THE MAKING OF THE CHAOS ENGINE 2

ALTHOUGH ITS SALES WERE DECIMATED BY THE DISCONTINUATION OF THE AMIGA, THE CHAOS ENGINE 2 SERVED AS A WORTHY SWAN SONG FOR THE 16-BIT SYSTEM. THE BITMAP BROTHERS FOUNDER MIKE MONTGOMERY RECALLS HOW THE STUDIO CREATED ITS INVENTIVE SEQUEL

- WORDS BY RORY MILNE

It's interesting how an original game design comes together, especially one that's devised for a sequel. More of the same is often the route taken when making a followup, but The Bitmap Brothers was notable for taking a different approach. Its Amiga shooter The Chaos Engine 2 is a good example of the studio's preference for innovation over repetition. The original was coop and based on end-to-end levels, but rather than two characters cooperating, The Chaos Engine 2 had them compete in sequential challenges.

These protagonists shared a play area, like in the original, but the sequel introduced a split-screen display, as The Bitmap Brothers founder Mike Montgomery explains. "Simon Knight was the main designer on The Chaos Engine 2, and he must have played Spy Vs Spy a lot," Mike notes. "It was split-screen, and that was the basis of its influence on The Chaos Engine 2. It was about how the split-screen allowed one character to interact with the other. The Chaos Engine was also an influence to an extent; that was inspired by Gauntlet of course. But with The Chaos Engine 2 it was a different kettle of fish. The Chaos Engine was obviously about shooting; it was about killing opponents, so it made sense that we also had that in The Chaos Engine 2. But really it was to do with having a split-screen, and how that meant you could have two competing players on one screen."