DSiWare Delights: Dark Void Zero

Hello, and welcome to The 3DS Tribe's new semi-regular feature, DSiWare Delights. When the eShop opened for business, complete with a wrong-righting snazzy new interface, Nintendo 3DS owners gained access to a whole back catalogue of downloadable titles under the DSiWare banner. We look at one of the games that we feel is worth downloading from the service and attempt to discuss what makes it so great.

This time we look at Capcom's Dark Void Zero, a hard-as-nails platform shooter with a strange history.

Gamers are (sadly) used to games being released as promotional tools for films or TV series. However, Dark Void Zero is something different: a game that was released to promote another game.

In early 2010 Capcom released Dark Void for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Essentially a third-person shooter, the gimmick came in the form of a jetpack that, unsurprisingly, granted your character the power of flight.

To help promote the title, Capcom 'found' Dark Void Zero in their vaults. Allegedly developed as an NES game which was shelved due to the arrival of the SNES, they 'resurrected' it and brought the game to DSiWare (and later to the iPhone and PC).

Once you've loaded the game (loading times on a NES?!), the game urges you to blow in the cartridge (yes, it does). Although it takes us back to a different time, you can overdo an idea...

The storylines of the two games are broadly the same: face off against some invading aliens with the aid of famed scientist Nikola Tesla, who provides encouragement, directions and explanation as the story demands.

Dark Void's gameplay was transformed into a run and gun for Dark Void Zero, with the jetpack again providing the novelty. You can control it in one of two ways: either by having a permanent hover and moving around using the D-pad, or by holding A to provide boosts and directing with the D-pad again.

Being a run and gun means weaponry, and lots of it. Dark Void Zero features a nifty array of artillery, and you'll want to make sure you're packing more than your standard pop-gun at all times, particularly when it comes to the bosses.

The bosses are the game's one true sour note: the same enemy for all three fights (though the third boss fight does end up being very different). Still, most of the design choices hit, so we can't complain too much.

There may only be three levels but the difficulty curve is mountainous, although never unfair. It will take some time to beat, even on Easy setting, and then there are bonus missions on each level to be completed. In short, it's got legs.

The controls are pin-sharp and the sounds are appropriate. It's difficult to explain the appeal of something intentionally designed not to look as good as possible on a service that also boasts the beautiful Shantae: Risky's Revenge, but things fall into place after about two minutes of playing it.

Another fake retro gem from Capcom, then (slotting into place next to Mega Man 9 and, er, Mega Man 10). At £4.50 it's one of DSiWare's cheaper games so, providing you side with gameplay in the eternal graphics vs. gameplay debate, get downloading!

Words by Simon Ball (Twitter: @ballyzero)

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