Games PC MESSIAH User Manual

When I sleep I dream the same dream.

I dream I’m dying. Every night I watch

myself die as if I’m the killer, and as I kill
myself I experience happiness and joy, but
as I die I scream in horror and fear. Every

night I dream the same thing, and as the

nights go on I get scared. I really

shouldn’t have any fear of dying for I dwell

within the nirvana of Heaven and I’ve

walked in the valley of death. But maybe

this isn’t a dream...

- Bob

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Interplay Productions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROLOGUE 3
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 4
STARTING THE GAME 4

PLAY GAME 4
OPTIONS 4
INTRO 4

DIFFICULTY MODES 5

EASY - "Disciple" 5
NORMAL - "Prophet" 5
DIFFICULT - "Messiah" 5

SAVING AND LOADING 6

STANDARD SAVE AND LOAD 6
QUICK SAVE AND LOAD 6

MISSION OBJECTIVE FROM GOD 6
BOB'S BASIC ABILITIES 7

RUNNING 7
WALKING 7
CRAWLING 7
GRABBING LEDGES 7
STRAFING 7
LOOKING AROUND 8
ACTION 8

BOB'S SPECIAL ABILITIES 9

POSSESSION 9
FLIGHT 11

POSSESSED CHARACTER'S ABILITIES 11

GENERAL COMBAT 11
GRABBING AND DROPPING WEAPONS 11
WEAPON BASED COMBAT 12
TARGETING IN WEAPON BASED COMBAT 12
TARGETING IN SNIPER MODE 12
SECONDARY WEAPONS 13
HAND TO HAND COMBAT 13

POSSESSED CHARACTER'S SPECIAL ABILITIES 13
WEAPONRY 14

STANDARD WEAPONS 14
SECONDARY WEAPONS 15

CLASSES OF CHARACTERS 16
HELPFUL HINTS 25
CREDITS 26
SOUNDTRACK 34
MESSIAH ON THE INTERNET 35

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PROLOGUE

Earth has changed. It smells bad and looks worse than it smells. The law has a new doctrine
of moral and physical brutality, inspired by a new regime of money, technology, and myth. The
leaders of the Earth no longer care about the people; Even knowledge and personality are just a
dollar symbol away. Life is a cheap commodity, and after hundreds of years the people have
sadly adopted this philosophy as their religion and government.

Science breathes a new life in this world. Computers crackle their optical and biological
nerves to serve their creators, unlocking the world’s mysteries. All of this new information is
pumped directly in the minds of the dictators they serve giving them superhuman intellect. Here
they are born into a new state of mind and life. “Give me mankind’s greatest thoughts and I will
crush them.” These words spoken from Earth’s new leader, informally known as Father Prime.
These minds no longer serve the people; people that they could design and manufacture
themselves. Like those given too much power, they serve only themselves by seeking
knowledge beyond science itself, into scientific myth. It is in this new study that they focus
their greatest energies. The quest has driven them deep into the universe beyond, leading to the
undeniable proof of the existence of Heaven, God, and Hell. Which one do you think they want to
try to control first? Hence our story.

Somewhere on the dark side of the moon is a facility built by the Fathers. There, they’ve
constructed a portal leading to Hell and to Satan himself. The Fathers have theorized that God is
too powerful and won’t easily be bargained with therefore leaving Satan who should prove an
easier subject to aquatint with and to study. If you can control Satan, you can control God; or so
they postulate. They also ponder the following. If you can control both Heaven and Hell where
does that put you? Just like anything scientific, immortal beings also are bound by the laws of
the universe, those laws that God has made for himself. These laws are the weakness that the
Fathers intend to exploit.

Of course God knows of the Father’s intentions. God’s defense is conceived and put forth...

Bob.

Bob is taken to Earth and given a soul, and has not a clue about what is really going on. God’s
creations - the infinity of the universe, life and souls - those are the tools God has been using
since the beginning of time and his gift of a soul, usually devoid in angels, is all he needs to

give Bob. This is how God works.... The Fathers know that God plans destiny. What God doesn’t

know is that the Fathers know through their technology what God has destined, thus making it
easy for them to work out their own strategy and plan for God’s destiny.

This leaves Bob in an unfamiliar world. His only defense is that not only does he have a
human soul, but he is also an angel and a spirit. This state allows him to enter the organic
bodies of the living and control them. Destiny is planned, for only God knows your true fate,
including Bob’s.

Bob will serve God’s need, conveyed through his given soul. Despite God’s guidance, Bob
follows his own path, directed by his freewill and assisted by his soul. God plans to acquire
knowledge about the Fathers; knowledge that they have learned to keep secret from Him. Little
does God know that his plan has already been anticipated by the Fathers who have taken steps
to guide Bob’s destiny towards their own goals. So God is doomed to lose to a new order of life,
and we all know you can’t change destiny...right?

Right Bob?

We shall see...

MESSIAH™

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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Place the Messiah disc into your CD-ROM drive. If autoplay is enabled, the installation
process will begin automatically. If the disc does not autoplay, go to your Start menu and select
Run. Click on Browse and select your CD-ROM drive. Select setup.exe and click Open and then
OK.

Follow the on-screen Install Shield prompts to install the game. When the game is finished
being copied onto your hard drive, you will have the option to launch the readme file, launch
Messiah, or finish and return to Windows.

STARTING THE GAME

Upon launching Messiah, the game will load the Main Menu. From here, you can choose to
Play Game, change your Options such as Control, Video, and Sound Settings, or watch the
Introduction to the game. When navigating the menus, the up and down arrow keys will change
which option is highlighted and pressing the Enter key will select the highlighted option. Press
the ESC key to go back to the previous screen.

PLAY GAME

After choosing Play Game, Messiah will ask if you would like to start a New Game or Load a
Game. Choosing New Game will allow you to choose a Difficulty setting at which point your
game will begin.

OPTIONS

When selecting the Control Setup in Options, you are able to change the default control keys
to play Messiah. In the Control Setup you will also be able to choose joystick control, adjust
mouse sensitivity, or reset to the default control configuration. Press ESC to save your changes
and return to the previous menu.

