Dark Rift

aka: Space Dynamites
Moby ID: 1161
Windows Specs
Buy on Nintendo 64
$74.50 used on eBay
Buy on Windows
$2.79 new on Steam
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Description official descriptions

The cosmos is controlled by two Prime Elements, known as "Core" and "Dark". Each is possessed by a tyrant who is in perpetual search of the third element, the Light, which would grant its owner tremendous power. Sonork Nezom, the carrier of Core Element, has organized a fighting tournament, with Core Element itself being the prize. He hopes that the carrier of the Light Element will be among the participants. He plans then to strike and gain possession of all the elements at once. But Lord Demon Demitron, the carrier of the Dark Element, has other plans...

In this one-on-one fighting game, the player can take any of the eight playable participants through the tournament mode. Once the selected hero has defeated his opponents, he will have to face battles against Sonork and Demitron. A practice mode is also available. During the fights the player can use standard attacks common for all the characters - vertical and horizontal punches, kicks, running jumps, etc. Each character also possesses an arsenal of special techniques, which can be executed by pressing different buttons in rapid succession.

Spellings

  • スペースダイナマイツ - Japanese spelling

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Credits (Nintendo 64 version)

29 People · View all

Developed by
  • Kronos Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Executive Producer
Producer
Art Director
Lead Programmer
Programmers
Game Concept
Game Design
Project Management
Animation Director
Animation Technical Director
Motion Designer
TSI Motion Capture Technician
Motion Capture Actors
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 59% (based on 22 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.6 out of 5 (based on 14 ratings with 2 reviews)

A forgettable fighter

The Good
Nice graphics, backgrounds merge nicely with the floor

The Bad
Absolutely nothing that stands out.

The Bottom Line
The N64’s early life was filled with disappointing arcade ports, but Dark Rift was the N64’s first fighting game that was specifically created from the ground up for it, so you would expect this to be more suited for home consoles, building upon what Killer Instinct Gold did. Unfortunately, this is another bare bones fighting game.

One thing that did impress me with the game was how well the flat square round and the 2D backdrop merged together, creating a more fluid looking environment – even if it made the levels feel like they took place far away from the distant objects. You have tournament mode and practice, and that’s it. The practice mode is also more basic than Killer Instinct.

The characters aren’t very memorable, but also aren’t as dreadful as War Gods, with a few interesting ideas. The actual fighting has special moves, which are often slow-moving projectiles which can be easily avoided by dodging (while the game never brags about being 3D, it works similar to War Gods). The main trick seems to be the c-buttons and mashing these and blocking at the right times seems to be the way to win.

While incredibly bare bones, this is slightly better than War Gods simply due to the characters being fine. For something specifically built for consoles rather than arcade, it still feels like just another poor arcade port.

Windows · by Cube1701 (1) · 2024

Great for it's day!

The Good
The game looked great for being one of the first N64 games ( and the first real 3D fighter on the N64). The graphics were state of the art with plenty of pretty special effects. It was a weapon based fighter, which made it a nice change from what was out at the time also. The engine ran at a very smooth 90 frames a second, even with all the bells and whistles that made it into the game.

The Bad
Some of the moves were a little slow in their responsiveness. Projectile attacks could have been a lot faster. Only 8 playable characters with two unlockable ones.

The Bottom Line
A classic fighter for the time of 1997. A real look at what the N64 had to offer.

Nintendo 64 · by RingOFire (32) · 2005

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  • MobyGames ID: 1161
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Derrick 'Knight' Steele.

Nintendo 64 added by Kartanym.

Additional contributors: Timo W., DreinIX, Rik Hideto.

Game added March 27, 2000. Last modified March 8, 2024.