""What are ya' going to do? Bleed on me?""

Intro
Thanks to the games Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, a massive amount of shooter games have shot out into the market. Many of them you might recall include Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, Unreal, King Pin, Duke Nukem, Blake Stone, and many others. However, of all these, one of them went sadly unnoticed. That one was called Chasm: The Rift. I got this game from my brother as he didn't really want it anymore. Then again, he burns himself out on shooter games (it's practically all he buys for his computer other than action/RPG's).

Beware My Bloody Stubs!
Chasm is a lot like Quake in that you basically shoot at demonic creatures that can warp through time and plan to take over Earth using such powers. As you shoot at them, you can blow off different limbs until they die. It's especially funny if you blow off both arms and watch them try to bash you to death with a couple of shoulder stubs!

Level Design
Sure, it's only about 16 levels long. Sounds short in comparison to some FPS games, sure. However, those 16 levels were very well designed. The game gave you a nice sense of direction and had you spending a good amount of time on each level. It wasn't because the levels were extremely long or that they were so difficult that you got stuck all the time. The levels were a decent length and actually had quite a bit to explore, both in direct path of the goal of the level and even some hidden areas and extra rooms to go through. On top of that, monsters were well placed so that you had to plan strategies as far as picking them off. It wasn't a matter of just blasting the living hell out of everything that moved, but more or less a matter of actually thinking your way safely through the level while trying to navigate a well designed world.

Graphics
There was nothing too largely impressive graphically, but the graphics still sufficed in their given situation. If anything, I felt the textures could've used a bit of help. The game was also lacking color, which is both a good and bad thing. Good because it helps set a dark mood, but bad because there are a couple of levels that really could've benefited from an expanded range of color and color tone. On the plus side, the designs were all pretty well done. The enemies looked cool and the people were good enough. I especially liked the boss designs.

Sounds
While the voice acting isn't all that much to remark, it is nice to hear some voices. The game also had some great sound effects to work along with the monster roars and the weapon explosions. All in all, it fills a nice, atmospheric void.

Final Word
This game was actually pretty good. The graphics were fair and it was nice to actually hear voices rather than have to resort to pointless reading. I also liked the feature of blowing off limbs which can actually give you an advantage over many enemies by limiting their ability to attack. The weapons were also pretty cool. The best thing about your primary weapon, unlike some earlier shooters, is that it is a projectile weapon with unlimited ammo. It may be weak, but it's pretty useful all in all. I also enjoyed the boss battles, which took more than just unloading millions of rounds into them and constantly dodging. You actually have to think of a method to destroy the boss and finish the level ultimately.

There were some slight things I didn't like. This game has no control pad capabilities which meant that I had to resort to using both the mouse for aiming and the arrows for moving. Another thing that I didn't like was that there were only 16 levels (not counting the arena levels) leaving a little bit to be desired.

All together, I see it a basic shame that this didn't get as much attention as it did. It's a virtually unknown game that you can probably still find in many bargain bins or even on eBay for quite cheap. Do I say this game is worth it? Sure, if you like FPS games, then this is a decent addition to your library. The greatest FPS'ers (FPS pros) out there will probably slice through this game in a matter of days, which might bother a few. I guess I would suggest this one for the hardcore and laid back types.

FINAL JUDGMENT
Graphics: Par at best. Nothing graphically impressive, but still not bad 7/10
Sounds: Workable, to say the least 7/10
Controls: This can be somewhat of an issue. You have to tweak around with them a bit to get the basic feel for the controls 6/10
Plot/Storyline: Something a bit different, although it seems to remind me of Star Gate in a way. 8/10
Gameplay: Addictive shooter fun as most shooter games provide. Okay, so there have been some poor shooters, but this one isn't one of them. 9/10
All Together: 8/10

Perks
*Great gameplay
*Limb removal is insane!
*Voice acting, albeit not the best
*Great level design

Downers
*Strange controls that need some tweaking
*Not the best voice acting
*Short

Recommendations
If you like shooters, you'll probably like this game. If you have a sick sense of humor, you may also enjoy this game. Be warned, though, it's pretty short.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/01, Updated 10/16/01