Dark Void - first impressions

You're able to scale cliffs and sheer walls thanks to little boosts from the jetpack, so you can dangle underneath edges and crevices, lean out to fire and duck back down - basically you're using vertical cover, doing the same as you do on the ground but with the added suspense of possibly plummeting to your death. If one of the Watchers is right above you, trying to kick your hands away (there's that grip system again) you can zip up with the pack, grab him and toss him over the edge. Then the proper thing to do is turn the camera so you can watch him fall to his broken death.

Our first reaction to this whole "vertical cover" business was "well, if we have a jetpack, why don't we just fly to the top of the cliff and be on with it?" To that end, the devs said you're totally exposed while flying and hovering, whereas if you use cover, you're more likely to make it up top safely. We're not exactly worried about health though, as it employs the standard red screen/regeneration system, and there's no fuel for the pack, so don't mind us if we try to fly from point A to point B constantly. Still, it does offer more than one way to get to your destination; from the looks of it you'll be able to choose from hoofing it, jetpacking it or commandeering an enemy unit and shooting your way through most of the levels.

The rest is gaming as you like it - pretty visuals, nice gunplay, upgradeable weapons, cinematic action set pieces and over-the-top boss battles, which we hear might use the grip system as it was in Colossus - to topple mountainous foes single-handedly. Scaling massive monsters with a tiny hero is always fun, and if we can toss a jetpack into the mix, hell that's all we really need to get our attention. Here's hoping our next encounter with the void is a enticing as the first.

June 3, 2008

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE. 

Latest in Action
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Assassin's Creed Shadows Belly of the Beast Ise Sadaoki sending Naoe to get papers
How to retrieve the papers in the Assassin's Creed Shadows Belly of the Beast quest
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows shoots past 3 million players and 40 million hours played with the "second-highest day 1 sales revenue in Assassin's Creed franchise history"
A cartoon woman catches a tomato while cooking in Rhythm Heaven Groove
Rhythm Heaven Groove has one of Nintendo's longest-suffering fandoms absolutely feasting: "AFTER 10 YEARS WE FINALLY WON"
Assassin's Creed Shadows The Killing Field executioner boss fight
How to find and kill the executioner in Assassin's Creed Shadows
The Forgotten Cellar door beneath St. Katherine's Church in Atomfall.
How to open the Forgotten Cellar door in Atomfall
Latest in Features
Patrick Stewart as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The classic Fox X-Men are returning in Avengers: Doomsday, and I've got a really bad feeling about this
Thor and Loki in Thor: Ragnarok
After 15 years in the making, Thor and Loki's reunion in Avengers: Doomsday could be the perfect MCU conclusion for the characters
Soft Rains logo with frog drawing
"There is an expectation we're gonna make a little Skyrim": Ubisoft and Bethesda veterans form new studio headed by Skyrim and Fallout designer, debuting with first-person sci-fi and "crunchy mechanics"
Witchbrook screenshot of a library in the magical college with witches flying on brooms
Witchbrook: Everything we know so far about Chucklefish's magical new life sim
The village green in Atomfall
My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obliged to bash you with a cricket bat
The Demon's Hand
League of Legends' take on Balatro is one of its best mini-games yet – and it's also exactly what's wrong with this era of League of Legends