Act: Riftspace [by SW3D Games]

Game Review: Riftspace
Release: January 24, 2004
Genre: Action
Developer: SW3D Games
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP, 64 MB RAM, 32 MB video card, 700 MHz, DirectX 8.1+
Players: 1
Price: US $19.95


Stop! Before you read any further go back and skim my earlier review of Star Wraith 3 because almost everything I wrote there applies to the newest game from Star Wraith 3D Games, entitled “Rift Space”. Rift Space takes place in the same universe as Star Wraith 3, utilizing most of the same ship designs and graphics. In fact, to the casual observer it might be hard to tell the two games apart.

However, upon playing Rift Space the differences between it and its predecessor quickly become apparent. With Rift Space the developers have done away with any linear story line and completely opened up the universe to free travel, commerce and mission selection. There is a tacked-on story element about an ancient prophecy and finding a hidden planet but I suspect that is included mainly for people who require a rigid beginning and end to their gaming experience. I prefer to wander the universe and explore all the different locations while customizing and improving my character, which is something that Rift Space happily allows me to do.

The controls and combat system are the same as those in Star Wraith 3, so veterans of that game will have no problem in picking up Rift Space. New players should be warned that the difficulty level could seem extreme when you are first starting out so read the strategy guide. There are tricks to beating the enemy fighters and it takes time to learn them. Be prepared to die more than a few times while getting accustomed to the wickedly evil enemy AI. After all, this is a simulation of fighter combat in space, not an arcade shooter.

Graphics: 8
Anyone already familiar with the Star Wraith universe should feel right at home in Rift Space as the graphical style is pretty much the same. In fact, other than some minor tweaking I would say the graphics are all identical to the ones used in Star Wraith 3, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This means the presentation is on par with Star Wraith 3 and in the case of the menu GUI, much improved. These are still some of the best graphics and fx you will find in any shareware game.

To my dismay though, the developers are still using the same chunky, “metal plate” textures on all the objects, which hinders developing a sense of scale on the bigger ships. The game runs silky-smooth even in high resolution on my mid-level PIII so I suspect that they could raise the mesh and texture details in the game without any adverse effects on performance.

Sound: 8
The overall sound design is the same as in Star Wraith 3, again with some minor improvements. All of the weapons and effects are the same and now you can also hear background chatter from the space station control towers as they clear you for landing or warn of other ship traffic nearby.

The dialogue is there for effect and isn’t interactive in any way but it’s a nice addition. In the future I hope the developers delve further into this element of the sound design and include taunts and messages from opponents like the old Wing Commander games.

Gameplay: 8
Rift Space lives up to its predecessor in terms of quality and gaming experience. I found no obvious bugs and the only time I was able to create a graphical glitch (by ALT-TAB-ing out of the game and then back in) I was still able to save my game and then reload to fix everything.

My primary experience in playing Rift Space was chasing after contracts and hiring wingmen in an attempt to amass as much wealth as possible and I found those elements to be very entertaining and always a challenge. The sub-story of finding the hidden planet isn’t really developed in much detail and the clues (in the form of ancient artifacts) seem pretty obscure. I can honestly say that if I hadn’t read the cheat notes included in the strategy guide I never would have figured the puzzle out.

Options: 10
The player is given full control of resolution, graphics and sound. You can also re-map the keyboard controls, customize the mouse usage and the game fully supports flight-style joysticks. While I wasn’t able to test that feature I find it intriguing and I bet the game would be a blast to play using a flight simulator stick.

Value: 10
The replay value of Rift Space is truly infinite. While the routine of launching into battles and collecting your pay does become stale over time it’s hard to resist the challenge of building up a character and checking to see how you rank in the on-line scoreboard against other players. There always seems to be time to fly one more mission, or the urge to travel to another planet looking for bargains on ships and weapons.

Fun: 8
The mercenary world of Rift Space is presented as an open book to the player and like any good simulation you get out of it what you put in. The game features an intelligent mission generator (a cool feature that should be mandatory for all simulation games) that evaluates your character and any hired wingmen and generates the missions based on those factors. This means that almost always there will be one or two easy missions available and a couple of well-paying but challenging ones. You are never overwhelmed and if you don’t find any missions you like at one station you can simply climb into your ship and fly to a new planet and see what missions are available there.

On the downside the mission structures are all pretty much the same, with you emerging from the jump gate heading directly into x number of enemy waves. The only variation is the number of ships and the possible inclusion of a big transport ship for you to either destroy or deliver cargo to. This is the same sort of mission structure that was in Star Wraith 3, so nothing really innovative has been added to the combat engine yet. You also don’t have the opportunity to go “total bad-ass” and start blowing away friendly ships and space stations, which of course is one of the first things I tried.

Overall: 9
While not quite an evolution of the Star Wraith franchise, Rift Space acts more as an expansion offering opportunities to customize your character and explore the universe that the developers have created. The non-linear structure of the game and the ability to hire / fire wingmen makes this a more involving and rewarding experience than Star Wraith 3, although there are still limits on the interactivity and no true characterization yet. The only reason I cared when one of my wingmen was killed was because it was going to cost me 100,000 credits to replace their ship, not because I had formed any bond with their characters (they don’t even have full names).

The emphasis of this series has always been on action and combat but the inclusion of role-playing elements does help invest the player deeper into the game. With its great graphics and unlimited replayability, I highly recommend Rift Space to those who are looking for a top notch, space shooter experience on their PC.
Added: April 19th 2004
Reviewer: Kyle Nau
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