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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.


Select Players menu

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

Select Game menu

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

  1. Portrait
  2. Attributes
  3. Name
  4. Weapon
  5. Weapon power
  6. Special ability inventory
  7. Starting special ability
  8. Starting special power
  9. First player’s chosen character
  10. Second player’s chosen character
  11. Money
  12. Hiring cost
  13. 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

  1. Lives
  2. Portrait
  3. Attributes
  4. Money
  5. Weapon
  6. Weapon power
  7. Special ability inventory. Select to equip.
  8. Equipped special ability
  9. Special power
  10. Select to buy extra lives
  11. First player’s character
  12. Second player’s character
  13. Select to buy training in specific attribute
  14. Cost
  15. Select to buy AI-chosen training in attributes
  16. Select to buy weapon power up
  17. Number of weapon power ups available
  18. Select to buy special power increase
  19. Select to buy special abilities

Game interface

  1. Character portrait
  2. Lives
  3. Health
  4. Score
  5. Special ability
  6. Special ability power
  7. Nodes
  8. 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.