Zero Hour, Literally.
You’ve got to hand it to Capcom. They sure know how handle retro games, be it remakes (Bionic Commando Rearmed) or brand new affairs (Megaman 9), It’ll be high quality stuff. Their newest retro based game, Dark Void Zero does not disrupt that fact.
You can tell Capcom spent alot of time on this game simply on all the backstory they created for the game. From dual screened arcade cabinets to Jimmy Fallon (Seriously!), the “history” of Dark Void Zero is definitely something fun to read up on. You can start off here at Capcom Unity.
However, is all this marketing hype simply hiding a lame attempt at promoting the release of Dark Void on the 360 and PS3? After a great game session, I’m going to have to say no!
As soon as you boot it up, Dark Void Zero tosses retro charm in your face. Introduced with a NES cart, you actually have to blow into the DSi’s microphone to get to the game’s main menu. (Of course if you’re in public and prefer not to do so, you can simply press A) You are greeted with fantastic bitmusic from Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica) and a simple menu. Select your difficulty and start up the game by learning about the backstory of Earth’s struggle with the Watchers, an alien race trying to create a stable portal to invade Earth fullforce.
Teaming up with the brilliant scientist Nikolai Tesla, you take control of Rusty and jet pack your way into facilities, stealing keycards and shooting badguys. The top screen gives you a metriodvania-type map, while the touch screen houses all of the gameplay. Using the map, you must run, gun and hover towards objectives that Nikolai sets out for you. Simple controls and clear settings make for great handling in this plataformer/shooter.
Decent enemy and weapon/item variety ensures that things don’t get stale and secondary objectives such as finding old captain’s logs and eliminating enemy scientists give you reason to explore every nook and cranny of the map. Doing this all while fantastic bitmusic plays proves to be one of the most fun and polished experiences on DSiWare. However, it’s because of all this that it’s one flaw becomes incredibly apparent. It ends too soon.
Dark Void Zero only has 3 levels. Why must something so fun, end so quickly? Sure, you can replay the game on higher difficulty settings (Easy, Normal & Hard) and try to best your highscore, but I still would have liked to see some more of Rusty’s adventures in the void.
Overall, I would recommend Dark Void Zero to those who want a good quick (maybe too quick) action game during commute or to those already crazy with the Dark Void universe. (That was early!) Capcom, I hope you continue working on projects like this, making retro styled games in line with your big console releases. Make Lost Planet Zero happen!
+Incredibly fun & polished
+GREAT MUSIC
=You fight the same boss over the 3 levels, albeit with improvements.
-It’s short.
-Did I mention it’s short?