Chasm: The Rift
Released September 23, 1997 · consists of 3 releases.
An early polygonal shooter for the PC by Action Forms, developers of the Carnivores series.
Overview
Chasm: The Rift is a first-person shooter for the PC developed by Action Forms, and published in 1997 by WizardWorks, GT Interactive, and MegaMedia. A soldier is on a mission is to stop mutant beings invading Earth from different timelines. On this mission, there are many locales including military bases in the present to tombs in ancient Egypt. Dismemberment is one of the game's key features, which allows limbs to be shot off enemies. There is an official add-on to the game with three additional levels and new enemy types, available as a free download on the developer's website.
Though the retail CD contains a level editor, no user-created levels are known to have been published on the Internet, making it hard to find new content for the game. Chasm can also be edited using the Doom WAD editor XWE.
Reception
The game received mixed reviews. While some praised its gameplay and low system requirements, others saw it as a lackluster Quake clone, held back by the player's inability to look up and down. The impending release of Quake II also put Chasm's longevity as a multiplayer game into question.
Weapons
- Rifle - The starting weapon, a low-damage rifle. It has unlimited ammo.
- Super Shotgun - A shotgun obtained early on. The shell ammunition is readily available and is dropped by most enemies within the first level set. Boxes of shells (coming in sets of 10 or 20) are also very common throughout the game.
- Volcano - A chaingun type weapon with, initially, limited ammo.
- Blade Gun - Shoots blades.
- Laser Crossbow - A crossbow that fires laser bolts.
- Grenader - Shoots rocket-propelled grenades. The grenades have splash damage that can hurt the player.
- Land Mines - Mines that can be placed on the ground. Like the Grenader, mines have splash damage.
- Mega Destroyer - A long-range arcing weapon. Each ammo pickup for this weapon is worth 2 points of ammo.
Enemies
The enemies in Chasm are known as Time Strikers. They are monsters that travel through time rifts.
- Scorpions - Mutant golden scorpions, about two feet long, with three stingers.
- Mongs - Mutated soldiers with gas masks and rifles.
- Stratos -Flying soldiers that shoot projectiles from the bottom of their legs.
- Fausts - Heavily-armored soldiers equipped with rocket launchers.
- Turrets - Once used by the Platoon, now they've gone berserk and will shoot anything on sight.
- Grosses - Grosses are monstrous-looking cavemen who attack with spiked clubs and throw rocks.
- Zombies - The walking dead. Must be decapitated.
- Punishers - Fat, muscular men wearing red hoods over their heads.
- Lionmen - Humanoid warriors with lion heads. They wield a mace and a shield, and can move fast.
- Jokers - Humanoid monsters wearing jester attire. They attack using their unique Blade Guns.
- Vikings - Mutants armed with shields and axes, capable of attacking with either. Their spiked helmets are also a threat.
- Werehogs - Mutated warthogs that charge towards the player to gore him/her with their tusks.
