By Jim Rossignol on May 2nd, 2008 at 5:01 pm.
The official website for upcoming time-travel shooter Darkest Of Days has been launched. The site includes an introductory video and some other assets, as well as the news that the game will feature epic-scale battles with dozens of enemies and allies in the same environment. (As illustrated by those American Civil War battle scenes.) Here’s what they’re saying about it:
In Darkest of Days, players will travel back and forth through the annals time to relive some mankind’s most dire hours, when human society was at its lowest points. By fighting through terrible events such as The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest conflict of the [American, natch - RPS] Civil War, and the volcanic eruption in Pompeii in the year 79, the player will attempt to save certain key individuals who were never meant to become involved in these truly monstrous events and thereby change human history for the better.
Looks like there’s some World War I (“it’s the new World War II”) action in there too. This is publisher Phantom EFX’s first outing into shooter style gaming, having previously sold a series of successful casino games. EDIT: The developer, as our comments point out, is 8Monkey Labs, and this seems to be their first game.
This sounds to me like the sadly-on-hiatus Alliance: The Silent War.
However, the fact that we’re going to see the destruction of Pompeii (which, presumably, will be a combat-free level) is nine shades of cool.
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PCG US did a great preview article about this like a year or so ago, and it looks pretty sweat.
One thing that is pretty cool is that when you are in WWI etc, you can not use super high tech weapons from the future, as that would totally change history. (and it would being up a lot of questions) So you have to use period weapons for the most part.
Although in the article they said that in pompeii and certain parts, you can use high tech weapons. Since pompeii is going to blow up who cares if someone sees you running around with a hight tech laser gun :)
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Escort missions suck.
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Sounds like Timesplitters: Serious Edition.
Taking on regiments of civil war troops with a plasma rifle would be cool – screw causality.
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The developer is actually 8monkey Labs. Phantom EFX is publishing the title, not developing it. You’d think RPS would have picked up on that…
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I hope you get to shoot the Doctor.
“Gaw, in’t it amazing, being able to travel through time and shoot me, brilyehnt, them humans, oooh I just love ‘em, such wunnerful beings, dey make amazing fings like combs and dancing and jam on toast, gurny gurn gurn…”
[The Doctor regenerates into, say, Shaquille O'Neal, I unplug my ears]
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So is this unreal or id’s new engine?
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@torncanvas: you’re dead right, amended.
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i like the concept, hopefully the code lives up to the theory.
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I’ve always thought World War I would be a great setting for a survival horror game. Not even with any ghosts or zombies or supernaturalism, just have the player character slowly going crazy in a trench, and then you die. Something for Ice-Pick Lodge to make.
Anyway, this sounds interesting, though if it turns out to be a bunch of historic escort missions, it could be less than fun. But we’ll see.
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So the idea is to “bounce around in time, putting right what once went wrong?”
Ehehe. I love Quantum Leap. The trailer for this looks really shoddy though.
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Reminds me of Time Commando, haha
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8monkey labs? A reference to 12 monkeys?
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The idea of a realistic WWI shooter just blew my mind: waiting days in the mud, then shot in the head by a firing squad or torn to pieces by machine guns during a charge.
And it would still be better than Hour of Victory!
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Meh, I’m not holding my breath, after having high-ish hopes for that completely forgettable alternate history shooter that just came out. Thankfully, my crushed hopes will linger longer than its name.
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I bet one of the not yet revealed locations is going to be New York 9-11
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Doubt it. Too fresh in the mind and it would be crucified in the US press…
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@ Darkripper – see the article from a few days ago when we discuss how Trench Warfare on the Western Front was only ONE aspect of World War 1!
It’s eminently possible to do an exciting World War 1 game.
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Did anyone else get some addthis.com shit when trying to view this page?
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The idea of making a different game using World War I is certainly appealing if they profit the setting. Its was a hopless war, it had no heroes, no nazis, was absurdly destructive and cruel, if there is a war that represents the worst of human natufre is this one. It’s a excellent opportunity to explore it and make game with some meaning out of it.
Hopefully, someone will catch this opportunity.
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Fucrate: It’s marmoset, their own in-house-developed engine.
From the look of things, a very capable engine, and certainly very artist-friendly.
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