DARK VENGEANCE

vengeance will be yours

A BOLD NEW ODYSSEY OF COMBAT AND EXPLORATION

Vengeance is a discipline.

To taste payback you must master the subtleties of hand-to-hand combat, spell-casting and the evil that lurks in the hearts of your enemies.

Vengeance is an odyssey.

Enter a world whose scope is bigger than everything except the bitterness in your heart. You are bound to undertake an epic voyage of discovery.

Vengeance is a revelation.

Blood will have blood, but only the living will uncover their own black secrets. Your future is dark.

• More than 30 weapons including The Vampire Staff, Living Flame and Fiery Fist.
• Over 30 enemies; Dark Elves, Undead Knights, Woodbots and Demons.
• 3 radically different styles of combat.
• Incredible colored lighting and particle effects immerse the player in a full 3D world
• Revolutionary 32 player, third person multiplayer action.
• 3 Playable characters
• 16 levels; including unique character specific levels and story lines.

MULTIPLAYER - NOT JUST DEATHMATCHES ANYMORE.

• A totally new multiplayer experience.
• 3 unique characters. 3 fighting styles.
• Constantly adapt your strategies to your opponents' unique strengths and weapons in a perfectly weighted world of combat.
• Revolutionary 64-player Voyeur mode!
• Watch intense action unfold from within the eye of the multiplayer storm!
• Forge alliances in Multiplayer team-play and explore an immersive world with up to 31 other players.

~ from the back of the box

I am instantly drawn to anything that is high fantasy, and the darker the better. I also adore the original Tomb Raiders, so Reality Byte's Dark Vengeance would always appeal to me. I remember the intense red-eyed stare of the knife-wielding character in the magazine ads which drew me in even before I saw the impressive screenshots. It's been on my radar ever since then, but only now - a good 25 years later - would I finally spend some time with it.

The reviews at the time were so-so, earning middle-of-the-road scores from gaming outlets. They each compared it unfavourably to Tomb Raider which was very much in the zeitgeist, but doing that does Dark Vengeance a disservice. I consider Lara Croft's earlier outings to be like a 3D take on the cinematic platformer; jumps are deliberate while combat is secondary. The reverse is true here. You'll find very little in the way of platforming, while combat - both melee and ranged - require precisely timed keyboard combinations over frantic button mashing.

Also, unlike Tomb Raider, there are 3 characters to play as and each has their own play style. From what I can tell, this was pared down from a whopping 12 during the protracted development. Going by how distinct these three are, I can't imagine that would've extended to all of the others had they stuck with it, but the way each one looks, plays and interacts with the game world is decently coherent. Here's a deeper look at each of them...

	Jetrel the Warlock The scarred visage of the warlock Jetrel was a result of the Dark Elves uprising. They brought forth the Eclipse that darkens the skies. The sun no longer shone, and as such could no longer power Jetrel's magic prison that kept the demon Aggarasaggoth at bay. He became on of the three chosen heroes to fight the elves and return the world of Amagar to order. Starting with a maximum health of 70, he is the weakest of the three characters. By using magic as his attack method of choice, he does procure some of the most interesting weapons including the energy syphoning Transfusion Tines and a defensive dust storm unleashed via the Staff of Dust. He does not have much in the way of melee combat so his basic attack is a ranged spell emanating from his Focus Staff. The only character to start with such.
	Kite the Trickster When the Dark Elves attacked, they killed Kite's mentor and father figure; the alchemist named Barkar. Devastated and a little guilty she was not there to help defend their home, she has vowed to strike back with everything she has. Kit is the middle-ground character, with a starting health of 80. She is acrobatic in her melee attacks making even her strongest attack faster than the slow and cumbersome Nanoc. She is comfortable with contraptions, which you'll notice with some the weapons she'll come to possess such as a fire bomb referred to as the Living Flame or the mechanical Cyclone that creates a devastating whirlwind. Her basic weapon is a hand dagger which allows for fast melee attacks.
	Nanoc the Gladiator The simple-minded Nanoc has vowed to escape the gladiatorial life after news that both of his triplet siblings have perished at the hands of the Dark Elves. The only words that leave his tongue are an anguished "sister", which is his response to everything, even if it is the inability to open a door. Nanoc is the strongest of the three, starting out with a whopping 100 health. His melee attacks are also the strongest if a little slow. Along the way, the bouncing throwing star known as the Ice Blade and the powerful blade called Phantom Edge looks suspiciously like a light sabre. His basic Fighting Axe is still effective to use and added to the interesting weapon variety he can procure, I rank Nanoc as the best of the three.

