Cost
Select to buy AI-chosen training in attributes
Select to buy weapon power up
Number of weapon power ups available
Select to buy special power increase
Select to buy special abilities

Game interface

Character portrait
Lives
Health
Score
Special ability
Special ability power
Nodes
Money

Story

Sometime in the last century an experimenter with time, space and early computers created a bizzare machine…

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.

Enter six hard-nailed mercenaries for hire.

Mercenary: A good all rounder. He is quite mad, and enjoys nothing more than experimenting with a collection of unsavory weapons.
Brigand: Another well rounded talent, and a cut throat bandit to boot.
Gentleman: A lean and clever character. He is a dapper chap without a doubt. What he lacks in muscle he makes up with wit.
Navvie: The strongest of the six characters. A good fighter with heavy weapons. Although he only has a few specials, they are very destructive.
Thug: 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.
Preacher: The smartest of the six characters. But then, he has God on his side. Beware, his perverse nature is not to be trusted.