Darkest of Days
Darkest of Days | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | 8monkey Labs |
Publisher(s) | Phantom EFX Valcon Games (Xbox 360) Virtual Programming (OS X) |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows Xbox 360 Mac OS X |
Release | OS X December 30, 2010 |
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Darkest of Days is a first-person shooter video game developed by 8monkey Labs and published by Phantom EFX. Originally released for the Xbox 360, it was also released for Microsoft Windows via Steam. On December 30, 2010, Virtual Programming published the Mac OS X version of the game.[1] As of August 24, 2021, Darkest of Days is unavailable for purchase on Steam.[2]
The plot of the game involves time travel; it features the American Indian Wars, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Ancient Rome.
Plot
In Darkest of Days the player controls Alexander Morris, a soldier fighting in
Morris then begins his combat training with his new partner Agent Dexter, another MIA from history who is implied to have gone missing on
However, completion of both of these tasks is blocked by a mysterious group known only as the Opposition, which also has time-travel technology. Over the course of the game, Morris and Dexter have to fight through both the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Tannenberg, which involve massive cornfield battles, the dynamiting of a train bridge, and the hijacking of a
After spending some time in the camp, Petrovich is sentenced to death because of an escape attempt, but right before his execution, an explosion goes off outside the camp. Agent Dexter appears and assists Morris, Petrovich and the other inmates in escaping. Once Petrovich reaches safety, Dexter informs Morris that Morris was the one who set the explosive, allowing Dexter to infiltrate the camp. So Morris goes back, fights his way through a Nazi facility, and sets the explosive that triggers his own release.
After rescuing Petrovich, Morris and Dexter find out that Koell is at Pompeii, on August 25, 79 AD, the day Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the Roman town. Agents Morris and Dexter and a tech specialist named Bob fight through hordes of Opposition agents to find Koell, who is in the town's arena. Koell then nonchalantly accompanies Morris and Dexter back to the 22nd century.
Upon arriving in the 22nd century, a strange man appears, claiming to be the head of the Opposition. (It later transpires that the Opposition is a future version of Kronotek). The man asks Koell if it is wrong to change terrible events that already happened, to which Koell answers yes, because "dark days teach valuable lessons and define who we are". The Man then shoots Koell twice, once in the chest and once in the head. When confronted by Morris and Dexter, he explains that the Welshes and Petrovich were ancestors of scientists who invented a DNA sequencer that can target the genomes defining racial identity. He goes on to explain that this DNA sequencer was stolen and used by less talented Middle Eastern scientists to create a virus that targeted people of European descent. 2 billion died as a result (including eight out of every ten people in North America). As Dexter laments the loss of his family, the strange man states that this crisis has been averted because of the Opposition's interference with the time stream. He also says that they tried to make Koell change his mind about changing past events, but even with direct evidence that changing that event would not affect the timeline couldn't convince him, so they went with the last resort of killing him. Although he makes clear that Kronotek's ultimate goal is still the preservation of the time stream, he indicates that this one exception was made. The strange man then says that his Kronotek has use for talented agents such as Morris and Dexter and invites them to join his agency, leaving an open time bubble for them to enter. As the strange man departs, Dexter looks at the camera and says, "What the Hell do we do now brother?"
Development
Since the premise of Darkest of Days leans heavily on the historical aspect of its story, the developers focused on making the battles as historically accurate as possible. They incorporated extensive research on the time periods, locations, and weapons for each of the battles depicted in the game (much of the city of Pompeii is accurately recreated). Darkest of Days uses
"It was critical to the success of Darkest of Days that these epic moments in world history are experienced in eerily accurate detail, and NVIDIA PhysX technology helped us achieve that goal," said Mark Doeden, Art Director at 8monkey Labs. "Our Marmoset Engine brings these battles to life with a completely unique look, and the PhysX technology was instrumental in making the game feel alive and real."
8Monkey Labs designed the Marmoset engine specifically for the game. The Marmoset engine can handle over 300 characters on the screen at one time, enabling the game to have densely populated battle scenes, all with their own AI and pathfinding. Darkest of Days also contains wide open battlefields, allowing players to choose their own course of action to accomplish the goals set in the game (however, there are numerous limitations imposed on a player's movements throughout a map via obstacles and invisible walls). The player is also equipped with futuristic weapons adding a unique twist to classic battles. Marmoset's AI is able to drive behaviors for hundreds of characters simultaneously, without impeding gameplay. All actions share a common set of sensory data - audio, vision, navigation, teammate signals, enemy fire detection, and object finding and following are all easily made available to all behaviors.
Reception
Aggregator | Score | |
---|---|---|
PC | Xbox 360 | |
Metacritic | 51/100[18] | 44/100[19] |
Publication | Score | |
---|---|---|
PC | Xbox 360 | |
Destructoid | N/A | 1/10[4] |
GamePro | N/A | [5] |
GameRevolution | N/A | D+[6] |
GameSpot | 4.5/10[7] | 4.5/10[8] |
GameTrailers | N/A | 4.4/10[9] |
GameZone | 5.4/10[10] | 5.5/10[11] |
IGN | 4/10[12] | 3.6/10[13] |
Official Xbox Magazine (US) | N/A | 6.5/10[14] |
PC Gamer (UK) | 80%[15] | N/A |
TeamXbox | N/A | 3.8/10[16] |
411Mania | N/A | 3/10[17] |
The PC version received "mixed" reviews, while the Xbox 360 version received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[18][19] Many reviewers, including Francis Clarke of ApertureGames, expressed disappointment that the majority of the levels are played out primarily in two time periods.[citation needed] However, PC Gamer UK said that "Darkest of Days is a unique first person shooter".[15] Positive reviews also came for the Xbox 360; Digital Chumps said it provided a "unique and overall well put together single player campaign. Any fan of action games or time travel mechanics should give this one a serious look",[20] while GameShark commented that "technicalities take a pretty good game and drag it down into the realm of mediocrity. Still, automatic weapons during a Civil War battle...it's hard to pass that up."[21]
References
- ^ Chaffin, Bryan (December 30, 2010). "VP Expands Majesty 2 & Releases Darkest of Days". The Mac Observer. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ "Darkest of Days". SteamDB. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- NVIDIA. April 28, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
- ^ Sterling, Jim (September 10, 2009). "Review: Darkest of Days (X360)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Hayward, Andrew (September 10, 2009). "Darkest of Days (X360)". GamePro. GamePro Media. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- CraveOnline. Archivedfrom the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ VanOrd, Kevin (September 21, 2009). "Darkest of Days Review (X360)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- Viacom. September 22, 2009. Archived from the originalon November 20, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ David, Mike (September 23, 2009). "Darkest of Days - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 27, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Valentino, Nick (September 9, 2009). "Darkest of Days - 360 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Onyett, Charles (September 9, 2009). "Darkest of Days Review (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 14, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Onyett, Charles (September 9, 2009). "Darkest of Days Review (X360)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Lewis, Cameron (September 8, 2009). "Darkest of Days". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Darkest of Days". PC Gamer UK. Future plc. October 2009. p. 87.
- ^ Eddy, Andy (September 10, 2009). "Darkest of Days Review (Xbox 360)". TeamXbox. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Williams, Jordan (September 30, 2009). "Darkest of Days ([Xbox] 360) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Darkest of Days for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Darkest of Days for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ McGehee, Steven (September 8, 2009). "Darkest of Days (X360)". Digital Chumps. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ McAllister, Jeff (September 8, 2009). "Darkest of Days Review (X360)". GameShark. Mad Catz. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2018.