Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: Lobotomy Software
Publisher: Playmates Interactive

Ezra Dreisbach is one of those nearly Carmack-level geniuses about whom no one speaks anymore-- but the engine running Powerslave simply has to be the single-largest technical showcase for the platform. One whole CPU is fully devoted to the robust quad-based level surfaces, which allows for floors-above-floors and anything else the level designers could dream up-- and this dedication pays off with stable framerates which are hard to believe even as witnessed. Items and enemies are all sprites, and are fantastically high resolution and detailed. There is even underwater rendering, with simulated water caustics!

A fellow named Scott Branston created the music for this game, and while it's not Mozart-levels of composition complexity by any stretch, its Egyptian motifs lead to some catchy melodies. The boss song, with its synth guitar sample is particularly memorable-- especially since it graces the entirety of the final, evil stage of the game. This reviewer could never quite tell if the music was pre-recorded or not, since the instrumentation at least sounds like Saturn DSP samples. The game's various gunshots and enemy effects really pop, with some of them-- such as the bird enemy's loud peal-- beggaring belief.

Powerslave's control scheme is perfect: X allows for looking up and down; Y and Z switch weapons; A fires; B jumps; C opens doors; L and R strafe. Various abilities are unlocked as the game progresses, Metroidvania-style, allowing for things like levitation. Because the buttons are so logically mapped, it becomes trivial with very little practice to even "claw"-- looking around while holding the jump button to hover, for example. The engine even supports the Saturn's analog controller, analog triggers included! The game only saves when a level transition occurs-- and unfortunately there are three points in the game which are infuriating due to this: the two-odd dozen jumps over instant-death lava; the trap underwater room with the closing door; and the "Mission Impossible"-style laser segment in the final level.

Powerslave, along with the 3DO's "Killing Time", are not just "Metroid Prime-before-Metroid Prime"-- they are both in the same quality echelon as Nintendo's aforementioned formula follow-up. The Saturn quad-based hardware was more than capable of providing amazing "3D"-style experiences with a little programmer foresight, and Powerslave's awesome visuals are an ample testament to that fact. When combined with the phenomenal artwork, tidy soundtrack, and fun-to-use weapons plus powerups, Powerslave would please even the most terrifying of Pharoahs. If it weren't for its very occasionally enraging moments in fact, the game would be something of a masterpiece.