In 1993, the Bitmap Brothers released a cooperative action game on the Amiga called The Chaos Engine. Apparently inspired by the release of The Difference Engine in 1990, it featured a somewhat brilliant but unhinged Victorian scientist creating a machine so powerful that it could warp time and space itself. Alas, it turned against its creator and 6 mercenaries have been hired to do away with the machine, and the automata that it is creating to defend itself.

What that means, is that one or two players choose characters (Navvie, Thug, Gentleman, Mercenary, Brigand and Preacher/Scientist) and go out and shoot anything that moves in a top down blastfest with upgrades and weapons such as the pistol, shotgun and lightning cannon. I remember playing this half an age ago, and it was great fun and really came to life as a two player game (I’m sure many people have fond memories of it) – I didn’t think of it as Steampunk originally, but that can’t really be helped as it was very soon after even the name Steampunk had been invented. Very good game, and had quite the following! (Thanks for the reminder, Mr Beaty – hope your moonbase is coming along nicely.)