Hands-on: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena

23 Jan 2009 at 15:33:53 by Andy Alderson

Swedish developer Starbreeze is no stranger to the first person shooter. In 2007 it made its first foray into current-gen territory with The Darkness, a compelling comic-book adaptation that added brutal supernatural powers to the standard FPS formula. Whilst it was well received by critics and gamers alike, it didn’t exactly set the charts on fire. However, this wasn’t the developer’s first attempt to put its own spin on the shooter genre. In 2004 it based a game around the character of Richard B. Riddick, the dark anti-hero from David Twohy’s acclaimed sci-fi flick, Pitch Black. The Xbox version of the game was released to coincide with Pitch Black’s sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick. Whilst the film was universally panned, the game – Escape from Butcher Bay – fared a good deal better. Not only did it showcase some of the best visuals seen on Microsoft’s ageing console, it had the gameplay to match. Butcher Bay was an engaging mix of stealth and gunplay but it was the innovative new twist on the shooter formula that impressed the most. The game featured a close quarters combat system which was both surprisingly deep (at least for a shooter) and relentlessly brutal.

There was much rejoicing when it was announced Starbreeze would be handling Riddick’s first outing on the current gen of consoles and genuine disappointment when it seemed the game would become a casualty of the Activision Vivendi merger.  However, Atari stepped in to pick the game up and IncGamers was lucky enough to view a couple of early builds. The good news is that what started out as a straight HD remix of Butcher Bay has evolved into something much bigger and, from what we’ve seen, better than its predecessor.

The result is a package that seems like good value already. Not only will you be able to play through a full, ground-up remake of Butcher Bay, you’ll also have a whole host of multiplayer modes at your disposal (more on these later) as well as an all-new 11 hour single player campaign, Assault on Dark Athena . What is most impressive about the new content is that it doesn’t feel like an afterthought to the Butcher Bay remake – Dark Athena sports the kind of high production values you’ll find in any AAA title.  Not only is the game visually striking, its cut scenes and impressive roster of voice talent help to weave an interesting, dark narrative.

The story revolves around the pirate ship Dark Athena and its role in a spate of abductions and the creation of the mysterious Drones - humans forcibly combined with machines to produce controllable soldiers.  The early section of the game that we played was largely centred around Riddick’s first encounters with the Drones on the Dark Athena.  Initially they will be in the somewhat docile Patrol mode (red lights on their helmets) which allows Riddick to sharpen his predatory stealth skills and as soon as blade met skull for the first time, the fond (and slightly violent) memories of Butcher Bay came flooding back.

The portion of the game which we played confirmed that Starbreeze has maintained the feel of the original game – i.e. Riddick as the hunter. Butcher Bay was at its best when Riddick was stalking his prey through the shadows , and Dark Athena does not stray far from the formula. Whilst you may encounter some allies in the game, it’s impossible to escape the notion that you are alone.  But Starbreeze has in Riddick one of the more badass game characters we’ve seen in a long time. The range of melee weapons and manoeuvres at your disposal means you can hold your own in most scenarios and should you feel a little outnumbered you can always pick up a gun.

While the close combat has been retained, if anything, Starbreeze has ramped up the gunplay a little this time around. Gone are the DNA-coded weapons but that doesn’t mean you’ll be knee deep in assault rifles. Weapons and ammo aren’t exactly abundant meaning you’ll need to think before emptying a clip into your foes. One particularly nice touch that we saw was the ability to use the Drones as a weapon, once they’ve been killed. As their weapons are fused to their arms you can’t snatch their assault rifles, but that’s not to say you can’t pick up the dead Drone and make him shoot the enemy.  It doesn’t just look cool, it actually adds a degree of strategy to the game.

Riddick can also use any weapon dropped by an enemy and the gunplay in Dark Athena seems like it’s been refined since Butcher Bay. Improved physics and ragdolls make the guns feel more powerful (although there’s not much recoil) and they certainly look the part. In an effort to keep the playing screen free of HUD clutter, ammo levels are displayed on the weapons in true Aliens style and when you zoom in on an enemy a lovely depth of field effect blurs the LCD readout. In fact, it’s hard not to be impressed with the eye candy on offer in Dark Athena. 

Obviously, this being a Riddick game there’s bound to be a degree of darkness on offer (for aesthetic and gameplay purposes). Indeed, while some of the texture work is impressive, we were initially a little underwhelmed by the standard sci-fi rooms and corridors. However, the advantage Dark Athena has over Butcher Bay is that it’s set in space and the first time you pass a 20 metre window displaying stars and nebula in all their glory, you’ll be hard pressed not to stop and take it all in. We were also reliably informed that while 75-80% of the game takes place aboard the Dark Athena, Riddick will also find himself in another stunning environment following a plot twist.

The tight visual style is reflected in the way the game feels – the game uses a modified version of the proprietary engine used in The Darkness and it’s certainly impressive. Everything has a satisfying sense of weight, from the ragdolls to Riddick himself and the way he moves. The physics engine on offer is not simply cosmetic however – it also has gameplay implications and at one point in the preview build we found ourselves in the gravity generator of the ship as we were assaulted by numerous hostiles. The result, without giving too much away, was pretty spectacular.  It was one of many nice gameplay touches we encountered in a relatively small space of time which bodes well for the final release.

So with a brand new campaign as well as a full HD remake of Butcher Bay, Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena could be one of the surprise hits of the year. Its production values certainly rival the AAA titles but it’s the game’s unforgiving brutality that may be the talking point. Having witnessed some of the shocking close quarters moves first hand, we suspect the Australian OFLC might just lose its shit when it plays Dark Athena.

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