When selecting Video Settings, you will be able to configure your video device including the
adjustment of screen resolution. The game defaults to w depthbuffering. If while playing
Messiah you experience problems with parts of the game levels flickering or if objects appear in
front of behind others which they shouldn’t, try switching the depthbuffering setting to z.
In the Sound Settings area of Options, you will have the ability to turn CD music on and off and
adjust the CD and sound effects volume.

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INTRO

Selecting this will play the introduction of the game. Note that the introduction will also play
any time the player chooses to start a new game.

Interplay Productions

EXPLANATION OF EASY - DIFFICULT
GAMEPLAY MODES

There are three difficulty modes in Messiah: Easy, Normal, and Difficult. Messiah initially
defaults to Normal difficulty when you start the game and cannot be changed once a new game
has already begun.

EASY-(Disciple)

• Cone of possession is wide, the player can even

possess characters from the front (see fig. 1).

• If possessed character is killed, Bob pops out

automatically.

• Enemies are less patient if the player hides with a

short attention span.

• Enemies more often than not choose head on

confrontation instead of taking cover during combat.

• Enemies use grenades in a limited fashion.

• Enemies take 25% more damage from grenades than Normal difficulty mode.

• Bullets falloff 25% later than Normal difficulty mode.

NORMAL-(Prophet)

• Cone of possession is a bit narrower than Easy
difficulty mode. Characters can only be possessed from
the sides or back (see fig. 2).

• If possessed character is killed, Bob pops out
automatically.

• Enemies are patient and will wait if the player hides
during combat.

• Enemies will take cover during combat instead of
choosing head on confrontation.

• Enemies use grenades during combat.

• Enemies in guard mode can enter Sniper Mode and target the player.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

DIFFICULT-(Messiah)

• Cone of possession is narrow, characters can only be
possessed from the back (see fig. 3).

• If possessed character is killed, Bob is killed as well.

• Characters are very patient if the player hides with a
long attention span.

• Enemies take 25% less damage from grenades than
Normal difficulty mode.

• Enemies use grenades liberally during combat.

• Bullets falloff 25% faster than Normal difficulty mode.

MESSIAH™

Fig. 3

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SAVING AND LOADING

While playing Messiah there are two ways to save and load your progress.

STANDARD SAVE AND LOAD

Pressing the F2 key will bring up a listing of blank save slots. Choose a slot in which you
wish to save and press ENTER. At this time you may enter a description for your save game.
After entering a description, press ENTER again to return to the game.

If you press the F3 key, the list of saved games will appear. When the list appears, use the up
and down arrow keys to select a game to load. Once highlighted, press the ENTER key and the
game will load.

QUICK SAVE AND LOAD

Pressing the F6 key will Quicksave your game. When the F6 key is pressed, the game will
pause momentarily while the game saves and then the action will immediately continue.

If the F9 key is pressed, the game will load the last Quicksave and then the game will
continue.

MISSION OBJECTIVE FROM GOD

All right, Bob, here’s the low down. The Fathers, in line with their ultimate plan of ruling
Heaven and Hell, have through the use of technology created a portal into the spiritual realm.
Faking alliance, the Fathers have tricked Satan into traversing the portal. Once through, Satan
was imprisoned and is being held for study and questioning. Find the Fathers and see what you
can do to bring a stop to their heinous experiments. At last look, the Fathers were watching the
Satan experiments from their lair at the entrance to Main City. Work your way through Old Town
and see what you can do to gather more intelligence on the Fathers’ activities.

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BOB’S BASIC ABILITIES

RUNNING

When you press either the “Forward Movement Key” or
the “Backward Movement Key” you will by default run in
that particular direction. Your speed is faster than most
creatures on Earth, and in combination with your quick
turns, you are very agile compared to the clumsy humans.
Use your running ability for those sticky situations where
a quick escape is necessary.

WALKING

Pressing the “Forward” or “Backward Movement Keys” in combination with the “Walk Key” will
cause you to slowly creep forward at a much less hectic speed than your run. This is especially
useful for traversing small ledges where one false step will cause an untimely demise. Also
keep in mind that when you walk your footsteps will be silent, allowing you to sneak up on your
foes undetected.

CRAWLING

Pressing the “Forward” or “Backward Movement Keys”
in combination with the “Crawl/Crouch Key” will allow you
to drop down close to the floor and crawl around. This
ability is useful when trying to hide behind an object
without being seen or when trying to move underneath an
object which is too low to walk under.

GRABBING LEDGES

If you press the “Flap/Jump Key” while also pressing
the “Forward Movement Key” and get close to the edge of
a ledge, you will be able to grab hold of the ledge and
hang from it. Pressing the “Forward Movement Key” again
will pull you up to the next level. This is great for moving
up to another area which is normally too high to simply fly
up to. Pressing the “Backward Movement Key” will cause
you to drop back down to the next lower area.

While hanging on a ledge, you can use the “Left” and “Right Turn Keys” to move side to side
on the ledge in a hand over hand motion. This skill will undoubtedly be required during your
travels.

STRAFING

While running and turning is often sufficient for evading
most foes and simply traversing around the environment,
using the “Strafe Left” and “Strafe Right” keys will allow
you to move around the environment while still
maintaining focus on a desired target. This can be
especially useful while running around your enemies
while still keeping your eyes focused on them.

MESSIAH™

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LOOKING AROUND

There are three ways to get a better look at your surroundings while moving about the

different Cities.

While in third person perspective, pressing and holding the “Look Around Key” will allow you
to use the Mouse to scroll around you and get a better look at your surroundings. While in this
Third Person Look Around Mode, you will still be able to move which makes this action
especially useful for peeking around corners. Releasing the “Look Around Key” will return you
to normal movement mode.

Another way to get a look at your surroundings is to press the “Enter/Zoom Sniper Mode” key
to go into a first person perspective. Once in this mode, you can use the Mouse to move the
camera around and take a look at areas you might want to examine. While in this Sniper Mode
View, you cannot move or turn but can strafe left and right as well as crouch. Strafing while in
this mode allows you to hide behind boxes and the like and just peek your head around the
corner to get a look. To exit the Sniper Mode View, press the “Quick Sniper Mode Exit Key.”

