Chasm: The Rift
Encyclopedia
Chasm: The Rift is a first-person shooter
computer game developed by Action Forms
and published in 1997 by WizardWorks Software
, GT Interactive Software and Megamedia Corp. Action Forms would later develop the Carnivores
series.
During the game you can actually hear a character misspronouce the word "Chasm", he pronounced it "Shass'mh".
Time Strikers, mutant beings invading different time epochs, from taking over the earth. On this mission, he visits places ranging from military bases in the present to Pharaonic tombs in ancient Egypt. All of the levels involve dark corridors, often like that of catacombs and crypts.
One of the most notable features of the game was the ability to remove limbs from enemies. Still of interest are the bosses which can't be killed by mere firepower but instead have to be brought down using special tactics.
The Military had already known about the existence it seems of the Timestrikers, and had been monitoring them. However, they then believed that it was the Timestrikers causing massive energy leaks throughout the military bases causing rifts, allowing the Timestrikers to flood into our dimension. First attempting to take out a military installation, they mutated guards and soldiers, and added in their own forces as well. However they were pushed back by a Marine, who then followed them back to Ancient Egypt, where it seemed that they would take over the world from the past. Failing again, they escaped to Medieval times, and after that, left again to come back to the present. There, the last of the Timestrikers were defeated, and the world saved.
The No-Ammo weapon accessed by pressing 1 is a low damage rifle. It has an unlimited amount of ammunition.
Super Shotgun -
The shell ammunition is readily available and is dropped by most enemies within the first level set. Boxes of shells (coming in sets of 10 or 20) are also very common throughout the game.
Volcano -
A chaingun type weapon with, initially, limited ammo.
BladeGun -
Shoots out blades.
Laser Crossbow -
A crossbow that shoots out laser fire.
Grenader -
The Grenader is a weapon that shoots out rocket propelled grenades. It is capable of harming the player's character.
Land Mines -
The Land Mines have more power than the Grenader, but the Land Mines can only be placed on the ground. It can harm the player along with the enemies.
Mega Destroyer -
The projectile is shot out like a long-ranged grenade throw. Each ammo pickup for this weapon is worth 2 points of ammo.
Scorpion -
They are golden monsters, about two feet long, with three stingers.
Mong -
Mongs are mutated soldiers wearing gas masks, and use rifles.
Stratos -
Stratos are flying soldiers which shoot projectiles from the bottom of their legs.
Faust -
Fausts are highly-armored soldiers that is armed with a bazooka.
Turret -
The Turrets were used by the Platoon, but now they have gone berserk and will shoot anything on sight.
Gross -
Gross' are monstrous-looking cavemen which attack with a spiked club and throw rocks at the player.
Zombie -
They are the walking undead, and must be decapitated.
Punisher -
The Punisher is a large beer-bellied and muscled man wearing a red hood over his head.
Lionman -
The Lionman is a humanoid with the body of a warrior and the head of a lion. They run pretty fast and wield a shield and a mace.
Joker -
Jokers are humanoid monsters wearing Jester attire. They attack using their unique Blade Guns.
Viking -
These Vikings are mutants armed with a shield and an axe, and will attack with either, and also with their spiked helmets on top of their heads.
Werehog -
Werehogs are mutated Warthogs that charge towards the player to gore him/her with their tusks.
, the gameplay itself is actually 2.5D
as it's not possible to place one sector over another.
for the creation of custom maps.
Chasm can also be edited using the Doom WAD editor XWE.
According to the website it will be a total conversion mod, entirely based on Chasm: The Rift, it will include all the original levels as well as a bonus level.
Development Support - Lamberto M. Alvaro
Graphics/Artwork - Yaroslav Kravchenko, Oleg Naprasniy, Alexey Pivtorak
Level Design - Alexey Pechenkin, Andrey Sharanevitch, Denis Vereschagin
Level Editor - Maxim Novikov
Programming - Oleg Slusar
Sound FX/Music - Alex Kot
Voice Actor - Robert Sallade, Sean Spitzer
Packaging/Advertising/Manual Layout - Michael Tang , Jamie Young
Packaging/Advertisement Illustration - Shawn Bryan
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
computer game developed by Action Forms
Action Forms
Action Forms is a Ukrainian game development company, based in Kiev, Ukraine.- History :The company Action Forms was founded in 1995. In 1997, their debut game Chasm: The Rift was released. Subsequently the company has earned recognition as developer of Carnivores series, in which Action Forms has...
and published in 1997 by WizardWorks Software
WizardWorks Software
WizardWorks Software was a video game developer and publisher located in Minneapolis, MN. Focused on casual consumer games sold through mass-merchants like Target and Wal-Mart, WizardWorks was best known for publishing the Deer Hunter series of video games developed by Sunstorm Interactive but also...
, GT Interactive Software and Megamedia Corp. Action Forms would later develop the Carnivores
Carnivores (series)
The Carnivores games are a series of hunting simulation video games featuring prehistoric species ranging from dinosaurs to Quaternary mammals . The first three games were developed for the PC by Action Forms and released by WizardWorks Software between 1998 and 2001...
series.
