Operation Darkness
Encyclopedia
Operation Darkness is a tactical role-playing game
for the Xbox 360
developed and published by Japanese studio Success
on October 11, 2007 in Japan. A North American version was released on June 24, 2008 by Atlus
. The game is a fantasy
conception of World War II
, featuring weaponry and events from that time period, but with fantasy elements such as dragon
s mixed in.
soldiers fighting the Nazis across the European Theater. The story covers much of the real history of the European war, including the battles for North Africa
and the liberation of mainland Europe. French resistance fighters, American soldiers, and others appear as non-player character
s. The game features Adolf Hitler as its final boss wearing a mecha-suit in clear reference to Castle Wolfenstein.
The game diverges significantly from real history in that zombie
s of deceased Nazi soldiers appear as adversaries, and two of the player characters can transform into werewolves
. Other fantasy elements include the appearance of supernatural foes such as vampires, as well as allowing the use of magic spells.
, characters killed in battle remain dead permanently (unless revived by one specific player character before the end of the stage). Generic soldiers can be recruited to replace fallen ones; however, the death of a story character results in a game over.
Characters possess the following attributes: HP, MS (martial spirit), Attack, Defense, Speed, Hit, Luck, Weight, and Move. Each character also has specific weapon-related and other skills, predisposing them to particular weapon types. In addition, characters can carry up to five weapons and five items. Each weapon and item has a weight value as well, and characters who are overburdened receive penalties to movement.
Two player characters can transform into werewolves, which massively increases their speed and attack. However, maintaining the werewolf form costs MS every turn, limiting its use to short durations.
)
Cordelia Blake (Cordelia Break in the Japanese version): A mysterious young woman who has served in the British Army since the age of 13. While other troops in the Wolf Pack use guns she fights with her fire-starting abilities. (English VO: Karen Strassman
).
James Gallant: The leader of the Wolf Pack, James Gallant is a seasoned veteran, especially when fighting the supernatural. He acts as the de facto leader of the Fang Clan, a tribe of werewolves in Scotland who has been in a bloody conflict with the vampires of the Blood Clan for centuries (English VO: Tim Casey)
Jude Lancelot (Jude Lancerot in the Japanese version): Edward Kyle's best friend and brother to his fiancée, Jude fought alongside Edward for the same reasons, but later gets captured by the Blood Clan and turned into a vampire. (English VO: Liam O'Brien
).
Keith Miller (Keith Mirror in the Japanese version): The squad's fearlessly loyal point man, who has known Gallant since birth. Like James, he is a lycanthrope. (English VO: Kyle Hebert
)
Frank Gaunt (Frank Andrea in the Japanese version): Gallant's second-in-command, Gaunt cuts an imposing figure, specializing in close combat. (English VO: Jamieson Price
)
Cynthia Rivele: A top-heavy Irish sniper with supernatural marksmanship. (English VO: Paula Tiso
)
Herbert East (Herbert West in the Japanese version): The team's American-born 'medic', Herbert is versed in necromancy. Inspired by the Lovecraft character Herbert West
. (English VO: Liam O'Brien
)
: The leader of Nazi Germany. (English VO: Derek Stephen Prince
)
Heinrich Himmler
: The distrustful head of the SS. (English VO: Derek Stephen Prince
)
Alexander Vlado: An SS Sturmbannfuhrer
(equivalent to major) from a race of ancient vampires called the Blood Clan. Appears pale and ghoulish. (English VO: David Lodge
)
Carmilla
: One of Vlado's officers, and of his same vampire race. Has little regard for human life. (English VO: Jessica Straus
)
Lewis Canton: A reserve, Lewis puts his talents as a spy to use for the unit, gathering intelligence on the Germans and occasionally joining in the fracas. (English VO: Kyle Hebert
)
Jack the Ripper
: Though he once misused his powers to terrorize the East End of London, he was rehabilitated by the Wolf Pack, who yet regard him with an uneasy acceptance. Jack can use firearms, but is most proficient with knives. (English VO: Derek Stephen Prince
)
Elisa Van Helsing (Eliza Van Helsing in the Japanese version): A professor at King's College
, Elisa dusts off her Killer Sword and takes up her grandfather's work as a member of the Wolf Pack, when times are dire. (English VO: Jessica Straus
)
Max Neuman: The Wolf Pack accommodates their former enemy, a Panzer Daemon, when a malfunction leads him to defect to the Allies.
Leona: A 17 year old Girl belonging to the French Resistance who is serving as a liaison. (English VO: Karen Strassman
)
as fatal flaws. IGN
gave the game a 2.5 stating that "Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong". http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/883/883699p1.html The Official Xbox Magazine
gave the game a 2.0 describing the game as "Tedious". EGM gave the game a 28 stating the game should be "avoided like lycanthropy
".
The title currently has a Metacritic
metascore of 47, indicating "Generally Negative Reviews".
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
developed and published by Japanese studio Success
Success (company)
Success Corporation is a Japanese game developer and publisher, based in Tokyo, and founded in: June 1976. They are best known for their Cotton series of shooter games , Zoo Keeper and others...
on October 11, 2007 in Japan. A North American version was released on June 24, 2008 by Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
. The game is a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
conception of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, featuring weaponry and events from that time period, but with fantasy elements such as dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s mixed in.
Synopsis
Operation Darkness follows a squad of British SASSpecial Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
soldiers fighting the Nazis across the European Theater. The story covers much of the real history of the European war, including the battles for North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the liberation of mainland Europe. French resistance fighters, American soldiers, and others appear as non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s. The game features Adolf Hitler as its final boss wearing a mecha-suit in clear reference to Castle Wolfenstein.
