Thanks to Fabrizio Bartoloni for the heads up, we learn of yet another Commodore publisher game which never quite made it to the C64 in the shape of “Guardians of Time”, which was being created by none other than Andy Finkel.
The game was mentioned as unreleased in a 1996 interview with the developer from Commodore, but little else if anything was actually mentioned about the game.
In 2020, contributor Chris left some comments to feedback from details from Andy about the game.
According to Andy, the game was to be a 2D space shooter with a fortress in the middle of the screen. Whichever player had control of the fortress, they could reverse time to a previous point in the game that the player had picked. Using the power meant losing control of the fortress.
Andy had got as far as coding the game screens, ship display routines and physics engine before it was cancelled (for reasons we don’t yet know). The game design document was just work in progress, and no gameplay had been coded up.
Andy has offered hope that the design doc may still exist, but doubts that any code exists still. But who knows, hopefully if/when Andy takes a look he may find more than he bargained for.
Could something of the game be found?
Contributions: Fabrizio Bartoloni, Chris
Supporting content
Update history
02/02/20 – Added details from Andy Finkel, thanks to Chris (See comments history)
I also asked about the year this was made: thats tougher. it would either been the game after Omega Race or the game before Dragons Den. I think might have pitched it twice; so I remember working on it in two different offices.
I asked and here’s what Andy remembers: Hi. That takes me back. It was a 2D space shooter, with a fortress in the middle of the screen. whichever player had control of the fortress could reverse time to a previous point in the game that the player had picked; using the power meant losing control of the fortress. All I coded up was the game screens, the ship display routines, and the physics engine. The game design document was a work in progress, none of the gameplay was coded up. I might have a design doc somewhere , but I doubt I would have any code.
Thanks Chris, that is brilliant! Updated the page!
I’ve credited you, but happy to include your full name if you let me know.