Finally, if you want to get a look behind you quickly, press the “Quick Look Back Key” to move
the camera quickly from behind your body to the front of it. This can be useful while being
pursued or simply seeing who has snuck up behind you. Pressing the key again reverts the
camera to its normal position.

ACTION

When you move around the environment, there are a number of items in the world in which
you can interact with. When you are in another creature, there are many more possibilities, but
more on that later.

In the bottom right corner of the screen

there is an icon called the Action Icon which

Fig. 1

(see fig. 1). However, there are instances in which you as
Bob can interact with certain world elements.

Fig. 2

at the center of a door while facing it.

Fig. 3

consoles or switches in the environment. Examples of
low-tech devices are on/off buttons and elevator switches.
An example of a high-tech device is a computer terminal.
Those high-tech devices with keyboards will require a
possessed character trained in their usage to activate

will change depending on the context of the
situation you are in. Normally, the icon
appears signifying there is no current action

One such instance is when you need to
open a door. When you see the Action Icon
for open door (see fig. 2), you can press the
“Action Key” to open the door. This open door
icon will only appear when you are standing

Another instance where you can interact
with the environment while outside of a
possessed character is to activate certain
electronic buttons and consoles. As a rule of
thumb, Bob can activate any low-tech

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Interplay Productions

them. When a low-tech device can be interacted with, a use icon will appear in the bottom right
corner of the screen (see fig. 3).

When an elevator can be activated, the

elevator icon (see fig. 4) will be displayed

Fig. 4

“Action Key” in combination with the “Forward” or
“Backward Movement Key.” Pressing “Forward” in
combination with the “Action Key” will cause the elevator
to travel up, while the “Backward Key” in combination with
the “Action Key” will cause the elevator to go down.

which means that the player must not only
activate the elevator but also tell it which
direction to travel. To do so, press the

BOB’S SPECIAL ABILITIES

POSSESSION

Some of the natives of Earth will not be receptive to your presence while others will be
merely curious about you. Take care, if you are spotted you may come under attack. To help
achieve your goals, you have been granted the ability of possession. You may possess any
entity in City Faktur as long as they are organic in composition. Any creatures that are
mechanical in nature are immune to your power of possession and thus must be dealt with
carefully.

The inhabitants of Earth are a great many things. Though they may initially seem to be just
getting in the way of achieving your goals, City Faktur’s residents open up many possibilities.

Armor

When Bob possesses a character in the game, the character becomes armor. Since Bob is

very fragile and can be killed relatively easily, it is in Bob’s best interest to possess a

character and use it like armor, absorbing any damage that is inflicted upon him. Once the

possessed character has taken significant damage, Bob can depossess and find another

character to absorb damage. Bob himself cannot be damaged while in possession of a

creature.

Keys

Many areas in the City are only accessible to certain characters, just as in real life. A

Security Facility, for instance, is not open for prostitutes to explore. In order to take a peek

inside, Bob must first possess a Cop who can then reasonably move freely around the facility

without arousing suspicion.

Camouflage

When Bob possesses a character in Messiah, he must then effectively be the character. Once

in a worker for instance, Bob can’t just go traipsing around a Security Facility at his leisure.

After all, he is a worker. Once in a character’s body Bob will have to act like the character or

his cover will be blown. When the whistle blows and the Cops all head out for their lunch

break, Bob better go too or the Cops will surely get suspicious.

Health

When Bob is running low on health, he can replenish his own body by jumping into another

creature. When Bob is damaged and he possesses another creature he will take health from

his host in proportion to the amount he has already been damaged.

MESSIAH™

9

If you happen upon a creature of organic make up, you can possess their bodies by carefully
catching them defenseless from behind. This is important. City Faktur’s Dwellers can usually
only be possessed from behind and not from the front or sides. Once a creature sees you either
in front of them or out of their peripheral vision they will become tense and defensive thus
resistant to your possession attempt.

Here’s a step by step example of how to possess your prey.

- Try to stay out of sight until you have a good opportunity

to possess a creature from behind.

- Once your opportunity presents itself, make haste to

overtake the subject from behind.

- While running up behind your prey, flap your wings once

or twice and sping toward the target’s shoulder blades.

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- If all goes as planned, you will dive into the creature’s
back and thus into their spirit and consciousness. When you
have possessed a character, you will see a halo over the
creature’s head indicating to you which creature you are in
control of. Other creatures in the world will not see the halo,
it is merely there for your benefit to help you easily pick
which creature you are controlling even if you’re in a crowd.
You now have complete control of this entity and will possess

all of their individual strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities until they are killed or you
choose to depossess.

While stealth is your best strategy in possession situations, you may at times be spotted
before you have a chance to find a new host. If this happens, you must either find a good place
to hide until the situation cools off or make a break for it and try to get behind a creature for
another possession attempt.

You can depossess a creature at any time by simply pressing the “Depossess Key.” Once you
depossess a creature they will be stunned for a moment or two while they try to get their
bearings again. During those few moments that the creature is disconcerted, you must either
find a place to hide or find a new host. Once those few moments have passed and the subject
regains its senses, the creature will begin to return to their normal behavior and can again
pose a threat if you are spotted.

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FLIGHT

Next to his possession ability, Bob’s next most powerful
attribute is his ability for flight. To flap your wings and
take to the air, press the “Flap/Jump Key” and your wings
will flap once. If you continue to press the “Flap/Jump
Key” in succession, you will notice that your wings will
continue to flap and you can stay in the air for sustained
periods of time. Flapping while moving forward will allow
you to cover ground quite quickly and will enable you to
move over obstacles in your path quite effortlessly.

By now you’ve noticed that you cannot fly, but instead have limited flight abilities. Since you
are still an angel in training and your wings are not fully developed, you only have the ability to
flap your wings and fly for a few moments before your stubby little wings start to get fatigued
and lose their potency. While limiting at first, once you get used to Earth’s gravitational forces
you should be able to get a good feel for what types of obstacles you can overcome before your
wings give out.

