In an industry where cashing in on successful franchises is the norm, and innovation is the rare exception, new intellectual properties like Capcom’s Dark Void are usually highly anticipated.

However, this enthusiasm is also tempered with some trepidation. Sure, the game may bring about innovative gameplay mechanics, graphics, etc., but simultaneously, the property is untested and could flop terribly, even when developed by some of the most talented teams in business. Just look at games like Haze, Lair and Too Human.

With its unique sci-fi premise combining UFOs, jet packs and intense aerial gunfights, Dark Void manages to avoid most of the flaws that damned other promising franchises--but it hardly manages to escape unscathed.

Despite being helmed by Airtight Games, the studio behind the award winning Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Dark Void hits quite a few snags that holds it far back from achieving its full potential.

Gamers play as William Augustus Grey (expertly voiced by Nolan “Nathan Drake” North), a cargo pilot turned freedom fighter after his plane crashes into the Bermuda Triangle and transports him to an alternate universe.

This parallel world is ruled by an alien race called the Watchers. Naturally, it’s up to Grey to arm himself to the teeth with a jet pack and a slew of high-powered weapons and kill them all. It’s obvious the story is supposed to be cheesy, a homage of sorts to early 20th-century episodic cinema. But even if you’re paying tribute to goofy serial titles of past, there’s still such a thing as too cheesy and Dark Void manages to cross over that boundary far too frequently.

The plot is generic, the characters are boring and forgettable and the dialogue is so awkwardly constructed that it’s almost embarrassing to listen to. That said, the voice work is surprisingly competent and the accompanying soundtrack is of equally impressive caliber.

Granted, Dark Void revolves around zipping through the air while blowing up spaceships with machine guns, but it never hurts to have a more concrete reason than the typical “Aliens = Bad, Humans = Good” drivel Dark Void expects gamers to ingest.

While Dark Void flounders when it comes to narrative basics, the game fairs far better when it comes to the gameplay, which can be best described as a hybrid of three styles of combat. The first is ground-based combat which functions very similarly to Gears of War or any other third-person shooter. Then there’s the “vertical cover system” which is utilized when Grey is scaling walls and the hulls of spaceships. In this mode, you can blind fire from behind cover, use your jet pack to maneuver forward, and grab enemies in order to toss them to their death.

Where Dark Void really earns it stripes, though, is with its aerial combat. Once you acquire the hover pack (and eventually, the jet pack) you can take to the skies and begin engaging enemy aircraft, assault mounted turrets, strafe foot soldiers or merely take in the scenery as you zoom by. The flight controls work well, allowing you to easily navigate, perform evasive acrobatics, and even hijack a UFO.

Dark Void also makes sure that you can’t become complacent in your method of fighting. One of the coolest features in Dark Void is that it rarely locks you into any particular form of combat. On occasion, you’ll be tasked to hoof it on foot while infiltrating a base or scaling a wall to reach a certain objective, but for the most part, the game allows you to seamlessly switch from one type of combat on the fly.

One second you’ll be shooting aliens on the ground and the next you’ll be barreling through a canyon with enemy spaceships chasing you down. Suffice to say, when everything works as intended, Dark Void can be a thrilling, action-packed ride.

The real drawback to the gameplay, though, is that it quickly becomes repetitive. Mission objectives aren’t varied enough, there are hardly any boss battles to punctuate key plot moments, and enemies are bland.

Even though you have three different ways of killing your enemies, it’s difficult to avoid feeling like you’ve done the same exact thing only moments ago. Make no mistake--tearing through the skies while firing at enemy robots is still a blast. But it’s one best played in small, controlled doses.

Final Verdict

Dark Void is an incredibly solid game that is marred by a number of glaring flaws which, unfortunately, aren’t all superficial. The problems with the storyline can be arguably excused. Maybe a game centered around jet packs and aliens doesn’t really need a coherent narrative, but there’s really no escaping the tedium that begins bogging down things down only a few hours into the gaming experience.

Most of the gameplay mechanics that Dark Void introduces are well crafted and a lot of fun to experiment with, but the missions don’t give you the opportunity to make the most of them. As a result, more often than not, it feels like you’re doing the same exact thing over and over and over.

Still, if you’re willing to accept Dark Void for what it is, there’s still a whole lot of fun to be had from it. It’s not the brilliant, groundbreaking new property gamers were probably hoping it to be, but it does bring enough to the table to stand out from the crowd.

Final Grade: B-