A lot of effort has been made to make each character unique, and that goes for pretty much everything. Weapons, which are impressively inventive for the most part, are entirely bespoke. It's not like their arsenal is miniscule either, with each personality hiding up to 9 on their persons. All but their basic weapon - whether it be melee or ranged - requires ammo (or more specifically, mana) to use. For the most part, they're generously scattered around along with the differently sized health chalices that are a necessity. There are four types of mana, and two sizes of each, so it can be a little confusing to know just what type of ammo you've just picked up. It is detailed on the HUD, but thanks to my preference for higher resolutions it is a little small.

As well as health and ammo, you can also collect power-ups. Once again, these are unique to each character which is apt considering that's what the game calls them. There are four given to each and are generally temporary boosts to attacks or defence, but some can be just as inventive as the weapons. The gladiator's Stomp will send out a shockwave causing damage to those in range while the trickster has a Flash bomb that can stun and blind nearby enemies leaving them open for any attack you can give them. Want to trick your enemies? Use the warlock's Clone to send out a magical facsimile of yourself to distract them. It makes for some fun and interesting encounters.

Most levels require you to find many keys or key-like objects (left).

They're used automatically when you interact with the door lock or lock-like object (right).

These Uniques, much like everything else, are triggered using one of the four directional keys. Hold the Unique key (I've assigned it to Delete) and tap a compass point (the arrow keys) to use it. These arrow keys are also your movement (hold shift to walk), your attack (hold ctrl), your dodge (hold alt), your camera view (hold X) and your jump (hold space). It's a slow and archaic way of doing things but it isn't broken. Enemies are designed around this, with slow attack patterns and deliberate movements. Not once did I die because I fumbled the controls, but I do wish a more modern one was implemented. 

If you want, you could approximate one. All keys are entirely customisable, including the use of the mouse, but I found the mouse-keyboard combo to play far worse. There are no options for sensitivity and in this released state it seems to be stuck on "erratic". Stick with the keyboard only. It's perfectly serviceable.

As well as their own into level, each character has their own set of weapons throughout the campaign.

In their first shared stage, Kite finds a throwing dagger (left) while Nanoc gets a wall-bounding throwing star (right).

Stages are designed to be explored, almost Metroidvania style. You'll find yourself backtracking a lot in the search for keys, unused doors and bypassed contraptions. I actually quite like this design, and here it's done pretty well. There are enough exciting new locations to get your heart racing at each opened door, each one designed using those unmistakeably 90s chunky polygons. Rooms feature a giant model of a solar system, a red-hot smelting machine or many other memorable scenery. The characters begin in the their own starter level; the gladiator in a colosseum complete with prison cells, the trickster in her alchemist laboratory, and the warlock traveling through each corner of his compound via portals. They would all arrive at level 2 in different ways, but from here the layout is the same regardless of who you're playing as. 

The chunky good looks don't stop at the levels. The characters are large and detailed, almost to its detriment. The third-person viewpoint means their bodies can often obscure where you're looking causing you to miss important pickups. It's not entirely egregious; you can change the angle at will but it will also shift to a slightly overhead view when fighting. When you do, your character's upper torso will become transparent as well so it's not too bad in combat mode. Even so, you won't ever get a great look at the nicely designed enemies. The basic Dark Elves occasionally make way to floating ghouls, projectile-spewing cherubs and possessed furniture in the shape of a scorpion. There's even a stained-glass knight that looks it was ripped straight from Young Sherlock Holmes. You might have to change up your tactics when you approach each one, but generally speaking the attack-and-dodge method works well.

Dark Vengeance is a quintessential hidden gem. It was unfairly maligned at the time for things I don't particularly agree with. It is not a poor-man's Tomb Raider, nor is it generic, boring and unimaginative.  The only real criticism I can level at it is the controls which were archaic even at the time. Archaic doesn't mean broken, however, and if you're able to think like it's 1996 you'll be enjoying this 1998 cult classic no end. 

To download the PC game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses dgVoodoo to run on modern systems. Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 141 Mb.  Install Size: 324 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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Dark Vengeance is © Reality Bytes, Inc
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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