There is one more flight ability which you must often utilize in your travels on Earth. When on
a high ledge, you can leap off and press and hold the “Flap/Jump Key” to spread your wings and
glide to your destination. By using the glide ability, you will be able to leap off of even the
highest structures and glide like a feather to the ground while taking little or no damage.
Gliding is also useful if you want to soar to a far off landing area without having to flap your
wings rapidly in succession.

If you get into a bind and find yourself falling from a great distance straight down, try to flap
your wings just before you hit the ground to cushion your fall and minimize any potential damage.

POSSESSED CHARACTER’S
ABILITIES

GENERAL COMBAT

As Bob, you are very fragile and defenseless. As such,
it is necessary to possess Earth’s inhabitants and use
their bodies and weapons whenever force is necessary to
get through a tight spot. The following will help you learn
how to engage Earth’s inhabitants in both weapon and
hand to hand combat. Note that the creatures in City
Faktur can only carry one primary weapon at a time
though some can carry secondary grenades or mines as
well. If you want to use a different weapon than the one a character is currently using, you will
have to swap it with another when you come across it.

GRABBING AND DROPPING WEAPONS

The easiest way to get a weapon is to possess a character who

already has a weapon in their hands. In the event that the possessed

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

screen; the pick up weapon icon (see fig. 1) or the swap weapon icon (see fig. 2). While

character does not have a weapon or their weapon runs out of ammo,
look for a weapon in the room and stand over it to pick it up. Once over
a weapon one of two action icons will appear in the bottom right of the

MESSIAH™

11

standing directly over the desired weapon, pressing the “Action Key” will cause the character to
either pick up or swap the current weapon.

To drop a weapon, make sure that the possessed character is not standing over a

weapon and then press the “Action Key” to drop the weapon. You will know that

Fig. 3

you can drop your current weapon because the drop weapon icon (see fig. 3) will
appear in the bottom right corner of the screen.

WEAPON BASED COMBAT

When possessing various characters in City Faktur you will find that many carry weaponry.
When you possess someone who is carrying a weapon you then have control of not only the
character but also his knowledge of weapon based combat. If you come under hostile fire, you
can fight back with the character’s weapon by following the next steps:

- First, press the “Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key” once to enter
combat mode. When you enter combat mode the possessed human
will take an aggressive combat stance but you can also tell you are in
combat mode by looking to the bottom right corner of the screen where

the combat icon will change from normal mode (see fig. 1) to a combat
mode version (see fig. 2). Make sure that when you enter combat mode you are ready for a
fight. Once you pull a weapon or put up your fists other creatures will automatically assume
that you are hostile and therefore take appropriate measures.

- Now that you are in combat mode, pressing the “Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key” will cause
the possessed creature to fire his primary weapon. Pressing and holding the “Enter
Combat/Fire Key” will make the character fire their weapon in succession.

- While in combat mode, the exit combat mode icon will appear in the bottom right

corner of the screen (see fig. 3). To exit combat mode, press the “Action Key” and

the possessed character will drop back into their normal mode.

Fig. 3

Fig. 2Fig. 1

TARGETING IN WEAPON BASED COMBAT

When you are in combat mode and sweep across the room, your targeting cursor will move

from creature to creature as you move, highlighting each target in succession. When the
targeting cursor is highlighting the desired target, fire away to take the target down. Keep in
mind that weapons all have different ranges so they will do various damage to your target
depending on whether they are nearby or off in the distance. The pumpgun, for example, can
often take a character down in a single shot at close range but is miserable for long range
combat.

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TARGETING IN SNIPER MODE

Another way to fight with weapons is to enter sniper mode and target from there. Note that

only Cops have the ability to zoom in while in sniper mode to magnify their target.

- To enter sniper mode, press the “Enter/Zoom Sniper
Mode” key once to enter the first person perspective.

- If the possessed character’s weapon is not already
drawn, press the “Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key” once
to draw their weapon. Once the weapon is drawn, a
targeting cursor will appear in the center of the screen
indicating that you are ready to fire. The targeting
crosshairs will not snap to your target as in third

Interplay Productions

person combat mode, but instead will stay solid all the
while you are in sniper mode. Each time that the “Enter
Combat/Fire Weapon Key” is pressed a shot will be fired
at the point the targeting crosshairs are over.

- In sniper mode it is very easy for you to take accurate
shots at your enemies to target specific body parts.
Experiment with shooting the different areas of an
enemy’s body to achieve different effects.

SECONDARY WEAPONS

Many of the characters you will meet in City Faktur carry secondary weapons in addition to
their primary firearms. To use the characters secondary weapon, press the “Secondary Weapon
Key” to throw a projectile weapon.

HAND TO HAND COMBAT

There will inevitably come a time in your travels where you are hopelessly outnumbered in a
fight and the ammo clips you are carrying will not be enough to get you through the situation.
Fear not, most of the Earth’s inhabitants are proficient in the art of hand to hand combat. To
fight most effectively in hand to hand combat mode, you should first drop your weapon, though
some moves can be pulled off even with a weapon in your hands.

- To fight in hand to hand combat mode, you must first
press the “Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key” once to enter
combat mode. If there is no weapon in the character’s
hands they will put up their fists once in combat mode.
Combat mode is also designated by the combat icon in the
bottom right corner of the screen.

- Now that you are in
combat mode, you

your desired target and then press the “Enter

Combat/Fire Weapon Key.” Pressing this key alone will

cause the possessed character to strike out at their

opponent. Pressing the “Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key”

in combination with the “Forward Movement Key” will

cause the character to do other combat moves as will

attacking characters from behind. Experiment with the different moves in hand to hand

combat mode to not only take down your enemies quietly but even disarm them if so desired.

- While in hand to hand combat mode, the exit combat mode icon will appear in the
bottom right corner of the screen (see fig. 1). To exit combat mode, press the
“Action Key” and the possessed character will drop back into their normal mode.

Fig. 1

must get close to

POSSESSED CHARACTER’S
SPECIAL ABILITIES

GENERAL

Many of the characters on Earth have special abilities unique to themselves which other
characters do not have. Experimentation with the different creatures on Earth is crucial to
achieving your goals.

