Review: Chasm: The Rift

Chasm: The Rift
Ported by: General Arcade

Published by: SNEG

Date of Release: October 10, 2022

Price: $19.99

In the year 1996 id software released their blockbuster first person shooter known simply as Quake. Building on the success of Doom it featured gorgeous 3D environments and an epic CD soundtrack. It very much redefined what a first-person shooter could be and set the stage for the future of the genre. In 1997, a Ukrainian studio known as Action Forms released their take on the 3D FPS, Chasm: The Rift. it wasn't quite as successful as Quake; however, it became a cult classic over the years to come, and commands quite an expensive resell price due to scarcity. But now in 2022 General Arcade has brought Chasm kicking and screaming into the modern world!

At first glance, Chasm: The Rift could be mistaken as being a sequel to Quake, despite using a far more basic engine, and more simplistic game style. The graphics look the part, though a fair bit more colorful than Quakes murky browns, and the models have a similar style and chunkiness that one would expect from id's classic. However, Chasm is a beast of its own, and in some ways has a fair bit more environmental detail than Quake did, with quaint medieval villages and high-tech bases galore. The wind farm in the first level certainly comes to mind. On top of that you get voiced mission briefings to set up the story, which is a lot more than Quake did to introduce it's lore.

Chasm definitely satisfies with its level layouts, ambient soundtrack, excellent animations, badass weaponry, varied bestiary, and tough bosses. It's definitely a good game to play if you're into game from the era, and an amazing example of what might have been had id software been located in Ukraine. General Arcade has done an excellent job porting it to modern systems with all the conveniences one would expect, with the exception of multiplayer. The original game also comes packed into Dosbox, with a CD image you could burn and play on period correct hardware as well. It's a well fleshed-out package that any boomer shooter fan should consider adding to their collection.