Timer

A **Timer** oftentimes appears whenever the host is not on-screen during the game.

## *Nightmare*

In this game and its expansions, the timer counted upwards rather than downwards like in the later games. All the timers were created with a digital typeface. Each of these games lasted for an hour, with players needing to win the game before the hour's up.

### Original

The timer was blue and in the top-left corner of the screen, there was a moon that gradually went through its phases every ten minutes. The Gatekeeper's appearances would be signalled by the sound of a thunderclap.

### *Nightmare II*

The timer in this game, at least in the Australian version, was purple and featured an EKG line at the bottom of the screen, its peaks becoming more pronounced as time wore on. The EKG moved at twice its speed in the final minute. Like the previous game, thunderclaps were used to signal the Baron's appearances.

In an unusual anomoly, in the US/UK version, the timer went back to a similar typeface and color to the original game and the EKG didn't speed up in the last minute. The placement of both the EKG and timer was also inconsistent.

In an HD-remastered video, the timer was recreated to be consistent throughout the game, and also included the EKG flatlining and turning red when time was up.

### *Nightmare III*

This game's timer was blue and the background was depicted as a stream of flames that grew higher as the game wore on, the flames at their highest point in the final two minutes. The flames would also erupt whenever Anne appeared in the final ten minutes. In this game, Anne's appearances would be signalled by the sound of a match being struck, but this would be replaced during the final phase by the noise of the flames erupting.

### *Nightmare IV*

The timer in this game was red, with the background being a set of candles that gradually disappeared every ten minutes. The remaining candles would be blown out just as time runs out. As before, thunderclaps were used to signal Bathory's appearances, but not in the final ten minutes.

## *The Harbingers*

In this game, the timer counted down to zero instead of counting up and was visible at all times in the top-right corner of the screen, even whenever the Gatekeeper was on-screen, while composited storm clouds grew more turbulent as the game went on. These storm clouds would periodically obscure the timer. Like previously, the game would last for 60 minutes, though the Booster Tapes shortened this to 45 minutes. As before, the Gatekeeper's appearances were signalled by thunderclaps

### *The Soul Rangers*

This game's timer was only periodically seen every few minutes as the background depicted various video effects of Dr. Mastiff, or things within his surgery. Once again, the game would count down from 60 minutes. Dr. Mastiff's appearances were signalled by the sound of a loud car crash.

## *The Gatekeeper*

In this game, the timer once again counted down to zero instead of counting up, and was also encompassed by a mist-like graphic; the mist would gradually change color in reverse order of the colors of the rainbow, from dark blue to red, as time wore on. Unlike previous timers, this one noticeably floated freely around the center of the screen (most likely to avoid screen burn-in on tube TVs). The background itself would shift through various areas of the Other Side as the game progressed, the background disappearing completely when time was up. Unusually for the series, in this game the Gatekeeper would give his players 49 minutes to play rather than an hour, although *Atmosfear Express* shortens this even further to just 15. As in his previous games, the Gatekeeper's appearances were signalled by the sound of a thunderclap.

## *Khufu the Mummy*

In this game, in keeping with the Egyptian setting, the timer was portrayed as a free-floating hourglass. However, it gave no clear indication on how much time was left, even as the sand in it ran out. This would be replaced with an actual timer in the last five minutes of the game. The background depicted different areas of Khufu's pyramid (including the four Chambers in the event of a "Mummy on the Move!" game) which it would transition between as the game wore on, again disappearing completely when time was up. Like the *Harbingers* booster tapes, this game ran for 45 minutes. In this game, Khufu's appearances were signalled by the sound of a loud, high-pitched scream as he appeared.

## App

This timer was depicted in a similar fashion to the original game, being placed within an empty void, while various stylized symbols based on various spaces from the game board floated around as it counted down to zero. This incarnation of the timer also had a button placed just beneath it to be pressed if a player had faced their fear. Unlike previous entries, including the 2004 game on which it was based (and in contravention of this version's box stating it would last for 49 minutes as it did in the 2004 game), the time it took to play this game was randomized each time it was played and could be anywhere from 37 minutes up to around 51.