Dark Void is the latest product of Capcom’s little experiment of commissioning games from independent Western studios. The last game to come out of this westward approach (Bionic Commando) sank without a trace and the studio behind it was forced to close down as a result. Eager not to turn that into a trend is Airtight Games, helmed by former members of FASA, the studio behind arcade flight game Crimson Skies.
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I mention Crimson Skies because although it wasn’t developed in-house at FASA, it still seems to have had quite an influence on Dark Void. What would otherwise be another Unreal-fuelled, cover-based third-person shooter, is given a refreshing twist by throwing in jetpack flight combat. And rather than segregating the two, you have the option to utilise the jetpack during on-foot segments, providing multiple ways to approach a scenario.
You play as cargo pilot William Gray, who apparently didn’t get the memo stating that the fastest way from A to B is not through the Bermuda Triangle. Sure enough, his plane begins to rapidly descend as he and his female colleague hang on for dear life. Much to their surprise (and mine), they make it out of the crash alive, but something about the place they’re in doesn’t feel right. Little do they know that they’re now in a parallel universe called…wait for it…
THE VOID!
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The Void is overrun by an evil alien race known as the Watchers. Over the course of the game, you will encounter other humans trapped in The Void – the Survivors – and join them in a quest to find an escape. Clearly, it’s not the plot that will sell the game. It’s instead the mix of aerial and on-foot combat that will seek to draw players in. The jetpack controls will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s played arcade flight games, while the on-foot combat isn’t much of a departure from the standard cover-based third-person shooter.
Another prominent bullet point in Dark Void’s feature list is vertical cover. Levels often consist of a series of ledges and, using your jetpack, you can take cover above or below a ledge and leap from ledge to ledge, clearing enemies (who also use vertical cover) as you go. There’s a lot of potential in such a gameplay mechanic, provided its implementation isn’t as lazy as simply placing ledges on a cliff-side. In one particular level, you find yourself at the bottom of a wrecked ship lodged vertically in the middle of the island. Using the vertical cover system you climb your way up to safety at the top of the deck, fending off alien scum on the way.
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Visually, Dark Void is as typical an Unreal Engine game as you can get, minus the chunky space marines. I’ve played two builds of the game, the second being a vast improvement over the first, but even so, it has quite a way to go to even come close to some of the games we’ve seen over the past year. The art style doesn’t really stand out either.
The shooting mechanics seem adequate enough without doing anything to separate itself from the sea of third-person shooters already out there. You also have the option to upgrade your weapons as you build up a body count. Aerial combat is fun and can get a little chaotic at times with tiny alien ships hovering all around you. You can even hijack one of these alien ships via a well-implemented QTE sequence and use it against the enemy.
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By themselves, there’s nothing terribly innovative about the aerial or on-foot combat, so it will all come down to how the developers can weave these elements together and present it in a compelling manner. Judging from a couple of hours of gameplay, Dark Void could go either way. We’ll just have to wait till January to find out.
Dark Void is due for release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in January 2010