MESSIAH™

13

WEAPONRY

STANDARD WEAPONS

Welding Torch Intended only for welding, this weapon has a higher

probability of causing your foes to laugh themselves to death when attacked than

someone if the person were to hold still long enough for it.

deliver a massive amount of damage in a short period of time but is nevertheless no match for
an enemy holding a rapid fire long range weapon.

miserable at any distance. Don’t even think about trying to use this weapon in sniper mode due
to it’s long range weakness.

clearing rooms of foes as it is putting a bullet in someone’s head from 1/2 a mile away in sniper
mode.

foes. The maimer fires razor sharp titanium blades that slice and dice any unfortunate soul in
its path.

actually inflicting critical amounts of damage. Even so, it could technically kill

Bone Saw It slices!It dices! It’s a hand held sawing, buzzing, hacking,
grinding device! This device was only designed with construction work in mind but
it will work for close range combat in a pinch. The massive 20hp bone saw will

Pump Gun The pump gun is standard issue for the Light Cops in City
Faktur. This weapon shoots 5 gauge slugs that fire in a spread pattern when
triggered. Though the weapon has excellent stopping power at close range, it is

Machine Gun Usually carried by Medium Cops, the machine gun is
excellent at long range and has superior accuracy. Firing devastating slugs in
rapid succession via it’s twin barrels, the machine gun is equally impressive at

Maimer Roughly as effective as its machine gun brethren, the
maimer has a rapid-fire mechanism, is equally effective at short and long range,
and delivers more than enough stopping power to take down all but the toughest

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Flame Thrower The flame thrower spews a flammable fuel mixture in jelly
form that’s ignited when emitted. When the jelly makes contact with another
character they will burst into flame causing them to run and scream in agony until

they can roll themselves out. Though the weapon is useless at distances, there is simply no
substitute in close range combat situations. Care must be taken with this weapon. If an ignited
character comes in contact with you, there is a good chance that he’ll turn you into a human
torch as well.

The Pak Based on the opposite technology from the flame thrower,
the pak weapon fires needle like shards of frozen ice at the intended target,
skewering them repeatedly. When one of the pak's icy projectiles pierces the

victim, they will begin to freeze causing their targets movements to slow down. Each
successive projectile that hits the target will further chill the victim making their actions slower
and slower. A few seconds after last exposure, the victim begin to thaw and once again regain
their normal attributes. Effective at both long and short range, the ice gun is an excellent choice
for both hectic combat situations and strategic sniper mode hits. The pak weapon also gives
characters ability of limited flight via the device's propeller like blades.

Interplay Productions

Bazooka The bazooka fires a frighteningly lethal missile along a

direct path to its targeted victim. With infinite range, fast reload, zero trajectory

fired at close range the bazooka can be quite dangerous as the subsequent missile explosion
will most likely damage the user as well as the target.

electro-subtractive pulse, the Maser is tremendously useful in taking down even the most
ferocious mechanical foes.

will wither in agony before eventually collapsing. Good at both close and long range, the RPH is
absolutely devastating since it’s capable of killing a person with one shot.

arc, and a speedy velocity, the bazooka is a handy toy for long range combat. If

Maser Though impressive looking, this weapon is totally useless
against organic creatures. Rarely seen on the streets of City Faktur, this weapon
was created specifically to take down Armored Behemoths. Firing a powerful

R.P.H The rocket propelled harpoon is the most devastating
weapon ever to appear on the streets of City Faktur. The R.P.H. pierces the intended
target, lifting them off the ground and impaling them on a nearby wall where they

SECONDARY WEAPONS

Grenade Standard issue to Medium Cops, the grenade behaves just
as one might expect, exploding in a shower of shrapnel which is lethal in direct
hits, and still quite effective for those standing near it when it detonates.

Concussion Grenade
control, the concussion grenade is useful for incapacitating large groups of
characters while causing no damage to the surrounding area. When the grenade

detonates, it emits a large flash that stuns them momentarily. While this weapon does not kill
characters, it is useful for stunning characters momentarily that are potential possession
candidates.

Stick ‘Um Grenade This weapon embeds itself into the target when it is thrown
and then begins to emit a subtle audio tone to alert the user that it is active. The
stick ‘um will remain active and wait until the “Secondary Weapon Key” is pressed

again at which time it will detonate. While useful for planting on explosive objects so that the
user has time to clear the area, its real potential lies in attaching the grenade to a human foe
who will panic and run toward their allies desperately seeking help where it can be then
detonated by the user.

Distortion Grenade The most powerful of the secondary weapons, the distortion
grenade is tossed like a normal grenade but creates a warping anomaly that can
literally bend solid objects. Any creature caught in the path of the distortion

grenade will be thrown as if they were standing next to a violent explosion and will sustain
similar amounts of damage. Like a standard grenade, the distortion grenade can be banked off
walls due to its built in three-second timer.

Jumping Betty Unlike its grenade counterparts, this secondary weapon
packs a powerful punch in the form of a proximity mine. Once discharged with the
“Secondary Weapon Key” the jumping betty will lie in wait until another character

triggers its proximity sensor. Once triggered, this mine leaps five feet into the air making five
complete horizontal rotations firing a flechett every ten degrees of rotation.

Issued to Riot Cops whose primary purpose is crowd

MESSIAH™

15

CLASSES OF CHARACTERS

LOWER CLASS

CHOTS

Chots comprise the bottom rung of the social ladder in City Faktur. Partially due to their lack
of money and partially due to their disgust with the middle and upper classes, the Chots choose
to live in the City sewers and frequently pop up and drag other characters off to an unpleasant
death. Chots are cannibalistic creatures who hunt and fight in packs similar to hyenas.
Naturally aggressive toward Cops, the Chots have been waging a war for some time with the
police force and often instigate riots in attempts to overthrow their middle class counterparts.
The Chots’ weapon of choice is a Pak that is not only is used to take down prey quietly but also
allows them to drop from great heights. Chot technology is base, and revolves around their air
compression system to power weapons and breathe. Though they are not as well funded as the
Cops, the Chots are excellent fighters and will often do just as well in a battle as their more
technologically advanced Cop foes.

