Feature Review: Dark Void

If I could narrow my videogame concept wish list down to only a handful of ideas that I’ve always hoped would be turned into a videogame, one of the remaining items would be a game which allows us to engage in frantic ground-based combat and swooping, barrel-rolling air combat, with seamless transitions in between. Some developers have tried this before in the past, with varying degrees of success, but none of them have ever truly pulled it off.

Until now, that is. Dark Void, the first project by fledgling studio Airtight Games, seemed like little more than another third-person shooter with a gimmicky hook, the likes of which have been so prevalent over the last two years – but in reality it’s the first game to successfully integrate fast-paced action and free flight without any cumbersome restrictions on either.

The game is set in a post-World War II setting, and smacks a little of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in some respects. The hero, Will, is a decidedly un-heroic courier pilot who finds himself suddenly reunited with his ex-fiance, Ava, on a routine delivery. Their awkward reunion is cut short when they decide to take a route directly through the infamous Bermuda Triangle and end up crashing into an uncharted island that is crawling with strange, hostile metallic creatures. After a bit of frantic rushing about, they eventually manage to hook up with a community of humans that is drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humanity and a reptilian alien race known as the Watchers, who have been secretly manipulating events on Earth since the beginning of recorded history.

The premise and delivery of the story is in the style of classic sci-fi, but the gameplay ideas are fresh. Before Will gains the ability to scream around the skies at will, he must first become acquainted with the combat mechanics of the game. The shooting is fast, smooth, and easy to control. The closest thing I can liken it to is the Uncharted series on the PS3. There aren’t all that many weapons to choose from: six different guns, some grenades, and the guns and missiles on Will’s rocket pack, are pretty much all we’have at our disposal, but at least they’re interesting, and can each be upgraded three times to offer higher damage, increased accuracy, and some other effects, like explosive rounds. The Survivor machine gun will probably be the mainstay weapon of most experienced shooting game players, but everyone is sure to find another favourite among the alien machine gun, big blaster, sniper rifle or, of course, the famous Tesla directed energy weapon.