Darker (video game)

Last updated
Darker
Darker video game.png
Publisher(s) Psygnosis
Designer(s) Jas.C.Brooke
Lyndon Brooke
Platform(s) MS-DOS
Release1995
Genre(s) Flight simulator
Mode(s) Single-player

In the perpetual twilight of Delphi, where sunlight never spills, a lone pilot named Tolly navigates the labyrinthine skies in his trusty shuttle. Darker, not just the game's name, but the very essence of this 1995 gem, plunges you into a futuristic flight simulator unlike any other. You are not a dashing starfighter ace, but a humble civilian, thrust into the role of Delphi's last line of defense against the Halons, their city bathed in the harsh glare of the planet's eternal day.

Contents

Delphi, a defiant metropolis clinging to the dark side of a tidally locked world, hums with the energy of rebellion. Beneath its chrome-plated skin, shadows dance in the artificial glow, weaving tales of hardship and resilience. This is your home, entrusted to your agile shuttle and unwavering skill. The Halons, fueled by envy and a warped sense of superiority, descend from their sunlit domain, eager to crush Delphi's spirit in the cold grip of oppression.

But Tolly is no pawn. His veins hum with the quiet courage of everyday heroes. Missions, each a desperate gambit against oblivion, unfurl across the planet's shadowed valleys and claustrophobic tunnels. You will weave through canyons carved by eons of wind, dodging debris from orbital bombardments while adrenaline thrums in your ears. In the cavernous depths, beneath the petrified gaze of alien flora, you'll hunt enemy warships, their weapons spitting fireflies in the perpetual dusk.

Darker isn't just about soaring through neon-drenched skies, it's about the grit between your teeth, the sweat on your brow as you defy the inevitable. It's about the flicker of hope in the cockpit under flickering emergency lights, the knowledge that one missed shot could plunge Delphi into an abyss even darker than its shadowed home.

With each successful mission, Delphi breathes a little easier. But the darkness whispers, the Halons relentless. Can Tolly, a single pilot against an entire armada, hold back the tide of tyranny forever? That, dear player, is for you to decide. So strap yourself in, ignite your engines, and let the symphony of laser blasts and thruster roars drown out the whispers of defeat. For in the heart of darkness, courage takes flight, and Delphi waits, her fate hanging in the balance of your every maneuver. Darker may be a relic of the past, but its shadows stretch long, reminding us that even in the face of overwhelming odds, a single spark of defiance can illuminate the darkest of worlds.

The game supports the VFX-1 virtual reality headset.

Plot

Darker's story is revealed over the course of the game as information gathered by reconnaissance. The people of Delphi are not militarised, having never had reason for military action, and so technology for combating the Halon menace is developed over the course of the game. The Halon people are revealed to be invading in order to expand their cities away from the light side, which they have polluted beyond the point where it can sustain life. Eventually Tolly pilots a Halon craft to the light side of the planet, where he destroys the Halon aircraft factories.

Gameplay

The bulk of the game is played piloting a Caero shuttle. Because of the scarcity of energy on the dark side of the planet, power to the shuttle is transmitted wirelessly through a network of pylons situated on a regular grid across the city.

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