[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/time_killers.png]]
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->''"Time Killers... engage!"''
-->-- '''Announcer'''

''Time Killers'' is a FightingGame released in arcades in 1992 by Strata, around the same time as ''Franchise/MortalKombat''. The game's [[ExcusePlot story]] features eight characters (Rancid, Matrix, Orion, Musashi, Lord Wulf, Leif, Thugg and Mantazz) [[TimeTravel from throughout time]], hand-picked by [[GrimReaper Death]] to battle each other before facing Death himself.

The game has an unusual control scheme: two punches, two kicks, and a head button, laid out in the shape of the human body. But it really distinguishes itself by featuring a healthy amount of [[BloodierAndGorier violence]]. Every character carries some sort of bladed weapon, and it is possible to cut of one or both of the opponent's arms, potentially leaving them unable to block. Not only that, but there are Death Moves, which are activated by pressing all five buttons at once and, if they connect, will [[OffWithHisHead cut the opponent's head off]] and immediately end the round ([[BeginWithAFinisher even at the very beginning]]). Super Death Moves take off not only the head, but also any remaining arms.

Because the game's violence was more accessible than that in ''MK'', ''Time Killers'' was briefly popular, but its fame soon died down. There is also a UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis port that was released in 1996.

Incredible Technologies and Strata would later make a [[SpiritualSuccessor spiritual sequel]] to Time Killers known as ''VideoGame/BloodStorm''.
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!!This game features examples of:

* ActionGirl: Matrix becomes one at the age of 10, fighting against machine armies that are trying to wipe out all human life on her native Mars.
* AdjustableCensorship: The dipswitch in the Arcade and the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis version features an option to set the violence level to "[[BloodlessCarnage No Blood]]", "Blood", "Dismember", or "[[OffWithHisHead Decapitate]]".
* AllThereInTheManual: The handbook features a very detailed story for each of the characters, but you wouldn't know by playing the game itself.
* AmbidextrousSprite: It gets a little silly when ''which arm a character lost'' depends on which direction they're facing. The game's controls take it into account - instead of "left" and "right", the game designates sides as "weapon" and "back". The back arm is always lost first.
* ArtificialLimbs: Matrix has an artificial hand.
* BadFuture: Matrix and Matazz's stages are the same location at different points in time.
* BeginWithAFinisher: Nothing's stopping the player from attempting a Death Move at the beginning of the round, decapitating the opponent in a single stroke if they succeed.
* BugWar: Mantazz is the queen of a race of insect-like mutants bent on invading Earth and exterminating mankind.
* ChainsawGood: Rancid's weapon of choice is a chainsaw.
* CompleteImmortality: The prize for defeating Death - each character's ending describes what they do with their newfound immortality.
* DualWielding: Musashi uses both a katana and a daito.
* EveryScarHasAStory: Rancid's story. In his case, it was the CallingCard of a SerialKiller.
* {{Expy}}: Wulf (of Myth/ArthurianLegend), who shouts "Excalibur!" when he wins a fight.
* FinishingMove: Two of them, actually: one that can be done anytime during the match, and one that can be done to cut off both arms and the head while the opponent is dizzy.
* FireAndBrimstoneHell: Death's stage.
* TheGrimReaper: Death takes on this appearance at the start of his fights, but quickly sheds the cloak to reveal his true form.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Leif is probably [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Erikson Leif Erikson]] and Musashi UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi.
%%* HornyVikings: Leif. (zero context example)
%%* InsectoidAliens: Mantazz. (zero context example)
* JidaiGeki: Musashi's stage.
%%* KnightInShiningArmor: Lord Wulf. (zero context example)
%%* LaserBlade: Matrix and Orion. (zero context examples)
* LifeMeter: Unusual in that it ''fills'', rather than drains, as a player takes damage. Whoever has taken less damage has their meter in green, while the losing player's meter is red.
* LizardFolk: Thugg fought against humanoid dinosaurs called Troglodytes. The weird green globs he spits as his projectile are supposed to be Troglodyte flesh.
* MirrorMatch: As in most games of this type, both players could choose PaletteSwap versions of the same fighter: e.g., blond Matrix vs. redhead Matrix. A single player has to face a duplicate of their character as part of the game.
* MistakenForMurderer: In Rancid's backstory, he was accused of "the X Murders", a series of serial killings where the killer carved an X into his victim's foreheads. He was taken by Death right after cornering and killing the real killer.
* OffWithHisHead: AND HOW!
* OneHitKill: Which you can actually ''use as the first move in a round.''
* PsychoStrings: The opening of Mantazz's stage theme.
* PunchKickLayout: The game has five buttons, with four limb buttons laid out similarly to how the likes of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' would do it (weapon arm, back arm, weapon leg, etc.) as well as ''[[UseYourHead a head button]]''.
* PuzzleBoss: [[FinalBoss Death]] is sort of like this. It's impossible to beat him by knockout; you can only win by decapitating him with a Death Move or a Super Death Move. Even if you ''do'' land the move, though, you still need to win two rounds out of three (although you only need to land a Death or Super Death Move on the match-point round).
* {{Prehistoria}}: Thugg's stage.
* TheQuincyPunk: Rancid. He fulfills any cliché that comes with punks in fiction. His chainsaw makes him even cooler.
* {{Reversegrip}}: Musashi.
* RobotWar: Matrix is from a future where mankind's robot servants went berserk and waged war against them. She was taken by Death right after destroying the alien computer that had caused said rebellion.
* {{Samurai}}: Musashi.
* ShoutOut: The ability to cut arms off and the armless fighting were inspired by the Black Knight scene in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail.''
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Matrix was the only unambiguously female character.
** Mantazz is female, but you couldn't tell without reading her backstory.
* SNKBoss: Death hits like a Mack truck, which is bad enough. But he can also do this glowing dive move that's hard as hell to block and will usually cost you a limb if you get hit by it... If you're lucky, just a limb.
* UnwinnableByDesign: One-round version against the final boss - in order to be killed, Death has to be [[OffWithHisHead decapitated]]. It's technically possible (though given the amount of damage losing an arm does, very rare) to lose both of your arms without dying (in fact, there's a special on-screen message that pops up if a player wins a round without arms). But since you need an arm to hold a cutting implement (or use claws, in Mantazz's case), losing both against Death means that he can't be killed (and thus, beaten) that round, even if you somehow survive losing both arms.
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