''Dark Horizon'', released as ''Tarr Chronicles: Guardians of the Border'' (') in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, is a
space combat simulation
Space flight simulation is a Video game genres, genre of flight simulator video games that lets players experience space flight to varying degrees of Reality, realism. Common mechanics include space exploration, space trade and space combat.
Over ...
game developed by Russian team Quazar Studio and published by
Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive AB is a video game publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started out as the video game division of Target Games and then Paradox Entertainment (now Cabinet Entertainment) before being spun out into an independ ...
. The game released in North America on September 23, 2008. Dark Horizon is the
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term ...
to ''
Tarr Chronicles''.
The game received mixed reviews, and it was the second and last game produced by Quazar Studio.
Gameplay
The game takes place circa 100 years prior to ''Tarr Chronicles''. The game is set in a fictional galaxy called Enosta, which is under the invasion of a malignant entity simply known as the ''Mirk''. The player is a member of the ''Guardians'', a society of people partially infected by the ''Mirk'', who are attempting to construct a structure to contain the entity from wiping out rest of the galaxy, called the ''Light Core''. The player is assigned to defend the ''Guardians'' from attack from the ''Mirk'' and ultimately finish construction of the ''Light Core''.
''Dark Horizon'' plays similarly to its predecessor. Players can now switch between 2 unique fighting modes; ''Shadow mode'' briefly turn the player's starship invisible, while decreasing firepower and speed. ''Corter mode'' sharply increases the player's offensive capabilities, but will constantly drain the player's shields until deactivated. The usage of these modes is determined by a 'cooling' system; If the player's starship is cooled down enough, ''Shadow mode'' will be activated. The opposite is true for ''Corter mode''.
Players can choose between
third-person and
first-person view.
Reception
The game received "mixed" reviews, more so than the first, according to video game
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
.
[ '']IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' called the game "flawed" and "almost unifinished", but praised the graphics improvement from ''Tarr Chronicles''[ - although '']GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' criticized the graphical design, calling it "very dark, even for deep space". ''Gamespot'' also criticized the confusing storyline and level design.[
]
See also
* '' Tarr Chronicles''
References
External links
*{{moby game, id=/windows/dark-horizon
Official website
2008 video games
Akella games
Paradox Interactive games
Single-player video games
Space combat simulators
Video games developed in Russia
Windows games
Windows-only games