Professor Hamilton Kift

Professor Hamilton Kift
Biographical information
AKA	The Professor Master of the occult (by self)
Gender	Male
Born	c. 1830 (aged 55 in 1886)
Behind the scenes information
Appears in	MediEvil 2 MediEvil: The Game Prequel

Trophies
	Bedside Secrets Read Professor Hamilton Kift's diary in full.

Professor Hamilton Kift (born c. 1830), more commonly referred to as just the Professor, was a 19th-century researcher who ran a lab somewhere under London. After meeting Sir Daniel Fortesque in the midst of Lord Palethorn's plot to take over the city, he provided Sir Dan with information and crafted a number of weapons and devices from the soul energy Dan collected throughout London.

History

Early life

The Professor was a mad inventor, keen amateur magician and self-styled "master of the occult." He dedicated his life to science in the hope that he might help mankind achieve a better existence. He was a member of the Magic Circle organisation through which he met Lord Palethorn.

Expedition of 1878

A picture from the expedition.

On January 10, 1878, the Professor was visited by Lord Palethorn, who had been expelled from the Magic Circle the previous month. Palethorn presented Kift with a map that supposedly led to the remnants of Zarok's spell book, a powerful book of Black Magic. Palethorn needed the Professor to accompany him on the journey to find the book due to not being able to translate the map himself. The Professor agreed and they set sail for the Hebrides soon after.

After finding the book inside the tomb where it was buried, Palethorn snatched it and shoved the Professor aside, leaving him behind in the now collapsing tomb. Kift's hands were crushed by the closing tomb door. He spent weeks crawling in the darkness until he finally managed to find his way out. He was found by the local fishermen and taken to Inverness to recover from his injuries. The Professor then spent some time inventing mechanical hands for himself. Once he fully recovered, he vowed to have his revenge against Palethorn.

The Autumn of Death

Palethorn wouldn't resurface until 1886, when he cast the Spell of Eternal Darkness. The Professor was quick to summon a helpful spirit, which he dispatched to the local museum in order to procure the help of the hero Sir Daniel Fortesque. The Professor feigned ignorance about who was behind the spell and sent Sir Dan to Kensington in order to find the perpetrator. Sir Dan managed to find a pocket watch that belonged to Palethorn, which the Professor pretended to analyse. Fortesque also brought back Princess Kiya, who joined them in the fight against Palethorn.

Kift would provide Sir Dan with new weapons by converting the power of the Chalice of Souls into them using his occult knowledge. He would also construct a monster to face Palethorn's Iron Slugger. Later, Kift sent Kiya on a dangerous mission to Whitechapel, only for her to end up being killed by the Ripper, a murderous creature active in the area. Insensitive to Dan's feelings about the loss of Kiya, the Professor urged him to press on with the mission. Sir Dan refused however and ran away into the sewers under London.

Dan later returned to the Professor's Lab where he confronted him about his time machine invention. Under pressure from Sir Dan, the Professor admitted to having known Palethorn all along and also revealed the location of his time machine.

Using time travel, Sir Dan rewrote time and managed to save Kiya before she was killed by the Ripper. Dan then proceeded to find and fight Palethorn as the Professor instructed. Once the battle was over, Sir Dan and Princess Kiya parted ways with the Professor.

Legacy

For many years after 1886, scholars would study the Professor's Chrono-chair blueprints. However, they never found the machine itself in his collection.

Characteristics

Appearance

The Professor was a dimunitive older man. He had gray balding hair and a moustache with a goatee. He wore glasses which gave his green eyes an enlarged appearance. He had mechanical hands due to an incident in which his hands were crushed beyond repair. His outfit consisted of a white undershirt, a purple vest and a green striped suit. He also wore beige trousers and brown shoes. He was rarely seen without his smoking pipe.

Personality

Mucha paintings in the Professor's lab.

The Professor was an old-fashioned figure; he believed in honour, gentlemanly conduct and respect for all. He could, however, be a little single-minded, focusing on the 'big picture' to the total exclusion of all other factors. He seemed to be a fan of the Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha, as he displayed two of the painter's works in his lab - La Plume and Job.

Abilities

As a scientist and inventor, the Professor was able to invent a variety of revolutionary devices, including a time machine, mechanical hands, and the Limb Creatures, a form of artificial life. As an occultist, he was able to summon spirits and to convert the energy of a Chalice of Souls into weaponry.

Gameplay

The Professor serves as a replacement for the Heroes of the Hall from the original MediEvil as he is the one to provide Sir Dan with weapons during his quest. He is also prominently featured in the game's story.

Behind the scenes

The Professor is a major supporting character in MediEvil 2.

Development

Concept art by Jason Wilson.

The Professor is named after one of the game's main programmers, Martin Hamilton Kift. His design was slightly altered during development, as his concept art and early press screenshots featured him with a lighter green suit and with goggles on top of his head.

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  Screenshot with the Professor's early design.

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  Another screenshot of his early design.

His role as a mad scientist and creator of artificial life seems to be inspired by Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist of the Gothic horror novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, in which the character brings a monster to life.

Portrayal

The Professor was described as sounding like a fast talking, slightly nervous, upper class English gentleman.

Gallery

Main article: Images of Professor Hamilton Kift

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