Review: Chasm: The Rift

destructoid.com:

First-person shooters splintered near the turn of the millennium. Goldeneye 007, Half-Life, and Halo all had massive impacts on the genre, and their formulas would be the ones imitated for years after. The old key-hunt style of shooter practically died off, only to be revived recently. Now, the indie shooter marketplace is flooded with homages to the pre-3D accelerated years of gaming.

It’s the best time ever to start reassessing games that may have been overlooked. When it comes to leaving no stone unturned, Chasm: The Rift is one of the rockiest. Released in 1997 by Ukrainian developer Action Forms, it wasn’t one I was familiar with. As I looked into it, I saw it referred to as “poor man’s Quake” and “Eurojank.” Yet, those almost seem like terms of endearment, as it does have those that look back on it fondly. Now, General Arcade has taken to bring it back, breathing new life into it, and providing it to new audiences.

Chasm: The Rift (PC)Developer: Action Forms, General ArcadePublisher: SNEGReleased: October 10, 2022MSRP: $24.99

Chasm: The Rift gives briefings in these cutscenes that are zoomed in really close to the characters’ faces. They look pretty decent for 1997! Apparently, someone called the Timestrikers (I’ll try my best not to refer to them as Timesplitters) are causing some trouble, and you’re just the person to stop them. With guns.

The “poor man’s Quake” comparison is pretty obvious from the start. There are blocky, grungy environments and blocky, grungy monsters walking around in them. The comparison starts falling apart once you get to later levels that take place in different time periods. Quake might have taken place in different time periods, but how would you know? Every level just looked like a