Chasm: The Rift

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Chasm: The Rift
Chasm - The Rift Coverart.png
Developer(s)Action Forms
Publisher(s)GT Interactive Software, WizardWorks, Megamedia Corp.
Platform(s)DOS
Release30 September 1997
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Chasm: The Rift (also known as Chasm: The Shadow Zone) is a first-person shooter video game developed by Action Forms and published in 1997 by GT Interactive Software, WizardWorks, and Megamedia Corp. Action Forms would later develop the Carnivores series. The game was meant to compete with Quake a year earlier, since GT Interactive lost publishing rights to Activision when id Software signed with the latter.

Gameplay[]

The player takes on the role of an unnamed Marine whose mission is to stop the so-called "Timestrikers", mutant beings invading different time epochs, from taking over Earth. On this mission, he visits various locations ranging from military bases in the present to Pharaonic tombs in ancient Egypt. All of the levels involve dark corridors, often like that of catacombs and crypts.

One of the most notable features of the game was the ability to remove limbs from enemies.

Plot[]

The Timestrikers, an alien species, begin a sudden invasion of Earth which they accomplish through the creation of multiple time rifts across the planet's atmosphere.

The protagonist, an unnamed commando, volunteers to aid in efforts to repel the Timestrikers with their first mission being to investigate a recent attack by the Timestrikers on a power plant and to bring it back into operation.

Though successful, the Timestrikers soon after launch an attack on a military installation. Along with mutating its guards and soldiers and adding them to their own forces as well, the Timestrikers hoping to seize the base's nuclear warheads.

Assigned to undermine the efforts of the Timestrikers, the commando is able to successfully disable the warheads. Additionally, the commando recovers a working prototype of a tool used by Timestrikers to create time channels.

The Timestrikers, during this time, attack the commando's home base and thereafter time travel to Ancient Egypt where it is revealed that the Timestrikers have been harnessing the power of the pyramids to supply energy to manipulate time in order to travel through its rifts.

The commando, who is able to exorcise the Timestrikers presence in Egypt and discovers, via deciphered ancient manuscripts, that the Timestrikers will appear 33 centuries later in the 11th century.

Giving chase with the aid of the time channel device, is able to prevent the rout the Timestrikers from the Middle Ages and soon discovers the chief source of where the time rifts are originating from: the home dimension of the Timestrikers.

The commando travels to the dimension and kills the remaining chief forces there which finally puts an end of the Timestrikers invasion of earth.

Additional content[]

An official add-on for the game adds three new levels along with new monsters. It is available as a free download from the developer's website. The retail CD also contains a level editor.

Reception[]

Chasm received mixed reviews from critics. While they noted that Chasm had better animation and greater amounts of enemy detail when compared to Quake, the lack of a true 3D environment left much to be desired.

References[]

  1. ^ Luton, Michael (January 1998). "Chasm". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on 5 December 1999.

External links[]

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