With the highly anticipated and much talked about new Vertical Cover system, Dark Void promises to be one of those revolutionary titles that comes along and changes the way we all game. But does it deliver? The game is scheduled to release to the US market and eager gamers in September this year, and yet so little is known about the third person title from Airtight Games. And so much of Dark Void has actually been kept in the dark. But a little information and a few details have trickled out to gaming fans waiting for something new and spectacular.
The preview version of the game featured a trailer and two playable levels. And playing through the few levels available, we were able to get a little insight into just what the developer had been packing into this futuristic title.
The trailer and cut scenes in the preview version of Dark Void were not up to the mark. And quite obvious at that! The renders were not something you would expect from such a hyped titled. The cut scenes were quite bland, lacking depth and proper shadowing. Conversely, the game graphics looked much better, leading to a very noticeable rift and the notion that the cut scenes could be much better.
If the gaming industry and game developers have improved on one aspect, it is the game environments. It seems as though all of them have addressed the issue of having well constructed levels in order to ensure that a game does well. The environments in the preview were stunning. Very well though of, with all sorts of corners to take cover and niches to hide in. The large ultra-realistic environments that we saw captivated us. Full of dynamic plant life, they give a sense of completeness, something missing from so many successful titles. The ledges, rocks and caverns all placed perfectly for our lead character, Will, to maneuver acrobatically. Perhaps too perfectly placed!
Will starts off with a hover pack strapped to his back, which lets him make those otherwise unscalable gaps in the rocky environment seem like minuscule fissures. The Vertical Cover system is put to the test early on, and it is quite something. It’s like the entire plane of the playing field has been turned on its head, giving you the ability to scale up the rocky cliff face, attacking enemy opponents while you do so. You can shoot down these ‘iRobot like’ creatures or even melee them to a rocky death. Besides the Vertical Cover system, the game demands that you absolutely must take cover when engaging in gunfights with enemies. Going all guns blazing just does not get the job done, and will get you dead too fast. Shooting while in cover gives the sense of being involved in a real life gun battle, and is like shooting totally blind, bullets flying everywhere.
The Artificial Intelligence in the game is surprisingly true to life. When you shoot from the safety of cover, the AI controlled robotic creatures actually respond by taking cover themselves and/or blindly shooting back. The AI in the game is extremely intuitive. The creatures somehow seem to know that they are fighting in packs and groups. They tend to work together, not getting in each other’s way too much. When dismembered, the robotic creatures try and reunite with their arms and legs and must be finished off for good.
The second playable mission thrusts us into a scenario where flying by jetpack is key. Containing elements from a flight sim, the jetpack level requires considerable skill and knowledge. And it takes forever to get to grips with the flight control in order to properly dodge and evade unrelenting enemies. But there’s nothing like it! Although flying into the beautifully constructed sky (which must have been a lot of work for something of second nature in a mission; thumbs up to the developer) gets you a bit dizzy, the jetpack mission delivers loads of thrills and will have you playing just for the jetpack rush.
When you consider the scale of things, Dark Void delivers elements from so many genres that it is almost impossible to get bored of playing. Played out in third person view, the game is extremely immersive and is sure to be much more than just well worth the money.