Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Akeela Studios
Minimum requirements: Win XP; P4 2.4 Ghz; 128MB RAM; 2.5 GB of free space on HDD; GeForce FX 5700 with 64MB or higher; audio card; 2x DVD-ROM
Genre: Sim
Release date: Available now
Review by: Jason Pitruzzello

Space sims have all but disappeared from the gaming market. The heyday of Wing Commander and its clones, sequels and spin-offs has passed; leaving behind a genre that is but a shadow of its former self. Some gamers might not miss this type of game, but if you’re like me and remember the heady feeling of destroying your enemies while playing such classics as Star Raiders, then you’re in the market for a high-quality space epic that combines great graphics with advancements in user interface and game logic. In an attempt to win gamers looking for such a product, Akeela Studios has developed Dark Horizon.

Dark Horizon is set in a detailed, semi-apocalyptic future in which an entity called the Mirk is slowly sweeping through space, swallowing up armies, fleets and even entire star systems. Those who come in contact with the Mirk can become tainted, leading to the creation of a class of warriors that fights against it until they succumb to its evil. The cause seems hopeless until rumors begin to circulate about a possible weapon that can destroy the Mirk. Into this setting you, a pilot flying fighters against Mirk-controlled ships, are thrust. While you have your wing-mates and superiors, it’s still just you against a horde of enemies, ranging from small and weak fighters to huge capital ships that are so large you can take 20 minutes to fly along their entire length. Veterans will instantly recognize most of the missions, ranging from simple “kill X enemies” to more difficult “escort Y to location Z.” All of the missions have multiple stages, and in most cases they never go according to plan.

But you’re not asked to fly stock fighters with cookie-cutter equipment. One of Dark Horizon’s central elements is customization. While you might at first expect multiple ship hulls, engines, power supplies and weapons, the game goes a step further. Unused ship parts can be broken down into components, which can be reassembled into new items, including weapons and extra devices that can modify any attribute your ship possesses. Do you think all the guns available just don’t pack the punch you would like? Do what I did and build yourself a Photon cannon with maximized damage and a doubled rate of fire. The possibilities are only limited by your available parts and your ability to use a calculator and scratch paper to figure out what the best combination for your play style might be.

While you would think an epic storyline and a wide range of ship-customization options would be a recipe for success, Dark Horizon manages to miss the mark in many unfortunate ways. The story and its elements are difficult to understand. Even after reading through several pages of introductory material and playing through the game, there are still many aspects of the story that are mystifying. I suspect this could be an issue of something not translating well from Russian to English, but with all of the effort that was put into the story, it’s disappointing that it ends up being confusing and not very relevant to the missions themselves. The game is infested with a number of highly frustrating bugs, not the least of which corrupts your saves. In a game with only auto-saves at scripted points in each mission, it is unacceptable to fly 90% of the way through a scenario, close the game for a break and come back, only to have to start the journey again because the most recent auto-save is broken. The sound seems to drop out at random; sometimes your wingmen have important things to say, but you might not hear them or instructions from your commander because the voice-over decides not to work. And the missions are very repetitive. While I know the genre comes with a stock set of levels, just as CRPGs come with a typical format for quests, there really is no reason why the developer can’t give us something new and better. A final problem for most gamers is the lack of multiplayer. Dark Horizon is entirely single player, which is odd given the ease with which such a game lends itself to head-to-head gameplay.

Sadly, Dark Horizon is a disappointment in a lot of ways. Looking at the screenshots, you might be tempted to pick up a copy because the game is certainly pretty, but the frustrations that come with it are not worth the price. Fans searching for a game to come along and rescue the space fighter sim will have to keep looking.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation: