Dark Rift
A 1997 fighting game and first N64 title to run at 60 fps.
Dark Rift is a fighting game released in 1997, developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Vic Tokai for the Nintendo 64 and Microsoft Windows. It holds the distinction of being the first Nintendo 64 title to achieve a 60 frames-per-second frame rate. Although it is often called the N64's first original fighting game, development actually began on the Sega Saturn. It was also initially announced that the Windows version would launch one month before the Nintendo 64 version.
The game features eight playable characters at the start, with two additional hidden characters unlocked by completing single-player mode. Matches are fought as a best-of-three rounds, rather than the more common best-of-three.
The story takes place far in the future, after the events of *Criticom*, and spans three dimensions: the Neutral Dimension (where Earth is), the Dark Dimension (home to demons), and the Light Dimension (home to energy beings). While the Dark Dimension's creatures are demonic, the Light Dimension's inhabitants are not described as angelic. The crystal from *Criticom* is revealed to be the Core Prime Element of a Master Key, which holds the power to all universal secrets. The Master Key was found long ago lodged in a spatial tear; when retrieved, it broke into three pieces, sending two into alternate dimensions and widening the tear into the Dark Rift.
Development began under the title "Criticom II." It is the second of three fighting games Kronos Digital made, between *Criticom* and *Cardinal Syn*. Company head Stan Liu noted that the studio got stuck making fighting games because they were one of the few U.S. developers producing them. Unlike *Criticom*, *Dark Rift* used motion capture for all fighter animations, directed by Ted Warnock, who came from traditional animation. The game was localized for Japan as *Space Dynamites* on March 20, 1998.
Reception was generally mixed, though many critics saw it as a major improvement over *Criticom*. Doug Perry of IGN praised the character detail, combos, feel, and variety, calling it the best N64 fighter at the time. The graphics and animation were widely praised; Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly compared them to *Virtua Fighter 3*.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Dark Rift
- Developer
- Kronos Digital Entertainment
- Publisher
- Vic Tokai
- Designer
- Stan Liu / Albert Co / Matt Arrington / Andy Koo / Ted Wornock / John Paik
- Platforms
- Nintendo 64, Windows
- Released
- Nintendo 64 / NA · July 8, 1997 · EU · July 30, 1997Windows / NA · October 22, 1997
- Genre
- Fighting
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Dark Rift takes place far in the future, sometime after the events of Criticom. Gameplay spans three dimensions: the Neutral Dimension (where Earth is located), the Dark Dimension (home to demons), and the Light Dimension (home to energy beings). The crystal from Criticom is revealed to be the Core Prime Element of a Master Key, which holds the power to all the secrets in the universe. The Master Key was found eons ago lodged in a spatial tear; when retrieved it burst into three pieces, sending two into alternate dimensions and widening the tear into the game's namesake Dark Rift.
Players choose from eight playable characters initially, with two hidden characters unlocked by completing the game in single-player mode. Fights go for a default two-out-of-three rounds, as opposed to the more conventional two-out-of-three.
Reader's Guide
Dark Rift received generally mixed reviews, though many critics deemed it a dramatic improvement over Kronos's previous fighting game, Criticom. The most widely praised aspects were the graphics and animation; Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly compared it to Virtua Fighter 3 in this respect. However, critics noted weaknesses in other areas: projectiles were described as slow to the point of being useless, combos were considered too difficult to perform, and Edge criticized the game for lacking original features. Despite this, Doug Perry of IGN called it 'the best fighter on Nintendo 64' at the time, and GamePro deemed it 'a fast, fun, polygon-based 3D fighting game.' The game's significance lies in its technical achievement as the first N64 title to run at 60 frames per second, and its place as a transitional title for Kronos Digital, which was one of the few U.S. developers making fighting games at the time.
Did You Know?
- Dark Rift is the first Nintendo 64 game to run at 60 frames per second.
- It started development as a Sega Saturn game.
- The game was originally announced under the title 'Criticom II'.
- It was localized to Japan under the name Space Dynamites on March 27, 1998.
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