
Dark Matter Has a promising structure, solid mechanics, and an interesting narrative but its incomplete nature prevents it from being as good as it could be. Published by Iceberg Interactive in October 2013 and developed by InterWave Studios, Dark Matter is billeted as a survival-horror-sidescroller in Metroidvania style. The player takes the role of “The Ensign”, the mute last survivor of the spaceship Endeavor. Guided by the voice of the mysterious AI “Companion” she must scavenge and fight her way off of the ship to survive.

One of the most interesting aspects of Dark Matter is Light. Aside from illuminating the oppressively dark corridors of the ship, light agitates the Scavengers causing them to charge. Shining light at a Scavenger Nest will result in crawlers spawning from it to attack you. Light causes Scavenger eggs to hatch. Many traps are triggered or diffused by light. Managing Light, either from your flashlight or from your surroundings, is key to survival.

Additionally, many of the game’s features seem tacked on or unfinished. For example: a hacking tool, obtained early, is only used once; weapon mods give only marginal benefits even if stacked in all three available mod slots; special ammo differs only in color palette; and promised secret areas hidden on the map are not there.

Throughout the game the Companion speaks about the Angels, their terrible beauty, a complexity so great the original ship’s AIs committed suicide, their ravenous hunger, and their imminent stirring threat. But nowhere in the gameplay itself do we see or hear anything about these Angels aside from what the Companion tells you. There must have been something planned, a greater story narrative left unfinished.

Dark Matter is a fun experience with a good starting foundation, but its incompleteness holds it back from being anything more than a novelty. Even for only $9.99 on Steam it would be hard to recommend this game for anything other than a study on game design.
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