| Darkstar: The Interactive Movie | |
|---|---|
A promotional flyer for the game. |
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| Developer(s) | Parallax Studio |
| Writer(s) | J. Allen Williams |
| Composer(s) | J. Allen Williams, Jimmy Pitts, Bill Bruce |
| Platform(s) | Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | November 5, 2010 December 9, 2011 (UK) |
| Genre(s) | Adventure game, FMV game, Science fiction |
| Mode(s) | Single-player video game |
| Rating(s) |
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| Media/distribution | DVD-R DL, Download |
Darkstar: The Interactive Movie is an independent, science fiction computer game written, produced, edited, animated, and directed by J. Allen Williams,[1] CEO of the American company, Parallax Studio. It features actor Clive Robertson (Sunset Beach),[2] the entire original cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000,[3] animations by the prolific comic book artist Richard Corben,[4] and the final work of actor Peter Graves[5] who narrated the game. Darkstar was released online November 5, 2010 through the Darkstar website and as a downloadable through Strategy First.[6] It was re-released in stores December 9, 2011 in the United Kingdom and Ireland through Lace Mamba Global.
Contents |
Darkstar differs from most other games because it contains over thirteen hours of live action cinema–far more than any previous game. Creator and Parallax Studio CEO J. Allen Williams gave a brief description of the project to the website Slightly Deranged saying:
| “ | Good or bad, there is nothing traditional about Darkstar. Yes, it does have some puzzles and an inventory of objects you collect and will need from time to time. And there is also a world to explore, executed in a vaguely similar way as you’d see in some of the later Myst series with pre-rendered walks from place to place and full 360 degree up and down panoramas when you stop. That’s where the similarity ends.
The entire "tour" is peppered with cinema, so when you encounter certain objects or plot points, the "game" breaks into "film" mode for brief story enhancements. My idea from the start is that somebody watching you play Darkstar might wonder whether they are watching a game unfold, or if they are watching a movie. Also, there is a "back-story" that is nearly an hour long that is broken into ten chapters plus a prologue. Ten "bioloks" correspond to each chapter, and as you find them the chapters are unlocked so that you may view them, giving more insight from the past as to what is going on right now in the present. The "bioloks" can be opened in different order depending on the routes you take in the ship and in the story, but they open the story chapters in order 1-10. The prologue is available immediately for free, and any of the flicks may be viewed at any time after they are unlocked. After combining this footage with in-game cinema, you’re looking at over four hours of cinema. And any of it may be clicked past if you wish to just explore.[7] |
” |
The player is Captain John O'Neil of the Westwick. You awaken from a cryogenic sleep that has spanned a period of over 300 years. As a result of the abnormally long hibernation, you have no memory as to who you are, where you are, or why you are there. Beside you are three other sleep chambers. One is empty, the other is occupied by a beautiful woman, and in the final chamber lies the body of a man–300 years dead and missing his left hand.
Your ship is damaged and helplessly adrift in the orbit of the ominous Theta Alpha III. An unknown crew member has deleted any data that provides an explanation as to why this is.
You know, despite the emptiness and desolation, that someone is in the cold silence waiting for you.
And, as if the day isn't bad enough, the Earth has been destroyed for three centuries.[8]
Darkstar has roughly thirteen hours of live-action cinema including a cast of all real actors. It stars Clive Robertson as Westwick Captain John O'Neil.[9] It also features the entire original cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 including its creator Joel Hodgson as Scythe Commander Kane Cooper, Trace Beaulieu as Westwick First Officer Ross Perryman, Frank Conniff as both Westwick Navigator Alan Burk and the voice of the quirky robot SIMON (Semi Intelligent Motorized Observation Network), Mary Jo Pehl as both Bridgebuilder Captain Beth Ingram and the voice of the computer Westwick Main, and J. Elvis Weinstein as Galactic Discovery II Captain Cedrick Stone. Also from MST3K is Beth "Beez" McKeever as Westwick Pilot Paige Palmer who stars across from Clive Robertson. Darkstar was also the final work of legendary actor Peter Graves who is famous for his roles in such films as Airplane!, Men in Black II, and his lead as Jim Phelps in the original Mission: Impossible television series.[10]
In addition to Clive Robertson and the MST3K players, the production has a cast of nearly fifty actors, almost all of whom are local to Springfield, Missouri and the surrounding area.[11]
Darkstar was written, produced, animated, edited, and directed by J. Allen Williams over the course of nearly a decade. Though most of the credit goes to Williams alone, a number of others contributed to the enormous production. Additional animations for Darkstar were done by the prolific American illustrator and comic book artist Richard Corben who is best known for his "Den" character featured in the 1981 film Heavy Metal and for his comics featured in the magazine of the same name. Other noteworthy crew members include cinematographer Roger Jared, co-producer Mark Walters, electronic media producer Dahlia Clark, and composers Jimmy Pitts, Bill Bruce, and J. Allen Williams.[12]
| Darkstar: Musical Score from the Interactive Movie | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Jimmy Pitts, Bill Bruce, and J. Allen Williams | |
| Released | 5 November 2010 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
The neoclassical, progressive rock soundtrack to Darkstar was composed and performed by Jimmy Pitts (keyboards and pianos), Bill Bruce (guitars and percussion), and J. Allen Williams (bass guitar) under the moniker "Progressive Sound And MetalWorx". Two other performers include Brent Frazier (guitars) and James Lee Dillard (percussion).[13] Additional music for Darkstar was composed by Ruell Chappell, an original member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
The soundtrack was released in tandem with the game and features 38 tracks of music on a 2-disk set.[14]
Reception for the soundtrack has been positive. In a review of Darkstar at diehardgamefan.com, Alex Lucard rated the soundtrack as "Unparalleled" and wrote, "This is without a doubt one of the the [sic] best scores I have heard all year."[15]
Critical reception of Darkstar has been mixed to positive. In a review at diehardgamefan.com, Alex Lucard rated it as a "VERY GOOD GAME!" and said "Darkstar is one of the best indie games I have ever played in my thirty years of gaming." In a similar review at brasslantern.org, J. Robinson Wheeler called Darkstar, "...challenging, fun, lovingly and painstakingly rendered and crafted, and worth playing."[16] Drummond Doroski of the website Adventure Gamers gave Darkstar 3 out of 5 stars, praising the ambition of the production and the maturity of the story while being highly critical of gameplay and acting performances.[17] Though critical of bug issues in the game, the website Game Boomers also gave Darkstar a positive review saying, "Overall, I did have fun with DARKSTAR, despite its frustrating aspects. It harkened back to earlier games that I remember playing with relish, and was different than most things being produced today."[18]