TSK2: Trapped in Time

TSK 2: Trapped in Time was the sequel to the popular Interface Escape game on Superdudes.net, and my first try-and-buy game. It combines elements of a side-scrolling platformer with the angle-and-power artillery mechanic from the original game.

The training level for the game has TSK (he's grown up a bit, no longer goes by "Top Secret Kid") responding to a distress call from the roof of the Minotaur Corporation building - a distress call that turns out to be a trap!

In the original Interface Escape game, TSK was sucked into outer space through a wormhole placed in his laptop. Since that didn't work, his enemies have decided to try something a bit more drastic: sucking him back in time. TSK finds himself in the ancient Babylonian (Assyrian? Cretan?) Tomb of the Minotaur.

TSK 2 features many improvements over the original, but maintains the same style of play. The player can control TSK better when he is in the air through jet boots (additional thrust after launch) and air brakes (in case of an overshoot). In addition, the player has a supply of holographic tracers that can be used to scout an area or compute a jump without risk to TSK.

The game also features over 40 different kinds of platforms and traps, including explosive TNT barrels as seen below. Parallax backgrounds are also used on some levels, as are moving enemies, electric fences, molten lava, and toxic goo.

The Elevator Action level has the player making long jumps through a booby-trapped elevator shaft, avoiding laser beams and spiked elevators.

Three different boss levels exist in the game. In each, the player must leap across a series of platforms while dodging fireballs, a difficult task.

One of my favorite features in the game is the cliffhanger. If the player comes close to a platform, but doesn't quite reach it, TSK performs a cliffhanger and the player gets bonus points.

Throughout the game, the player can keep track of his progress on the Time Map. The original idea was to create a map similar to the one in the movie Time Bandits.

The editor I used to create each level was technically more complicated than the actual game engine. Without it, I would not have been able to create such large, detailed levels.

Here are some of the preliminary character sketches we used for designing the TSK character.

TSK 2 Credits

Flash Programmer: Florian Kruesch
Character Art & Animation: Mike Judge
Game Art & Animaiton: Tony Horgan
UI Art: Wil Teran
Sound and Music: Antonio Sanchez
Game Designer, Producer, Level Designer: Tom Jacobson