In the days of the original Xbox console, I remember when I first heard about The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. I didn't know anything about the Riddick mythos, but I had a passing interest in Vin Diesel. After doing some research, I learned about the movie Pitch Black as the start of the story, so I purchased a copy of the movie and sat down to watch it. Two hours later, I found myself fascinated with the character of Richard B. Riddick and the universe that he lives in. I immediately went and purchased a copy of the meta-sequel Dark Fury, and while it was a goofy anime spin-off that bridges the gap between the first film and the action-oriented sequel, it was satisfying to see more of Riddick. Riddick was the ultimate anti-hero. A cold-blooded murderer with no respect for human life. An almost inhuman character who is ruthlessly cavalier, yet strangely likable, with moments of true depth. He comes off as someone who is afraid of helping others because all he knows how to do is take life. He is a villainous hero with an amazing superpower and a humbling weakness. After my exposure to Riddick, I saved my pennies and bought Butcher Bay the moment I had enough cash, and it quickly became one of my favorite action adventure titles of all time. It had jaw-dropping visuals for the time, running on the idTech3 engine and arguably utilizing the technology better than Doom 3. It had the most visceral and satisfying first-person melee combat. It had fantastic stealth elements. It even had a kind of hub-based RPG setup, where completing quests and side-activities can make choices later on easier or more difficult depending on who you trusted (or chose not to trust). It had an oppressive atmosphere that made you really feel like you were Riddick, and you really were trying to escape the worst prison in the galaxy. And one of the greatest elements that it brings to the table for super fans of the series is that you learn that Riddick's story to Jack and Imam about his shined eyes wasn't true, but rather a result of repressed memories to make sense of an event that he believes is impossible. It stands as a game I remember fondly ten years down the line.
When the sequel was announced, I ate up every single piece of promotional material associated with it. Assault on Dark Athena was certainly not supposed to be a new Butcher Bay, but a new story that uses a more action-oriented design like the film Chronicles of Riddick. When it was released, I was overjoyed to learn that it came with an HD remake of the original Butcher Bay, making it a fabulous value. Years down the road, my copy of Dark Athena has disappeared, and I wanted to play me some Riddick. I went on GoG and downloaded the game on sale, and I was so enamored with the experience, I had to do myself a retro review.
The HD remake of the first game is truly the star of the show. A prequel to Pitch Black, the mercenary bounty hunter Johns (played once again by the talented Cole Hauser) has captured Riddick (Vin Diesel) and is bringing him to the supermax slam known as Butcher Bay. Riddick immediately starts formulating an escape plan. After he his processed and placed in his cell, the player has to talk to other prisoners and learn the political situation in the cell block, get a hold of a weapon, and do favors for guards and prisoners to gain information. The head guard Abbott (in a stunning performance by- of all people- Xzibit) attempts to stymie Riddick's progress at every turn early on, and the game takes a parabolic approach to story telling, with Riddick repeatedly getting close to his goal only to be recaptured and put in a worse area of the prison.
Controlling Riddick is very different than other first-person action games. Looking down, you can see his feet and arms at his sides, and turning his body has a sluggish weight to it that makes him feel like a real person. Melee combat in first person involves fists, knives, and clubs; and the fighting mechanics are second to none. Landing a solid blow to the face of an enemy will leave a black eye or bruised cheek. A well, timed knife cut will leave a bleeding wound to the chest or stomach. There are no enemy health bars. You simply circle around each other trading blows until one of you goes down. It's a great combat system that feels tactical and desperate. At its core though, Butcher Bay is a stealth game. The player has to navigate the prison attempting to go unseen. Riddick may fit the criteria of a superhero, but he is just a man. He can't take more than a few bullets before going down. Luckily, closing the gap to an armed guard can give you the opportunity to shoot guards with their own weapons in fantastic execution animations that haven't been matched since. During the story, Riddick gains his amazing superpower: the eyeshine. I won't spoil how it happens, but the eyeshine is a simple and amazing power and weakness rolled into one. He can see in the dark perfectly, but he has to wear goggles in the light or he is completely blind. This power is perfectly recreated in the games. Attempting to take your goggles off in a well-lit area makes it impossible to see. This light-and-dark trade off is what makes Riddick's eyeshine a blessing and a curse, and it's handled with the care and balance that can only come from a deep understanding of the character himself.
The meta-sequel, Assault on Dark Athena, picks up immediately after the end of Butcher Bay. Riddick and Johns are captured by a roving merc ship captained by a psychotic bounty hunter. The game has a lot of design elements and concepts in common with Riddick: Dark Fury. Riddick has to find a way off the ship by interacting with captured prisoners and former guards. There are some elements similar to the previous game, but this one is definitely to be taken on its own merits. It doesn't have the spark to it that the first game had, but it's a serviceable sequel. The combat has been tightened up, and the levels are more linear, but there are a number of great stealth opportunities, and a sequence involving remote-piloted zombie warriors is exactly the kind of campy nonsense that only Riddick could play straight and have it work. The sequel is still a fantastic experience for any Riddick fan, and Vin Diesel's performance is top notch.
Graphically, both games in Dark Athena are stunners. The newer game certainly has better technology on display, but the idTech3-powered Butcher Bay has seen a graphical overhaul for the new version, and on a decent rig you'll find a lot of graphical polish. You probably won't mistake the first game for something new, but its atmosphere and world are brought to life with such stunning attention to detail that the odd murky texture or poor lip-syncing doesn't rip you out of the experience. The sequel certainly has better visuals, but there's a thematic bridge that permeates both games, eschewing conventional level design and overused elements from most action games and creating a cohesive universe that feels diverse and consistent with the films. The character models are also extremely well-done. Vin Diesel's Riddick looks exactly like he does in the films, and the inmates and prisoners from the games are all emotive and and expressive. Small graphical touches abound, such as how the environment recedes from Riddick when he crouches, or how he extends his arms outward when he jumps. The graphical approach shows a care and consideration that is unusual for a tie-in game.
The audio design requires a few thoughts of its own. Across both games, the voice acting is almost universally superb, with Vin Diesel's baritone growl acting as his internal monologue. The conversations between Riddick and other characters is always interesting, and Riddick never breaks his trademark bad boy image when speaking to prisoners, and always has some solid one-liners when addressing his enemies. The guns and melee weapons sound like they hurt. The music is muted and atmospheric. The sound design is spot on, and should stand as an example to be examined for anyone interested in audio design.
In the end, Butcher Bay is still the superior experience, but the sequel is still fantastic. This is a game I replay every now and again to remind myself how great some tie-in concepts can be. It's sad that it's practically a rule that movie tie-in games are universally expected to be awful when one of the greatest games of the last decade was a tie-in. But rather than simply ape the films, they took a popular character and universe and expanded on it, telling a story people were chomping at the bit to hear. It took a great idea and did it perfectly. Dark Athena is a package easily worth its asking price, offering a solid 20+ hours of Vin Diesel's signature sci-fi persona. If you like Riddick or sci-fi, this is a gritty and mature experience that will leave you glued to your seat.