Dark Void Zero
Encyclopedia
Dark Void Zero is a platform
video game released by Capcom
for DSiWare download service. It was made as an April Fool's parody of the video game Dark Void
and it was later decided to make it an actual title; it was promoted as a game "found" in Capcom's vault. On April 7, 2010, it was announced to be released on April 12 for the iPhone OS
and on the PC through Steam.
. Once there, they began to charge through the Watchers' forces, stealing the portal control codes from two bases set up in the void, until finally moving onto a third facility, where the main portal was kept, and where the final code was also guarded, more closely than the previous two. There, Rusty and Tesla would finally attempt to shut down the portal and save mankind.
s main theme in its end credits. This song, along with the soundtrack of Dark Void Zero, was produced by Battlestar Galactica
composer Bear McCreary
.
At the beginning of the game, players must blow into the Nintendo DSi
's microphone to clear the dust off of an in-game cartridge, similar to how NES
cartridges would have to be blown into at times.
Talk show host Jimmy Fallon
lent his name in the game based on a fictional story where Fallon won a contest from Capcom during his younger years. He was included in it as "Captain Jimmy Fallon".
"In the year 198X, the PlayChoice-10
was the first arcade cabinet
to feature two interactive screens. Capcom soon began developing a game to make use of this advanced technology. This ground breaking title was called: Dark Void. Unfortunately, the PlayChoice-10 was discontinued and the project was cancelled. In the year 20XX
, Capcom found the project buried deep inside its vault. Its concept inspired a new adventure of the same name
. But... the original game... locked away for decades... is now back from the void..."
However, this story contradicts the one given in the eShop summary, which states that Dark Void Zero was a "legendary 'lost project'" at Capcom, recreated for the DSi, rather than being forgotten until 2010 and being a port of the original.
Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey L. Wilson
initially criticized Dark Void Zero as being exploitative of the retro gaming genre, he later retracted his statement after playing it at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show
(CES), commenting that it felt like a NES-era title. GamePro
editor Dave Rudden called it one of the coolest games at the CES, comparing it to the "Metroidvania" genre, which is a combination of the styles of Metroid and Castlevania
, as well as video games such as Contra. Kombo editor David Oxford commented that Dark Void Zero was better than its parent video game, comparing it to Bionic Commando Rearmed
in how both promotional games surpassed the games they were promoting.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game released by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
for DSiWare download service. It was made as an April Fool's parody of the video game Dark Void
Dark Void
Dark Void is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat...
and it was later decided to make it an actual title; it was promoted as a game "found" in Capcom's vault. On April 7, 2010, it was announced to be released on April 12 for the iPhone OS
IPhone OS
iOS is Apple's mobile operating system. Originally developed for the iPhone, it has since been extended to support other Apple, Inc. devices such as the iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple TV. Apple, Inc. does not license iOS for installation on third-party hardware...
and on the PC through Steam.
Plot
In an unspecified year, aliens, called Watchers, came from an extinct planet, searching for a new home. Then they found Earth. The military was able to hold them away from it, but then they built portals in an area in outer space, the Void. These portals linked to various locations on Earth, but they were unstable, and could not be used efficiently. But eventually, in the middle of the Void, they built a final, stable portal, which was still in the process of linking with Earth. Many skilled soldiers were sent into the Void, all of them meeting their ends. Until finally, the military sent in experts: A soldier named Rusty, who was actually born in the Void, and Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
. Once there, they began to charge through the Watchers' forces, stealing the portal control codes from two bases set up in the void, until finally moving onto a third facility, where the main portal was kept, and where the final code was also guarded, more closely than the previous two. There, Rusty and Tesla would finally attempt to shut down the portal and save mankind.
Development
Capcom-Unity manager Seth Killian stated that Dark Void Zero started as a joke after he had heard an 8-bit rendition of Dark VoidDark Void
Dark Void is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat...
s main theme in its end credits. This song, along with the soundtrack of Dark Void Zero, was produced by Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
composer Bear McCreary
Bear McCreary
Bear McCreary is an American composer and musician living in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Biography:...
.
At the beginning of the game, players must blow into the Nintendo DSi
Nintendo DSi
The is a handheld game system created by Nintendo and launched in 2008 and 2009 in Japan, North America, PAL territories, and other regions. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony's PlayStation Portable...
's microphone to clear the dust off of an in-game cartridge, similar to how NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
cartridges would have to be blown into at times.
Talk show host Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
lent his name in the game based on a fictional story where Fallon won a contest from Capcom during his younger years. He was included in it as "Captain Jimmy Fallon".
Fictional development
The fictional story of the development of Dark Void Zero is given in the official trailer as:"In the year 198X, the PlayChoice-10
PlayChoice-10
PlayChoice-10 was an arcade machine which could consist of as many as 10 different games previously available only on the Nintendo Entertainment System home console...
was the first arcade cabinet
Arcade cabinet
A video game arcade cabinet, also known as a video arcade machine or video coin-op, is the housing within which a video arcade game's hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the JAMMA wiring standard...
to feature two interactive screens. Capcom soon began developing a game to make use of this advanced technology. This ground breaking title was called: Dark Void. Unfortunately, the PlayChoice-10 was discontinued and the project was cancelled. In the year 20XX
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
, Capcom found the project buried deep inside its vault. Its concept inspired a new adventure of the same name
Dark Void
Dark Void is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat...
. But... the original game... locked away for decades... is now back from the void..."
However, this story contradicts the one given in the eShop summary, which states that Dark Void Zero was a "legendary 'lost project'" at Capcom, recreated for the DSi, rather than being forgotten until 2010 and being a port of the original.
Reception
While 2D-X2D-X
2D-X is an independent video game blog based in New York City, New York. It was created after founder and current Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey L. Wilson experienced frustration with what he perceived as contemporary 3D gaming's overly complex control schemes...
Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey L. Wilson
Jeffrey L. Wilson
Jeffrey L. Wilson is a consumer technology and video game editor who has written for several publications in the past decade, including E-Gear, LifeStyler, LAPTOP, Parenting, PC Mag, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE Magazine.Wilson is currently a resident of New York City, New York, where he works as an...
initially criticized Dark Void Zero as being exploitative of the retro gaming genre, he later retracted his statement after playing it at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
(CES), commenting that it felt like a NES-era title. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
editor Dave Rudden called it one of the coolest games at the CES, comparing it to the "Metroidvania" genre, which is a combination of the styles of Metroid and Castlevania
Castlevania
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
, as well as video games such as Contra. Kombo editor David Oxford commented that Dark Void Zero was better than its parent video game, comparing it to Bionic Commando Rearmed
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Bionic Commando Rearmed is an enhanced remake of the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System version of Bionic Commando. It was developed by GRIN and published by Capcom for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade and was released on August 13, 2008...
in how both promotional games surpassed the games they were promoting.