Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn

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Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn
Wing Commander Saga The Darkest Dawn cover.png
Series Wing Commander
Engine FS2 Open
Platform Windows [1]
Release22 March 2012 [2] [3]
Genre Space combat simulation
Mode Single-player

Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn is a freeware Windows game, released on 22 March 2012, made by fans of the Wing Commander series. [4]

Contents

Plot

The game depicts a war between Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire. The story runs parallel to the events of Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger . [5] The player is a rookie pilot with a call sign "The Sandman", currently serving on TCS Hermes. [6] The game features a 55-mission campaign. [5]

Development and release

In the early 2000s, Wing Commander Saga was proposed as a mod for Conquest: Frontier Wars , Homeworld , and Starshatter until it was decided to be made with the FreeSpace 2 engine. [7] The game's prologue was released separately on 31 December 2006. [8] [9] The full game was released 22 March 2012. [2] A mission editor was released on 11 April 2012. [10]

Reception

Rock Paper Shotgun wrote: "It's a terrific fan-game, and a much needed return to a genre that's been sitting with adventure games in the commercial sin-bin for far, far too long." [6] PC Games Hardware  [ de ] called it a worthy remake with a gripping story. [14] Eurogamer.de called the game a small masterpiece. [15] HotHardware wrote: "[...] it pays homage to its source material while improving on Wing Commander's classic gameplay and graphics." [16] Atomic said: "If you remember or are a fan of the classic series this is a must-have to download and play. If you’re not familiar with the series but love Battlestar Galactica, this is also a must-have to download and play." [17] PC Games said The Darkest Dawn comes close to the quality of FreeSpace 2 and is simply impressive for a fan project. [18] Joker said the game has an authentic atmosphere and excellent missions. [19] Joystick described it as one of the most ambitious amateur projects ever completed. [20] GameStar said the game is tactical-oriented, like Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1994) rather than the more action-packed Wing Commander III. [21]

References

  1. ↑ "System Requirements". Wing Commander Saga. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 Chalk, Andy (22 March 2012). "Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn Launches". The Escapist . Gamurs Group. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Purchese, Robert (16 March 2012). "EA-sanctioned Wing Commander Saga project release date". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  4. ↑ Purchese, Robert (19 March 2012). "Fan-made Wing Commander Saga project not EA-sanctioned". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  5. 1 2 Weiß, Stefan (18 June 2013). "Nachschub für Wing-Commander-Fans". PC Games (in German). Computec Media. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  6. 1 2 Cobbett, Richard (22 March 2012). "Back In The Cockpit: Wing Commander Saga". Rock Paper Shotgun . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "Crew". Wing Commander Saga. Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Prologue Released!". Wing Commander Saga. 31 December 2006. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  9. ↑ Schlütter, Christian (1 January 2007). "Nachschub für Wing-Commander-Fans". PC Games (in German). Computec Media. Archived from the original on 2 November 2025. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  10. ↑ "Mission Editor Released". Wing Commander Saga. 11 April 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  11. ↑ Kautz, Paul (30 March 2012). "Special: Wing Commander Saga". 4Players (in German). Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  12. ↑ Bertoni, Roberto (27 April 2012). "Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn - review". Eurogamer.it (in Italian). Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  13. ↑ Banz, Malte; Bathge, Peter (2012). "Mods & Maps - Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn". PC Action  [ de ] (in German). No. 6/2012. Computec Media. p. 107. ISSN   0946-6290.
  14. ↑ Sawatzki, Fabian (23 March 2012). "Back to the roots: Wing Commander Saga im Hands-on-Test - mit 60 Screenshots". PC Games Hardware  [ de ] (in German). Computec Media. Archived from the original on 2 November 2025. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  15. ↑ Jakobs, Benjamin (2 April 2012). "Wing Commander Saga - Artikel". Eurogamer.de (in German). Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Hruska, Joel (26 March 2012). "Wing Commander: Darkest Dawn, Fan-Made Goodness". HotHardware. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Mills, Ashton (2012). "Modification - Wing Commander Saga". Atomic . No. 137. Haymarket Media Group. pp. 14–15.
  18. ↑ Bathge, Peter (2012). "Test - Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn". PC Games (in German). No. 5/12. Computec Media. p. 110.
  19. ↑ "Igrovje - Vinko Mander Spet Leti!". Joker (in Slovenian). No. 225. Ednas Print. April 2012. pp. 52–53. ISSN   1318-461X.
  20. ↑ "Rétro News - Wing Commander Saga: Fan Commander!". Joystick (in French). No. 255. MER7. July 2012. p. 137. ISSN   1145-4806.
  21. ↑ Deppe, Martin (3 April 2012). "Wing Commander Saga - Krieg den Kampfkatzen". GameStar (in German). Webedia. Archived from the original on 27 November 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
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