After two adventures in space Major Developments changed up the game and opted for a mystical 1930s tombs and treasures adventure in the vein of Indiana Jones. The player takes the role of an archeologist who deciphers a terrible prophecy - an evil high priest from ancient egypt has worked a curse on his altar, so that everything that gets in the way between the pyramid that houses it and the sun during daytime will be destroyed immediately. Now, on October 26th 1930 the eponymous Total Eclipse is drawing near in Egypt. So the archeologist starts his biplane and rushes to the pyramid, where he has only two hours left to break the curse before the moon gets blown up.

Would you miss it?

The interface has been adjusted formidably to the setting. The time display is in the shape of an old wristwatch, assisted by an actual depiction of the moon slowly hovering in front of the sun. The compass is likewise designed period-appropriately. The archaeologist doesn't have any health in the traditional sense, but when falling down from platforms, getting shocked by mummies, or shot at from installations on the ceiling, the heart-shaped symbol in the HUD starts convulsing quicker, accompanied by unnerving throbbing sounds, ultimately leading to a heart attack. The only way to recover is to take a rest, which can be sped up with the press of a button, although it is necessary to keep an eye on the watch. Some threats can be neutralized with the gun, like when the first mummy encounter is cut short by the player closing the coffin that contains the undead Egyptian, but others are immortal and can only be avoided. Another resource limits the exploration as well: The archaeologist packs a bottle of water, which is slowly consumed with time. There can be found infinite water sources in the pyramid, but they are not always easy to reach from any given location. Still, the process is so slow that it's among the least urgent of needs.

The game also tracks a score, for which points can be accumulated by looting the place. Jewels lying on the floor can be picked up simply by walking into them, although it takes time to mine the more valuable specimen. Sometimes the opportunist graverobber also happens upon treasure chests, which have to be shot open before they can be rid of their contents.

Total Eclipse is much larger than the previous two Freescape games, with twice as many areas to explore. Yet it feels more confined and claustrophobic at the same time, because aside from the first area in front of the pyramid, the entire game takes place within the small interconnected chambers of the ancient grave. Most of the passages are either blocked by stone slabs or otherwise obstructed, and the player has to find various ways to get around. Some of it can simply be achieved by shooting at objects - a rock might secretly be a switch to make a stairway appear, or a wall might be actually destructible. There are also a few conspicious ornaments, who require the player to find their match elsewhere in the pyramid to trigger an event. The stone slabs, finally, can only be removed with the help of ankhs, which can be found in more or less concealed locations.

Most puzzles are fairly easy to deal with on their own, but navigating the huge pyramid is a pain. Drawing a map is essential to not get hopelessly confused (it seems only the US release shipped with a printed map), and even then it's never easy, as the rooms connect at different heights - that's why every room gets a sea level value next to its name on the HUD. To solve the final riddle, two triggers at remote parts of the pyramid have to be found, and then the final door demands no less than five ankhs to open up. The problem: there are not enough ankhs in the game to unlock all doors, and wasting even a single one for a passage to a room that could have been reached otherwise means running into a dead end eventually. What's more, unless players went to the back side of the pyramid to unlock an emergency exit at the very beginning, they're eventually get trapped in a pit with no way out much further down the line. Total Eclipse is still a very short game meant to be attempted multiple times, which can be completed in about an hour by players who know what they're supposed to do, so it's not a terrible waste of time, but it's still rather frustrating to be stuck at the very end for having used one single ankh too much.

Beware of pitfalls!

The 16-bit versions are once again upgraded with the mouse controlled interface and moving enemies, although here it looks really weird to see the mummies hover back and forth over the ground. All of them can now be put quiet with a shot in the head, but most of them recover after a few seconds, giving the game a slight hint of survival horror. The background music is a bit more engaging this time and has properly Egyptian-feeling vibes. Both seem based on the same core theme, but the Amiga soundtrack is suitably slow and moody, whereas on the Atari ST it would be more fitting to accompany a bustling bazaar. but unfortunately it's impractical to use as it once again turns off the sound effects, many of which are vital cues to grasp what's going on at any given moment. A few select objects have also been exchanged for more detailed replacements - a plain arrow-shaped mural is now a scarab, for example.

There's also an entirely new gameplay element on the Amiga and Atari ST: some rooms are now pitch dark, forcing the player to use a flashlight to at least be able to see in a narrow radius. It's batteries hold up fairly long, but forgetful adventurers might find themselves at a loss after running around bright areas with the light switched on for a prolonged time. The weaker the batteries get, the less light they produce, so even before they die completely navigating dark rooms becomes increasingly tricky.

At any rate, the Amiga version (or at least a carefully throttled IBM PC version) comes even more recommended than before. Even though the rooms are smaller, the more detailed interiors bring down performance significantly, and most other versions are just unbearably slow.

Like Driller, Total Eclipse was honored with a Windows freeware remake by Ovine by Design. It's pretty neat running around the detailed pyramid at a stable framerate with quick WASD & mouselook controls immediately after experiencing the original, but just like Driller, without its abstract charm, the game feels just like a very dated 3D adventure game. Contrary to the old game (at least in the floppy disk versions), the game also doesn't allow saving at any time, opting for a rather harsh save point system instead.

The Sphinx Jinx is the most obscure of the Freescape games. It was only ever included on the backside of the tape or floppy disk in a "Special Edition" of Total Eclipse, which also was only sold for the 8-bit platforms. Therefore it gives the impression of an expansion rather than an entirely new game, as it uses the exact same engine variant and assets as Total Eclipse.

There's no elaborate storyline this time; the game simply shows parts of a sphinx getting magicked away, and the player is trusted with the task to find all twelve of them and put them back together. This requires exploration of yet another pyramid, which is even better secured than the previous one. After some early successes in the first few rooms, things quickly get even more confusing and cryptic than in any other game of the series. There even is a bit of pseudo-platforming with Mega Man style disappearing blocks - the protagonist still can't jump, but instead has to run for it as soon as the platforms line up. Naturally, the initial pattern doesn't work to get across the gap, and some puzzling is required beforehand. Some of the challenges feel a bit cheap as the game exploits the player's inability to see things straight due to the quirks of the engine a lot, and one room even has invisible walls.

The Sphinx Jinx is the hardest game in the Freescape universe and would be a real brain teaser for those who have beaten all the other games (maybe not coincidentally, enemies on the other hand are unusually sparse) but the lack of a fast 16-bit version makes it a test of patience also. Even among the 8-bit ports, the architecture here makes it one of the slowest titles in the series, and especially the parts that require some backtracking or trial-and-error can get aggravating quickly.