16

Interplay Productions

MIDDLE CLASS

DWELLERS

The pathetic civilians in City Faktur have become known simply as Dwellers. These middle
class characters enjoy the benefits of their social class which allows them to move freely
around the cities and partake in the moral depravity that has overrun their world. Though
usually unarmed, the Dwellers may be beneficial for possession in certain situations which
require stealth. The Dwellers can use any weapon they come across and can be quite proficient
in hand to hand combat when cornered. Take special care around the Dwellers for many with
long coats will hide weapons in their jackets until needed and will not hesitate to stalk careless
humans in an effort to mug them for another weapon.

MESSIAH™

17

WORKERS

Workers are the glue which holds City Faktur together. Constantly spoon-fed a stream of
self-help propaganda, the workers are quite proud of their social station and work diligently on
keeping the City running on a day to day basis. Comprised of grunt laborers, medical
technicians, scientists, and nuclear technicians, many of the workers have very specialized
abilities which make them prime targets for possession in many situations.

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Interplay Productions

CLUBBERS

Similar in many respects to normal Dwellers, the Clubbers are distinct in that they live to the
excess, usually spending their time in the seedier portions of the City or the clubs. Though
seemingly harmless, the Clubbers are "characters" in the truest sense of the word and have
some surprisingly unique talents. Much like the credo of their alternative lifestyle,
experimentation will be required to find the true potential of these characters when they have
been possessed.

MESSIAH™

19

COPS

In a stark contrast to the world of the past where the police upheld the law and swore an oath
to protect and serve, the Cops have become increasingly corrupt in response to the degradation
of the society around them. In City Faktur the Cops thrive on their upper-class status and have
developed a shoot first, ask questions later mentality. Though they must be dealt with
cautiously, a possessed Cop is one of the most versatile characters in the City. With various
degrees of armor, powerful weaponry, and all access passes to most areas, the Cops are very
handy indeed. To further increase their worth, the Cops often have special abilities tied to their
special headsets which give them powers such as ranged zoom sniper mode, and special
limited x-ray vision sniper mode. On the downside, their strength when possessed lies in their
brute force tactics which most often draws the hostile attention of their police brethren.

20

Interplay Productions

UPPER CLASS

SUB GIRLS

Like most of the upper class in City Faktur, the Sub-Girls are of course female and have a
natural adversity to Cops. Allied with the Dwellers and Clubbers, Sub-Girls are one of the most
lethal classes of the City’s inhabitants whose mission it is to act as security in the Redlight
District’s housing district protecting their allies from their foes. Sub-Girls have a particularly
strong bond with the prostitutes and will most often come to their aid if threatened. The Sub­Girls have a very calm demeanor and cannot be panicked or confused in battle. Though it looks
deceptively light, the Sub-Girls have been engineered to have an extremely tough skeleton
making them tough to kill. The Sub-Girls are difficult to possess, but when attained, they are
nearly unstoppable.

MESSIAH™

21

COMMANDERS

Leaders of the police forces, the commanders are the highest ranking Cops and are thus
rarely seen in the streets of the City. When one is spotted, it is highly recommended that you
not only possess one but also keep her alive since it is only the commander who has the highest
security clearance. This may be challenging since the commanders are many times unarmed
and only venture out into the streets to supervise the troops. Along with her top security
clearance, certain commanders, called Gun Commanders, are the only type of character who
can operate heavy gun placements and drive vehicles.

22

Interplay Productions

CLERGY

Like any major city there is an alternative nightlife. Here in City Faktur, the clergy has turned
to entertainment in order to free condemned souls. The clubs contain priests that run the bar
and nuns that serve the drinks. In general the Bartender is not particularly useful to possess,
but they’re great helpers throughout Bob’s travels. Occasionally found lurking in dark shadows,
the clergy will sometime impress some of their wisdom on Bob which may be helpful during his
travels.

MESSIAH™

23

UNKNOWN

MONSTERS

Information is sketchy at best regarding the monsters in the City, but the Dwellers are
rumoring the existence of "demons" appearing with increasing regularity. It is possible that
these monsters have some sort of connection to the experiments which the Fathers have been
performing recently.

24

NO PHOTO
AVAILABLE

Interplay Productions

HELPFUL HINTS

• To possess a character, flap your wings and fly into the character’s back. You can de-

possess at any time by pressing the depossess key.

• Try to possess characters when no one else is looking. Characters won’t attack if you

appear to be like them.

• Bob is very fragile and defenseless. Whenever possible, possess other characters and use
them for camouflage as well as armor. If you possess a Cop without being seen for instance,
other Cops won’t pay attention to you. If you do get in a fight, the possessed Cop takes the
damage, not Bob.

• Keep those weapons holstered! Running around with your gun ready is a sign of
aggression to other characters.

• Elevators in Messiah are a bit different than other games but are quite easy to operate once
you get the hang of it. Stand in front of the elevator console you wish to operate and turn the
character to face it. Press the action key while pressing forward or backward depending on
which way you want to go.

• Keep an eye out for better weapons and ammo. Explore your environment whenever
possible.

• Characters each have their own set of skills, use different characters to access different
areas or consoles.

• It’s helpful to be “light on your feet” in the platform style levels.

• Bob can regain health by possessing another character and taking some of their life
essence to replenish his own.

• The Cops and the Chots have a natural aversion to one another. When these two classes of
characters come in contact with one another, expect a firefight. If you don’t understand why
you’re being shot at, chances are that another character may not get along with the class of
character that you are currently in possession of.

