Chasm: The Rift Wiki
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Chasm: The Rift
Box FrontCover
Information
Developer Action Forms
Publishers WizardWorks Software
GT Interactive
Megamedia Corp
Release Date September 30, 1997
Genre First-Person Shooter
Platform MS-DOS
Rating Mature
[Source]

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
Episode 2 - In Search of Inception
Episode 3 - The Shadow Zone
Episode 4 - The Stronghold of Evil

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...

Enemies & Bosses[]

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

The bosses in Chasm are known as the Masters. At the end of each episode, the player must face a Master.

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
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.

Gallery[]

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.

External Links[]

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