Dark Rift
Platform: Nintendo 64
Media: Cartridge
Genre: VS Fighter
Release Year: 1998
Developer: Kronos Digital Entertainment
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Players: 1 or 2
Alternate Title: Space Dynamites
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Description

Dark Rift delivers hyper-active 3D fighting with a sci-fi theme! Compete against eight exotic and powerful characters and two very large bosses. Motion captured character animations enhance the realism. The arsenal includes multiple-hit combos, back-crunching grabs, juggles, projectiles, and punishing special moves. Tune into individual character stereo sound tracking. Fight in Tournament, 2-Player or Training modes.

Dark Rift (Space Dynamites in Japan) is a 3D fighting game for the N64, notable for being the first N64 game to use 60frame/s, as well as being N64's first native fighting game. It is also unusual among fighting games in that fights go for a default three-out-of-five rounds, as opposed to the more conventional two-out-of-three.

It was originally conceived as Criticom II, and is the second of three fighting games developed by Kronos Digital, falling between Criticom and Cardinal Syn. These three games have been referred to as the "Trilogy of Terror", due to their rather uniform low-standing with critics.

Setting

Dark Rift takes place far in the future, sometime after the events of Criticom. Gameplay spans three dimensions: the Neutral Dimension (where Earth is located), the Dark Dimension (home to demons), and the Light Dimension (home to energy beings). Although the creatures of the Dark Dimension are demonic, there is no indication that the inhabitants of the Light Dimension have any angelic qualities.

Plot

The crystal (the acquisition of which is the main motivation of the characters of Criticom) turns out to be the Core Prime Element of a Master Key, one which holds the power to all the secrets in the universe. The Master Key was found eons ago lodged in a spatial tear. When it was retrieved it burst into three pieces, sending two pieces into alternate dimensions, and widening the tear into the game's namesake Dark Rift.

While it is known that the Demon Lord Demitron (of the Dark Dimension) holds the Dark Prime Element, and Criticom's Sonork (of the Neutral Dimension) holds the Core Prime Element, a tournament is being held in order to lure the unknown holder of the Light Prime Element (presumably from the Light Dimension) out of hiding. Sonork is using his own Core Prime Element as the grand prize.

Fighters

Aaron

Demitron

Demonica

Eve

Gore

Morphix

Niiki

Scarlet

Sonork

Zenmuron