MESSIAH™

25

THE CREATORS

LEAD PROGRAMMER
Michael 'Saxs' Persson Genesis 33:12

ARCH-PROGRAMMERS
Torgeir Hagland Exodus 32:4
Tony Bennett Exodus 27:4

LEAD LEVEL SCRIPTER
David Msika 1 Kings 6:38

LEVEL SCRIPTING
Joe Virskus 1 Corinthians 3:10
Andrew DeLap John 1:41
Tim Hays John 10:20
Søren Hannibal Jeremiah 40:12

GAME DESIGN
(As Prophesized by Michael Damien)
Team Ego 2 Chronicles 24:13

LEVEL DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Michael Damien Matthew 13:35
Daniel Chevalier Ezekiel 43:11
Shawn Berryhill 1 Kings 7:9
Neil Hong Luke 16:9
Chris Felts Psalms 88:18
Sigbjørn "Siggy" Galaen Genesis 11:4

26

3D CHARACTER DESIGNS AND MODELS
Darran Hurlbut 2 Thessalonians 3:9

CHARACTER CONVERSION AND INFLUENCING
Chris Naves Exodus 31:6

LEAD ANIMATOR
Gabriel Rountree Daniel 8:16

Interplay Productions

ARCH-ANIMATORS
Christer Sveen Genesis 2:7
Kevin Munroe Genesis 19:20
Alain Maindron Genesis 8:19

ORIGINAL MESSIAH BOX CONCEPT
Mike Damien Matthew 13:35

THE APOSTLES

FILM AND VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
Scott Barrett Acts 16:9

COMPUTER GENERATED MOVIE ARTIST
Klaus Lyngeled 2 Chronicles 2:7

MUSIC
Fear Factory Isaiah 30:32
[:Side Effekt:] / Travesti 1 Samuel 16:16
Jesper Kyd Daniel 3:15

SOUND EFFECTS
Tommy Tallarico Amos 5:23
Joey Kuras Leviticus 26:36

SHINY ENTERTAINMENT

PRESIDENT
David Perry

PRODUCER
Stuart Roch

LINE PRODUCER
Jay Nielsen

WEBMASTER
Miss M

MESSIAH™

27

INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS

PRESIDENT
Brian Fargo

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Trish Wright

PRODUCER, INTERPLAY U.K.
Sarah Thompson

PUBLIC AND MEDIA RELATIONS
Lisa Bucek
Scott Herrington

PRODUCT MARKETING
Steve Fowler

DIRECTOR OF QUALITY ASSURANCE
Jeremy Barnes

QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGERS
Greg Baumeister
Mike Motoda

PROJECT SUPERVISOR
Jeremy Ray

28

ASSISTING SUPERVISOR
Doug Finch

SENIOR TESTERS
Scot Humphreys
Kevin Osburn

TESTERS
Ismael Quijano
Richard Avalos
Eric Chung
Savina Greene
John Kirkland
Harold Kim
Mark Holtzclaw
Asher Luisi
Amy Avery
Adam Parker

Interplay Productions

TRAFFIC MANAGER
Sherry LaVertu

MANUAL DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Tracie D. Martin

SPECIAL THANKS

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO MESSIAH
AND HELPED MAKE THE TITLE A REALITY

Mike Bob Lewis
Brad Hartke
Justine Corradino
Pamela McSwain
Shaun Chevalier
Patrick Berryhill
Luis Gigliotti
Joey Kuras
Elaine Paiva
Lynel Brown
Tommy Francois
Robert Wright
Nicole Maringer
Clay Rivers
Pete Testa
Steve Carlson
Dave Howard

And Finally, a Special Thanks to the Companies Who Have Generously
Supported us Throughout Messiah’s Development

Intel Corporation
Creative Labs, Inc.
NVidia Corporation
3DFX Interactive, Inc.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Microsoft Corporation

MESSIAH™

29

INTERPLAY
WEBSITE

Welcome to the Interplay Web! As a company
dedicated to providing innovative, high-quality
interactive entertainment software, we are
always striving to stay as close as possible to
the leading edge of technology. This Web site is
the latest example of our ongoing effort to
provide a wealth of information and
opportunities to you.

As a company of fanatic gamers, we love the
idea of gamers all over the world tapping into
cyberspace to see, touch and feel our latest
games. No hype, no marketing campaign; just
great games. To make it work, our goal is to
keep this site fresh and new, to make it a place
where you can tell US what you like about our
games... and what you don’t like about them. So
use the feedback options on these pages and
sound off.

Enjoy your visit in our Web site, explore all
the different areas we have to offer, and come back soon. Check us out in the weeks and
months ahead; we will be introducing new and exciting areas for you to experience.

Once again, welcome.

Brian Fargo

C.E.O.

30

Interplay’s World Wide Web site is an Internet service designed to give you the latest
information about Interplay and our products.

This site features our demos, upgrades, product information and ordering information.

How to get there

From your Internet account, point your favorite browser to: www.interplay.com

This website is not intended for technical support, but to offer new machines and the latest
product information. For technical support, please contact Interplay as described in the
Customer Support section.

Interplay Productions

INTERPLAY WEB STORE

Looking for a quick,
easy way to get your
favorite Interplay games?
Well look no
further……you can now
order directly from
Interplay. Just turn on your
computer and go to
www.interplay-store.com.

This is your one-stop
shop for everything
Interplay. Buy the hottest
new releases or maybe get
a copy of that hard-to-find
game that you’ve been
looking for. Purchase some ultra-cool merchandise; or make a bid on a unique collectible in the
Online Auction. All this, seasonal specials and much more. So don’t delay…… go to
www.interplay-store.com and get shopping!!

HINTLINE

Stumped?!?! Frustrated?? Stuck?? Or do you just want to know the latest
codes and tricks for this and many other Interplay titles?? Well, look no
further because the solution for all these problems is just a phone call away.
Pick up the phone and call the Interplay Hintline at 1.900.370.PLAY<7529>
(or 1.900.370.6869 for all our Canadian friends).

You can call this line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And best of all, it only
costs 95¢ a minute (again, for our Canadian friends this charge will be in Canadian dollars), with
all long distance charges included in that price…. you can’t beat that for a great deal.
Remember, you must be over 18 or have your parent’s permission to call the hintline. You must
have a touch-tone phone. This service is only available in the U.S. and Canada. Charges and
information are subject to change without notice.

MESSIAH™

31

32

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

TROUBLESHOOTING DOCUMENTS ONLINE!

Interplay Productions Technical Support now offers troubleshooting guides with complete
installation and setup instructions as well as information that will help you overcome the most
common difficulties. If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can find these at
www.interplay.com/support/

Here you will find troubleshooting information on as well as information on regular system
maintenance and performance.