During the game you can actually hear a character misspronouce the word "Chasm", he pronounced it "Shass'mh".
Gameplay
The player takes on the role of an unnamed Marine whose mission is to stop the so-calledTime Strikers, mutant beings invading different time epochs, from taking over the earth. On this mission, he visits places ranging from military bases in the present to Pharaonic tombs in ancient Egypt. All of the levels involve dark corridors, often like that of catacombs and crypts.
One of the most notable features of the game was the ability to remove limbs from enemies. Still of interest are the bosses which can't be killed by mere firepower but instead have to be brought down using special tactics.
The Timestrikers
The Timestrikers are an alien Faction attempting to over take Earth. Using military technology and energy leaks, they can invade different time epochs.The Military had already known about the existence it seems of the Timestrikers, and had been monitoring them. However, they then believed that it was the Timestrikers causing massive energy leaks throughout the military bases causing rifts, allowing the Timestrikers to flood into our dimension. First attempting to take out a military installation, they mutated guards and soldiers, and added in their own forces as well. However they were pushed back by a Marine, who then followed them back to Ancient Egypt, where it seemed that they would take over the world from the past. Failing again, they escaped to Medieval times, and after that, left again to come back to the present. There, the last of the Timestrikers were defeated, and the world saved.
Weapons
Rifle -The No-Ammo weapon accessed by pressing 1 is a low damage rifle. It has an unlimited amount of ammunition.
Super Shotgun -
The shell ammunition is readily available and is dropped by most enemies within the first level set. Boxes of shells (coming in sets of 10 or 20) are also very common throughout the game.
Volcano -
A chaingun type weapon with, initially, limited ammo.
BladeGun -
Shoots out blades.
Laser Crossbow -
A crossbow that shoots out laser fire.
Grenader -
The Grenader is a weapon that shoots out rocket propelled grenades. It is capable of harming the player's character.
Land Mines -
The Land Mines have more power than the Grenader, but the Land Mines can only be placed on the ground. It can harm the player along with the enemies.
Mega Destroyer -
The projectile is shot out like a long-ranged grenade throw. Each ammo pickup for this weapon is worth 2 points of ammo.
Enemies
The enemies in Chasm are known as Timestrikers. They are monsters that travel through time rifts.Scorpion -
They are golden monsters, about two feet long, with three stingers.
Mong -
Mongs are mutated soldiers wearing gas masks, and use rifles.
Stratos -
Stratos are flying soldiers which shoot projectiles from the bottom of their legs.
Faust -
Fausts are highly-armored soldiers that is armed with a bazooka.
Turret -
The Turrets were used by the Platoon, but now they have gone berserk and will shoot anything on sight.
Gross -
Gross' are monstrous-looking cavemen which attack with a spiked club and throw rocks at the player.
Zombie -
They are the walking undead, and must be decapitated.
Punisher -
The Punisher is a large beer-bellied and muscled man wearing a red hood over his head.
Lionman -
The Lionman is a humanoid with the body of a warrior and the head of a lion. They run pretty fast and wield a shield and a mace.
Joker -
Jokers are humanoid monsters wearing Jester attire. They attack using their unique Blade Guns.
Viking -
These Vikings are mutants armed with a shield and an axe, and will attack with either, and also with their spiked helmets on top of their heads.
Werehog -
Werehogs are mutated Warthogs that charge towards the player to gore him/her with their tusks.
Technology
The game uses an original engine capable of weather effects and ambient sounds. Though the engine is capable of rendering 3D graphics3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, the gameplay itself is actually 2.5D
2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
as it's not possible to place one sector over another.
Additional content
An official addon adds three new levels along with new monsters and is available as a free download from the developer's website. Though the retail CD contains a level editor, no user-created levels are known to have been published on the net.Editing
The retail CD includes a level editorLevel editor
A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...
for the creation of custom maps.
Chasm can also be edited using the Doom WAD editor XWE.
Reception
Chasm received mixed reviews from critics. While they noted that Chasm had better animation and greater amounts of enemy detail when compared to Quake, the lack of a true 3D environment left much to be desired. However, because of its less advanced technology, critics found that those with older hardware could still have fun with a very Quake-like game.Chasm: The Redux
There is currently a Half-Life 2 mod in development based on Chasm: The Rift.According to the website it will be a total conversion mod, entirely based on Chasm: The Rift, it will include all the original levels as well as a bonus level.
Credits
Character Design - Alexey SerhiyDevelopment Support - Lamberto M. Alvaro
Graphics/Artwork - Yaroslav Kravchenko, Oleg Naprasniy, Alexey Pivtorak
Level Design - Alexey Pechenkin, Andrey Sharanevitch, Denis Vereschagin
Level Editor - Maxim Novikov
Programming - Oleg Slusar
Sound FX/Music - Alex Kot
Voice Actor - Robert Sallade, Sean Spitzer
Packaging/Advertising/Manual Layout - Michael Tang , Jamie Young
Packaging/Advertisement Illustration - Shawn Bryan
External links
- Chasm: The Rift at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Website of XWE
- Chasm: The Redux
- Chasm: The Rift Review at Gamespot.