Dark Void Zero

Dark Void Zero is a platform video game developed by Other Ocean Interactive's Newfoundland studio and published by Capcom for DSiWare. It was made as an April Fools parody of the video game Dark Void and was later decided to make it an actual title; it was promoted as a game "found" in Capcom's vault. The game was released in April 2010 for iOS and on Microsoft Windows through Steam.[2]

Dark Void Zero
Developer(s)Other Ocean Interactive
Publisher(s)Capcom
Platform(s)DSiWare
Windows
iOS
ReleaseDSiWare
  • NA: January 18, 2010
  • EU: March 5, 2010
iOS, Windows
April 12, 2010
Genre(s)Action, Platform, Metroidvania[1]
Mode(s)Single-player

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 Tesla. 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 Void's main theme in its end credits. This song, along with the soundtrack of Dark Void Zero, was composed by Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary.[3][4]

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.[5]

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".[6]

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 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 DSiWare Shop 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

The DS and iOS versions received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7][8][17]

While 2D-X Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey L. Wilson initially criticized Dark Void Zero as being exploitative of the retro gaming genre,[18] he later retracted his statement after playing it at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), commenting that it felt like a NES-era title.[5] 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.[19]

References
  1. Leray, Joseph (December 22, 2009). "8-bit Dark Void Zero announced for DSiWare". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2016. I'm willing to bet that an 8-bit, Metroidvania-style Dark Void prequel ... would be a good way to ease me into the prospect of fighting off an oppressive alien regime, one jetpack at a time.
  2. "Dark Void Zero". Steam. Valve. April 12, 2010. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  3. Turi, Tim (January 7, 2010). "Dark Void Zero Began As A Joke". Game Informer. GameStop.
  4. Warmoth, Brian (December 22, 2009). "8-bit 'Dark Void Zero' To Feature Music By Battlestar Galactica Composer". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  5. Wilson, Jeffrey R. (January 14, 2010). "CES 2010: Hands-On With Dark Void Zero". 2D-X. Archived from the original on August 9, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  6. Holmes, Jonathan (January 18, 2010). "Is Jimmy Fallon in Dark Void Zero?". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  7. "Dark Void Zero for DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  8. "Dark Void Zero for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  9. 1UP.com staff (January 22, 2010). "Dark Void Zero Review (NintendoDS)". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  10. Rigney, Ryan (April 23, 2010). "App Store Games of the Week: April 23rd Edition". GamePro. GamePro Media. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  11. Watters, Chris (January 25, 2010). "Dark Void Zero Review (DS)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  12. Harris, Craig (February 3, 2010). "Dark Void Zero Review (DSi)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  13. Buchanan, Levi (April 14, 2010). "Dark Void Zero iPhone Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  14. Dillard, Corbie (January 20, 2010). "Dark Void Zero Review". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  15. Miller, Zachary (February 21, 2010). "Dark Void Zero". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  16. "Dark Void Zero Review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. May 2010. p. 88.
  18. Wilson, Jeffrey R. (December 23, 2009). "Virtual Vox Pop: Is Capcom Preying On Gamers' Retro Love With Dark Void Zero?". 2D-X. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  19. Oxford, David (January 19, 2010). "Captain Jimmy Fallon, Dark Void Zero Star". GameZone (Kombo). Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
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