DirectX www.interplay.com/support/directx/
Joysticks www.interplay.com/support/joystick/
Modems and Networks www.interplay.com/support/modem/

(For game-specific information and additional troubleshooting, visit our main page at

www.interplay.com)

If you have questions about the program, our Technical Support Department can help. Our
web site contains up-to-date information on the most common difficulties with our products,
and this information is the same as that used by our product support technicians. We keep the
product support pages updated on a regular basis, so please check here first for no-wait
solutions: www.interplay.com/support/

If you are unable to find the information you need on our web site, please feel free to contact
Technical Support via e-mail, phone, fax, or letter. Please be sure to include the following
information in your e-mail message, fax, or letter:

Title of Game
Computer manufacturer
Operating system (Windows 95, DOS 6.22, etc.)
CPU type and speed in MHz
Amount of RAM
Sound card type and settings (address, IRQ,

DMA)

If you need to talk to someone immediately, call us at [phone] Monday through Friday
between

8:00AM-5: 45PM, Pacific Standard Time with 24 hours, 7 days a week support available
through the use of our automated wizard. Please have the above information ready when you
call. This will help us answer your question in the shortest possible time. When you call you will
initially be connected with our automated wizard. For information pertaining to your specific
title, press "1" on the main menu and listen carefully to all prompts. All titles are listed
alphabetically. After you have selected your title, the most common difficulties will be listed. If
the difficulty you are having is not listed or you need additional assistance, you may press "0"
on your games main menu, and you will be transferred to a Technical Support Representative.
No hints or codes are available from this line.

Interplay Productions Support Fax: [phone]
Interplay Productions Technical Support. 16815 Von Karman Avenue. Irvine, CA 92606

HOW TO REACH US ONLINE

INTERNET E-MAIL: [e-mail]
WORLD WIDE WEB: www.interplay.com
FTP: ftp.interplay.com

Video card
CD-ROM
Mouse driver and version
Joystick and game card (if any)
A copy of the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT

files from your hard drive
A description of the problem you're having

Interplay Productions

interplay Limited Warranty

INTERPLAY LIMITED 90-DAY WARRANTY

Interplay warrants to the original purchaser of this Interplay Productions™ product that the
compact disc or floppy disk(s) on which the software programs are recorded will be free from
defects in material and workmanship for 90 days from the date of purchase. If the compact disc
or floppy disk(s) is found defective within 90 days of original purchase, Interplay agrees to
replace, free of charge, any product discovered to be defective within such period upon receipt
at its factory service center of the product, postage paid, with proof of the date of purchase.
This warranty is limited to the compact disc or floppy disk(s) containing the software program
originally provided by Interplay and is not applicable to normal wear and tear. This shall be void
if the defect has arisen through abuse, mistreatment, or neglect. Any implied warranties
applicable to this product, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular
purpose are disclaimed. Interplay disclaims all responsibility for incidental or consequential
damages.

Some states do not allow limitations as to how long an implied warranty lasts and/or
exclusions or limitations of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitations and/or
exclusions or liability may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific rights, and you may
also have other rights which vary from state to state.

Lifetime Warranty

If the compact disc or floppy disk(s) should fail after the original 90-day warranty period has
expired, you may return the software program to Interplay at the address noted below with a
check or money order for $5.00 (U.S. currency), which includes postage and handling, and
Interplay will mail a replacement to you. To receive a replacement, you need to enclose the
original defective compact disc or floppy disk(s) in protective packaging accompanied by: (1) a
$5.00 check or money order, (2) a brief statement describing the defect, and (3) your return
address. If you have a problem with your software, you may wish to call us first at (949) 553-

6678. If your compact disc is defective and a replacement is necessary, U.P.S. or registered mail
is recommended for returns. Please send the defective disc(s) only (not the box) with a
description of the problem and $5.00 to:

Warranty Replacements

Interplay Productions

16815 Von Karmen Avenue

Irvine, California 92606

Copying Prohibited

This software product and the manual are copyrighted and all rights are reserved by Interplay
Productions and are protected by the copyright laws that pertain to computer software. You may
not copy the software except that you may make one copy of the software solely for backup or
archival purposes. You may not loan, sell, rent, lease, give, sub license, or otherwise transfer
the software (or any copy). You may not modify, adapt, translate, create derivative works,
decompile, disassemble, or otherwise reverse engineer or derive source code from, all or any
portion of the software or anything incorporated therein or permit or encourage any third party
to do so.

NOTICE: Interplay reserves the right to make modifications or improvements to the product
described in this manual at any time and without notice.

MESSIAH™

33

SOUNDTRACK

34

"Demanufacture"
"Self Bias Resistor"
"Zero Signal"
"New Breed"
"Flashpoint"
"H-K (Hunter Killer)"

Performed by Fear Factory
Produced by Colin Richardson
Written by Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares, Raymond Herrera

Published by Roadblock Music, Inc./Hatefile Music (ASCAP)
(P) 1995 The All Blacks B.V.
From the album Demanufacture used by permission of

Roadrunner Records

"Remanufacture"
"Machines of Hate"

Performed by Fear Factory
Produced by Colin Richardson
Remixed by Rhys Fulber with additional Remix production by

Dino Cazares and Greg Reely
Written by Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares, Raymond Herrera
(P) 1997 The All Blacks B.V.
From the album Remanufacture used by permission of

Roadrunner Records

"Crash Test"

Performed by Fear Factory
Produced by Colin Richardson
Written by Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares
(P) 1992 The All Blacks B.V.
From the album Soul of a New Machine used by permission of

Roadrunner Records

"Messiah"

Performed by Fear Factory
Produced by Rhys Fulber with Additional Production by

Greg Reely

Written by Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares, Raymond Herrera,

Christian Olde Wolbers
(P) 1998 The All Blacks B.V.
Used by permission of Roadrunner Records

Interplay Productions

MESSIAH ON THE INTERNET

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE

MESSIAH WEB SITE AT...

www.messiah.com

WE ALSO RECOMMEND...

Fear Factory

www.fearfactory.com

Jesper Kyd

www.jesperkyd.com

http://members.xoom.com/sideeffekt/

MESSIAH™

Side Effekt

Tommy Tallarico Studios

http://www.tallarico.com/

35