Adventure Gamers - Forums

I pondered for some time whether to include Dark Earth in here. I’m kinda closing my eyes a bit, but when you look at it - it’s definitely NOT a RPG adventure, and even though it’s pretty heavy on combat, the main means of advancing are still exploration/puzzles and dialog trees.

Dark Earth is one of the most intriguing and original stories ever told in a computer game.  It takes place several centuries in the future, when a meteor collision with Earth (referred to as the “Great Cataclysm”) has thrown up great clouds of ash and dust, blocking out the light of the sun. Those not killed in the collision were soon hunted by strange creatures of darkness, and so they began to seek a refuge from the “Dark Earth” - pockets of land where the light of the sun breached the clouds. Eventually they found such places. Called “Stallites”, these places of light became cities, and the survivors built temples in honor of the light. The game is set in a Stallite called Sparta.

The graphics were ahead of its time, and it had a similar concept to Little Big Adventure where the main character changes moods (light and dark mode). The unique feature is that Arkhan is under the curse, under which he gradually succumbs to the creature of darkness (even the voice actor changes). The sequel never materialized, but its impact, with blend of genres where the accent is still on the story perhaps felt far into the next decade.

This game sounds impressive, I will definitely try it !