Dark Void

Capcom's action title rockets into view

I haven't played a rocket pack game since Rocketeer on the Amiga, but then Dark Void isn't just any rocket pack game. Coming from Airtight Games, of Crimson Skies fame, the expectations for the flying alone are sky high - if you'll pardon the pun.

Our time with the game began a little way into the experience so we had missed out the tutorial stages that slowly introduce the jetpack abilities one by one. We are told the first few levels gradually introduce various upgrades so that players aren't swamped with such an unusual control mechanic.

It is testament to their understanding of what they have created that care and attention has been paid to helping the player on board. Our flying was a little, how shall we say, haphazard at first. But we soon got the hang of it.

The sense of freedom in being able to simply take off wherever we wanted made the experience feel unusual and distinct. The usual question of jumps and climbs are blown out of the water as your player can literally jet their way around the environment.

In fact the reverse becomes the real challenge. Not flying too far, and making a safe landing on the right platform turns out to be just as tricky as those last minute jumps. Players need to learn to self regulate their use of the pack as over zealous flying around is not only a little dangerous but can also disorientate those not totally in control.

The most impressive aspect of the game during our first play was the cover system. These systems are everyday now in most combat games of this nature. But because you can fly in Dark Void the issue becomes more complex. Gameplay is taken in a three dimensional direction as enemies are just as likely to appear above your head as they are in front of you.

The cover system has been tweaked to match this new direction in gameplay. Players can attach themselves to scenery in any direction. If you are being attacked from above for instance, and there is a suitable platform above you, you can attach yourself underneath it and pop out to shoot just as you should on the ground. Another button press will have you on-top of the platform and ready for some hand to hand combat.

It's a feature that works well, and once you have realised it is there, simply becomes part of the general arsenal at the player's disposal. It also offers a great opportunity for some dramatic deaths. Killing enemies above you sends them sprawling right towards you as gravity takes effect.

In a similar fashion, although a little common, is the hand to hand combat. Simply get up close to someone and you have a few combat actions. This probably happens a little less than in other shooting games as your jet pack means you can usually dispatch with stooges from a distance.

Although the majority of our time was spent with the jet pack - it was hard to stop flying around and get down to any other business - we did get a general sense of the game's structure and progression. This looks to be a combination of clearing out enemies and disabling hard to reach bases. The game revolves around a single player experience that currently doesn't have any co-op modes attached to it.

Knowing who is developing Dark Void, this was always going to be a game about the joy of flying. But even with that in mind I hadn't expected the experience to be quite as slick. The developers really seem to have nailed the take off and landing rush as you transition between the air and the ground. There is something almost magical in this super human ability to fly - something that has no doubt driven the general flying man myth proper.

We look forward to seeing more of the game and getting a sense of how the drama develops as release nears. What we saw was more than enough to give us hope that this summer 09 release will be a big splash, so to speak.

By Paul Govan