Chasm: The Rift

Chasm: The Rift was a first-person shooter game developed by Action Forms and published by WizardWorks Software, GT Interactive, and Megamedia Corp on September 30th, 1997.

The game shares many similarities to id Software's Quake, most noticeably in its theme and gameplay. Chasm, however, was not based off of Quake 's engine, and instead ran on its own engine which enabled advanced accelerated 3D graphics. Despite this, it is actually a 2.5D game, as the engine does not support building on top of other sectors.

Storyline
"Humankind, in  the  process  of  evolution,  has encountered  a mysterious phenomenon - the destruction of the normal flow of time. From the past to the future, time rifts are forming in Earth's atmosphere.  These  rifts  lead to  different  periods  of  history. Through  them  the  most aggressive creatures  from  the  past, present  and  the future  have  begun  to  infiltrate  our time. These mutants, known  as  Timestrikers,  have  begun  a  complete  and systemic eradication of all human life.

''You are  a  specially  trained  commando  who  has  been volunteered  to investigate  a  recent  attack  by  the Timestrikers. Utilizing an  arsenal  of devastating weapons and mysterious items from the  past  and the future, you have been authorized to terminate any mutant creatures that attempt to obstruct your investigation.''

''Each assignment  gets  you  closer  to  the  heart  of  your  goal. A mission briefing gets you moving in the right direction, but it’s up to you to carry out your orders. Grab your weapon and report to the Commander immediately!"''

The player takes on the role of an unnamed Marine whose mission is to stop the so-called Timestrikers, mutant beings invading different time epochs, from taking over the Earth. On this mission, he visits places ranging from military bases in the present to Pharaonic tombs in ancient Egypt. All of the levels involve dark corridors, often like that of catacombs and crypts.

Gameplay
One of the most notable features of the game was the ability to remove limbs from enemies. Still of interest are the bosses which can't be killed by mere firepower but instead have to be brought down using special tactics.

Episodes & Levels

 * Episode 1 - The CondemNATION


 * Level 01 - The Power Station
 * Level 02 - The Military Base
 * Level 03 - The Underground Base
 * Level 04 - The Pit of Sarcophagus


 * Episode 2 - In Search of Inception


 * Level 05 - Dead River
 * Level 06 - Underdune
 * Level 07 - The Tomb of Death
 * Level 08 - The Curse of The Pharaohs


 * Episode 3 - The Shadow Zone


 * Level 09 - The City of Dander
 * Level 10 - The Fortress of Desolation
 * Level 11 - Subterranean Horror
 * Level 12 - Phantom's Keep


 * Episode 4 - The Stronghold of Evil


 * Level 13 - The Weird Dimension
 * Level 14 - Forsaken in Time
 * Level 15 - Abreast With Terror
 * Level 16 - Beyond Reality

Weapons & Artifacts
There are 8 weapons available for the player to use in Chasm...


 * Rifle - The No-Ammo weapon accessed by pressing 1 is a low damage rifle. It has an unlimited amount of ammunition.
 * Super Shotgun - The shell ammunition is readily available and is dropped by most enemies within the first level set. Boxes of shells (coming in sets of 10 or 20) are also very common throughout the game.
 * Volcano - A chaingun type weapon with, initially, limited ammo.
 * BladeGun - Shoots out blades.
 * Laser Crossbow - A crossbow that shoots out laser fire.
 * Grenader - The Grenader is a weapon that shoots out rocket propelled grenades. It is capable of harming the player's character.
 * Land Mines - The Land Mines have more power than the Grenader, but the Land Mines can only be placed on the ground. It can harm the player along with the enemies.
 * Mega Destroyer - The projectile is shot out like a long-ranged grenade throw. Each ammo pickup for this weapon is worth 2 points of ammo.

There are also several pickup "artifacts" that will help the player along the way...


 * Health Artifact
 * Double Health
 * Helmet
 * Armor Suit
 * Invisibility
 * Chojin Mask
 * Reflector
 * Keys

Enemies & Bosses
The enemies in Chasm are known as Timestrikers. They are monsters that travel through time rifts.

Addon Pack
An official addon pack was released, which added 3 new levels, 2 new enemies, and a boss. The addon is freely available from the developer's website.


 * Addon Levels
 * The Grandhouse
 * Castle Moidodyr
 * Bonifaciy's Lair


 * New Enemies

Level Editor
The Retail CD-ROM came with its own Level Editor for creating custom single player and Deathmatch maps. Unfortunately, no user-created content though has been found yet online.

Chasm can also be edited with the Doom Editor XWE.

Trivia

 * Due to its somewhat inferior graphics and overall reception, Chasm is sometimes jokingly referred to as "Poor Man's Quake".
 * The box art of the US release of Chasm features a joker. This cover was re-used for the European Sold-Out Software re-release.
 * The box art of the original Australian and European release features a lionman.