The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Sequel and remake bundled with improved graphics and multiplayer.
Here is the rewritten encyclopedia entry, using a new sentence structure while preserving every fact from the source.
*The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena* is a first-person science fiction action game. It was released on April 7, 2009, for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and later for Mac OS X. The game includes a remake of *Escape from Butcher Bay* alongside a new campaign that continues the story. Tigon Studios and Starbreeze Studios handled development, with Atari, Inc. acting as publisher.
The decision to remake *Butcher Bay* came from Tigon Studios' Head of Production, Ian Stevens. He explained that Microsoft could not make the original Xbox game backward compatible on the Xbox 360, and the team wanted to introduce the story to a larger audience before moving forward. Compared to *Butcher Bay*, *Dark Athena* features improved graphics and artificial intelligence, and adds a multiplayer mode. The single-player campaign expands Riddick's story as he escapes onto a mercenary ship called the *Dark Athena*. Vin Diesel provided the voice and likeness for the title character and was involved in the game's production.
The plot begins where *Escape from Butcher Bay* ended. Richard B. Riddick, a dangerous space criminal with night vision, is in cryogenic sleep with Johns, the bounty hunter who helped him escape prison. They are forcibly brought aboard the *Dark Athena*, a massive mercenary vessel commanded by Gale Revas and her second-in-command, Spinner. Riddick avoids capture while Revas's men take Johns. Using stealth, Riddick sneaks through the ship, killing guards and mercenaries. Many guards are automated drones—human bodies with implanted machine parts, controlled remotely.
Riddick meets a girl named Lynn hiding in the air vents. He reaches the prison cells, where he finds several captives, including the *Dark Athena*'s former captain and Lynn's mother, Ellen Silverman. Silverman agrees to make Riddick tools for escaping through the vents if he finds the right parts, and asks him to locate Lynn. Another prisoner, Max Dacher, offers technical help in exchange for a com link. Riddick retrieves both the parts and the com link. Silverman keeps her word, and Riddick communicates with Dacher via computer terminals. He frees the prisoners, but most are killed, including Silverman. Revas kills Dacher as he prepares an escape ship.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
- Developer
- Starbreeze Studios / Tigon Studios
- Publisher
- Atari, Inc.
- Producer
- Samuel Ranta-Eskola
- Designer
- Jerk Gustafsson
- Programmer
- Magnus Högdahl
- Artist
- Mattias Snygg
- Writer
- Tommy Tordsson · Mikael Säker · John Zuur Platten · Flint Dille
- Composer
- Gustaf Grefberg
- Series
- The Chronicles of Riddick
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · PlayStation 3 · Xbox 360 · Mac OS X
- Released
- Windows, PS3, X360NA · April 7, 2009 · EU · April 24, 2009Mac OS XWW · April 16, 2010
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game picks up where Escape from Butcher Bay left off. Richard B. Riddick, a dangerous space criminal who can see in the dark, is in cryogenic sleep on a ship with Johns when they are dragged into the mercenary vessel Dark Athena, run by Gale Revas and her second in command Spinner. Riddick avoids capture and uses stealth tactics to sneak through the ship, killing guards and automated drones—human bodies with implanted machine parts controlled remotely. He meets a girl named Lynn hiding in air vents, and later her mother Ellen Silverman, who offers to make tools for escape if Riddick gets parts and finds Lynn. Another prisoner, Max Dacher, offers technical help in exchange for a com link. Riddick frees prisoners, but most are killed, including Silverman, and Revas kills Dacher. Riddick fights Revas, wounds her severely, and escapes in a pod, but Revas fires a missile that crashes the pod on the planet Aguerra Prime.
Reader's Guide
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is significant as a sequel that also includes a full remake of its predecessor, Escape from Butcher Bay, to address the Xbox 360's lack of backward compatibility and to reach a larger audience. The game improved graphics and artificial intelligence over Butcher Bay and added a multiplayer mode. Its single-player campaign expands Riddick's story onto the mercenary ship Dark Athena and the planet Aguerra Prime. Reception was positive, with strong praise for voice acting—GameSpot called it possibly the best voice acting of the year—and the use of shadows. However, the AI and multiplayer drew criticism; 1UP.com noted poor AI where enemies react to the player even when not directly seen. The multiplayer's 'Pitch Black' mode was highlighted as its best aspect. The game's development faced uncertainty after Activision Blizzard dropped it, but Starbreeze continued work until Atari picked up publishing rights. The PC version used Tagès copy protection with a 30-day timer after three activations, later removed on GOG.com.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally announced by Vivendi Games on May 22, 2007, as a remake of Escape from Butcher Bay with Assault on Dark Athena as a 'bonus chapter'.
- After Activision Blizzard dropped the game in July 2008, Starbreeze Studios continued development and generated enough content by December 2008 to make Dark Athena a full sequel.
- The PC version used Tagès copy protection that started a 30-day timer after the third activation, but the GOG.com version came without this protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena?
It is a first-person science-fiction action game that pairs a graphical remake of Escape from Butcher Bay with an all-new campaign set aboard the prison ship Dark Athena. The title launched on April 7, 2009.
Who developed and published Assault on Dark Athena?
Tigon Studios and Starbreeze Studios collaborated on the development, while Atari, Inc. handled publishing.
What platforms is Assault on Dark Athena available on?
The game shipped for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 at launch, with a Mac OS X port following later.
What extra content does Assault on Dark Athena include beyond the new story?
Alongside the Dark Athena campaign, the package ships with a remade Escape from Butcher Bay featuring upgraded visuals and a multiplayer mode.
Who do you play as in Assault on Dark Athena?
Players take on the role of Richard B. Riddick, the same imprisoned antihero from the 2004 film and the original Butcher Bay game.
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