''Dark Void'' is a video game developed by

Airtight Games Airtight Games was an American independent video game developer based in Redmond founded in 2004 that was made up of former members of FASA Studio, Will Vinton Studios and Microsoft, as well as several other studios. The key members included pre ...

using the

Unreal Engine 3 Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game '' Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of genre ...

and published by

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...

for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. In the game, players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat. It was released worldwide in January 2010. A

Games for Windows – Live Games for Windows – Live or GFWL (trademarked as Games for Windows – LIVE) was an online gaming service used by ''Games for Windows''–branded PC titles that enables Windows PCs to connect to Microsoft's Live service. Users, each with a uniq ...

version of ''Dark Void'' was also released on April 21, 2010.

Gameplay

The games make use of a unique "vertical cover system", as well as a standard cover system. The game includes a hover pack, and later, a jetpack, allowing for a quick transition between traditional shooter gameplay and flight. Everything unlocked in the first play through is transferred over to any new play throughs. Upgrades are purchased using Tech points through a shop at the start of every level before gameplay begins. Tech points are collected from defeated enemies and are hidden throughout the level.

Plot

The game's story takes place before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and centers around a cargo pilot named William Augustus Grey (voiced by

Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera ''Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended i ...

) who is teleported to another world while flying through the

Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterio ...

. In this world, known as the "Void", Will encounters an alien race as well as other humans, which are known as the Watchers and the Survivors respectively. Will reluctantly joins the Survivors, who are engaged in a feud with the alien race, to satisfy his desire to return to Earth. While aiding the Survivors, Will discovers that the Void is a middle ground that connects both the Watchers' homeworld and Earth. It also becomes apparent that the Watchers are supplying the Axis powers with various wartime provisions for reasons unknown. With the help of

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

Bear McCreary Bear McCreary (born February 17, 1979) is an American musician and composer of film, television, and video game scores based in Los Angeles, California. His work includes the scores of the television series ''Battlestar Galactica'' (2004), ''Age ...

, making his video game score debut, composed the score to ''Dark Void''. He recorded the score with a 63-piece ensemble of the

Hollywood Studio Symphony The Hollywood Studio Symphony (sometimes the Hollywood Freelance Studio Symphony) is the credited name of the symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', ''Suck ...

at the

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Spin-off

A spin-off title for

DSiWare This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 2011 ...

called ''

Dark Void Zero ''Dark Void Zero'' is a platform video game developed by Other Ocean Interactive's Newfoundland studio and published by Capcom for DSiWare. It was made as an April Fools parody of the video game ''Dark Void'' and was later decided to make it a ...

'' was released in North America on January 18, 2010 and in the PAL region on March 5, 2010. Setting it apart from the next-gen version, the game was designed as a retro title featuring 8-bit graphics and sound, with 2D gameplay in the same vein as the ''

Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirate (Metroid), Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the powe ...

'' games. To promote the game, a history of the game was created in which it was a title Capcom was developing to be a breakthrough NES property in the late 80s, but was shelved with the discontinuation of the

PlayChoice-10 The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo, had numerous model variants produced throughout its lifetime. It was originally released in 1983 as the (and widely known as the ) i ...

and the coming of the

SNES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

. This history also appears in-game during the introduction. Additionally, before starting the game, players must use the DSi microphone to blow the cartridge's "contacts", a homage to the age-old method of getting non-working NES games to play. Capcom manager Seth Killian said ''Dark Void Zero'' started development after finishing the pre-release copy of ''Dark Void'', inspired by the 8-bit music McCreary provided for the ending credits. ''Dark Void Zero'' was also released on the iPhone and Windows platforms on April 12, 2010. Both versions have an all-new secret ending. The Steam version has an additional ending (for a total of three possible endings), Steam Achievements, online leaderboards, and a SecuROM 5 machine activation limit.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

said, "''Dark Void'' is one of those games you'll play, beat, and forget ever existed." ''

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...

'' said that "the shining strengths of the game are buried underneath a thick layer of rust that only the thirstiest of air-junkies should bother chipping through." GameZone's Louis Bedigian said of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, "The generic ''Gears of War''-style shooting is forgivable. But the countless technical problems all but destroy a game that had the potential to be something truly special. ''Dark Void'' can be summed up in just six words: so much potential, so much disappointment." ''Hardcore Gamer'' praised the innovative jet pack but stated that the game "winds up being less than the sum of its parts," and that ''Dark Void'' is "not something you need to have in your collection."

Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw Benjamin Richard "Yahtzee" Croshaw (born 24 May 1983) is a British comedic writer, author, video game journalist, humorist, podcaster, and video game developer. He is best known for his video game review series ''Zero Punctuation'', which he pro ...

of ''

Zero Punctuation ''Zero Punctuation'' is a series of video game reviews created by English comedy writer and video game journalist Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. Since the series began in 2007, episodes have been published weekly by internet magazine '' The Escapist'' ...

'' noted that ''Dark Void'' was the game that had disappointed him most in his review career - not because it was bad, but rather because it was ambitious, and in stretches, very engrossing, innovative and fun, but in the end felt both too short and too unfinished, as if the developers had run out of money or time or will. ''

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

'' gave the Xbox 360 version a score of six out of ten and said, "Somehow, ''Dark Void'' just about rises above its faults, but it's hardly at risk of flying too close to the sun." 411Mania gave the PS3 version a score of 5.2 out of 10 and said, "It is sad to say but there really isn't much of a fun factor here. If you are a fan of getting as much trophies as possible, then I can see some fun in this game. There are plenty of trophies to be earned here and a lot of them are very easy to get. I think for people enjoy flying simulators or any type of flying game for that matter might enjoy this a bit more than I did. The story is a bit too spotty, the characters don't seem very important and the game is just very forgettable after you beat it." ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' gave the Xbox 360 version five out of ten and called it "a game we wanted to like more than we did. Its retro sci-fi concept is so appealing it initially makes it tempting to excuse some of the game's rougher edges. In the end, however, no amount of nostalgia can absolve the game of its ropy gameplay, patchy plot, substandard production, generic (and sometimes poor) level design and thin content; the campaign takes around eight hours to complete and that's the only mode on offer." ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'' gave the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions four stars out of ten, saying, "Even though some stages (like the penultimate aerial battle) felt like they lasted forever and ever, ''Dark Void'' is a pretty short game with an anticlimactic ending that does little more than set up a sequel." ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' gave the PS3 version a D and called it "an exercise in diminishing returns—what at first seems new and fun eventually becomes dully predictable, and having to mash buttons to secure your grip only adds to the snarling annoyances."

References

External links

* * {{Franchises by Capcom 2010 video games Capcom franchises Capcom games Bermuda Triangle in fiction Cultural depictions of Nikola Tesla Games for Windows certified games PlayStation 3 games Science fiction video games Third-person shooters Unreal Engine games Video games about ancient astronauts Video games developed in the United States Windows games Xbox 360 games Video games using PhysX Single-player video games Airtight Games games