The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Preview

By Travis Moses
December 12, 2008 16:34 PM PST
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The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is more than a simple remake of Escape from Butcher Bay. But you wouldn't hear us complaining even if it were.

Vin Diesel reprises his role as the galaxies most lethal killer, Riddick.

The muddled story of The Chronicles of Riddick game is a confusing tale of publisher swaps and development issues, but the game is in a better place now and has turned into a much grander vision. Originally, the game was planned to be a simple next-gen remake of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. According to Starbreeze lead designer Ian Stevens, the decision to do a remake was because Escape from Butcher Bay is not backwards compatible with the Xbox 360, unfortunately, (and we agree that more people should experience this critically acclaimed cult hit).

Then there was the publisher issue where Activision Blizzard dropped Riddick from their lineup, leaving the future of the game up in the air. However, two months later Atari snagged the Riddick video game franchise and have since then pushed Starbreeze to make The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena more than a next-gen remake, adding a new chapter of gameplay and multiplayer.

Stay in the shadows and sneak up behind enemy drones for a brutal, one-hit melee kill. Or access a drone control station to manually operate one yourself. Wicked!

Prison Shank

Assault on Dark Athena is unique in the fact that it's more of a first-person fighter than a first-person shooter. The game focuses on stealth and close-quarters melee combat instead of the use of guns. However, that doesn't mean you can't use guns in the game; it's just a rarity. You're primary weapon is a pair of razor-sharp Ulak prison knives that are used to block, attack, and perform special counter moves. Most of the fighting in the game is face-to-face, but Riddick can also choke enemies into a meat shield position and use their guns.

Another feature returning from the original game is the stealth action. When hidden in the shadows, the screen turns a blue tint which means enemy drones cannot see you. This type of stealthy gameplay requires you to wait, watch patrol routes, and calculate the next kill. When you successfully kill an enemy in silence, remember to drag his body into the shadows or else another patrolling guard may find him and sound the alarm.

Mercenary Escape

All in all, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is shaping up to be great game for anybody who missed Escape from Butcher Bay. Even if you did play it, there are plenty of reasons to come back for more. All the assets have received a visual facelift, the environments have been expanded, and the audio re-mastered. On top of that, there is a whole new chapter that takes place after Butcher Bay on a mercenary ship called the Dark Athena.

The enemy drones with white eyes use flashlights and voice communication to find Riddick. The enemies with red eyes are on autopilot and easier to hide from.