The game diverges significantly from real history in that zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s of deceased Nazi soldiers appear as adversaries, and two of the player characters can transform into werewolves
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. Other fantasy elements include the appearance of supernatural foes such as vampires, as well as allowing the use of magic spells.
Gameplay
Gameplay consists of a series of tactical battles; between battles, the player may resupply the characters, purchase new items, and select which characters will participate in the following mission. Battles play out in standard tactical role-playing game (RPG) fashion, with turn order based on characters' speed statistics. During a turn, characters can move, attack, use items, pick up items from dead soldiers, and cast spells. The battle system also includes factors like cover and decreased accuracy from movement. Differing from the great majority of games of this genre, long range attacks tend to be far more frequent than close range attacks, and many characters can hit targets with high accuracy from a distance of more than half of the battlefield. Much like games such as Fire EmblemFire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems , the maker of Advance Wars , and published by Nintendo...
, characters killed in battle remain dead permanently (unless revived by one specific player character before the end of the stage). Generic soldiers can be recruited to replace fallen ones; however, the death of a story character results in a game over.
Characters possess the following attributes: HP, MS (martial spirit), Attack, Defense, Speed, Hit, Luck, Weight, and Move. Each character also has specific weapon-related and other skills, predisposing them to particular weapon types. In addition, characters can carry up to five weapons and five items. Each weapon and item has a weight value as well, and characters who are overburdened receive penalties to movement.
Two player characters can transform into werewolves, which massively increases their speed and attack. However, maintaining the werewolf form costs MS every turn, limiting its use to short durations.
Characters
Operation Darkness contains several story-essential playable characters, who participate in battles as well as in event scenes between battles. The official web site for the title lists the following:Wolf Pack members
Edward Kyle: A young man seeking revenge after his family and fiancée Alicia were killed in a German air-raid. He enlisted in the army to avenge his family, but was assigned to the Wolf Pack after being saved on the battlefields of North Africa by James Gallant. (English VO: Yuri LowenthalYuri Lowenthal
Yuri Lowenthal is a voice actor that has voiced several anime and video game characters. He also voiced Kamal for the alternate reality game I Love Bees....
)
Cordelia Blake (Cordelia Break in the Japanese version): A mysterious young woman who has served in the British Army since the age of 13. While other troops in the Wolf Pack use guns she fights with her fire-starting abilities. (English VO: Karen Strassman
Karen Strassman
Karen Strassman is an American voice actress and actress who is most known for her television and film appearances as well as voice acting. She voices many characters in many video games, animated series and anime series, including Zhalia Moon in Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, Fantine in IGPX, Kallen...
).
James Gallant: The leader of the Wolf Pack, James Gallant is a seasoned veteran, especially when fighting the supernatural. He acts as the de facto leader of the Fang Clan, a tribe of werewolves in Scotland who has been in a bloody conflict with the vampires of the Blood Clan for centuries (English VO: Tim Casey)
Jude Lancelot (Jude Lancerot in the Japanese version): Edward Kyle's best friend and brother to his fiancée, Jude fought alongside Edward for the same reasons, but later gets captured by the Blood Clan and turned into a vampire. (English VO: Liam O'Brien
Liam O'Brien
Liam Christopher O'Brien is an American voice actor and voice director perhaps best known for his roles as Gaara of the Sand in Naruto, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, War in the video game Darksiders, 'Vincent Law' in Ergo Proxy and 'Illidan Stormrage' in the 'Warcraft' game series...
).
Keith Miller (Keith Mirror in the Japanese version): The squad's fearlessly loyal point man, who has known Gallant since birth. Like James, he is a lycanthrope. (English VO: Kyle Hebert
Kyle Hebert
Kyle Henry Hebert is an American voice actor and podcaster who works with anime films, television series, as well as video games...
)
Frank Gaunt (Frank Andrea in the Japanese version): Gallant's second-in-command, Gaunt cuts an imposing figure, specializing in close combat. (English VO: Jamieson Price
Jamieson Price
Jamieson Kent Price is an American voice actor.Price was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is most well known for his deep and booming voice and can be heard in numerous anime shows and video games. He is also known as Taylor Henry and James Lyon...
)
Cynthia Rivele: A top-heavy Irish sniper with supernatural marksmanship. (English VO: Paula Tiso
Paula Tiso
Paula Tiso is an American voice actress who is best known as the English voice of Lulu in Final Fantasy X and its sequel.She also has voiced many TV and radio commercials and promos....
)
Herbert East (Herbert West in the Japanese version): The team's American-born 'medic', Herbert is versed in necromancy. Inspired by the Lovecraft character Herbert West
Herbert West
Herbert West is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft for his short story "Herbert West—Reanimator", first published in 1922. There have been several adaptations of the story including Herbert West as played by Jeffrey Combs in the 1985 Re-Animator movie and its two sequels, Bride...
. (English VO: Liam O'Brien
Liam O'Brien
Liam Christopher O'Brien is an American voice actor and voice director perhaps best known for his roles as Gaara of the Sand in Naruto, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, War in the video game Darksiders, 'Vincent Law' in Ergo Proxy and 'Illidan Stormrage' in the 'Warcraft' game series...
)
Villains
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
: The leader of Nazi Germany. (English VO: Derek Stephen Prince
Derek Stephen Prince
Derek Stephen Prince is an American voice actor who is most memorable for his various roles in the Digimon series, as well as the voice of Elgar in the live-action Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers in Space.While a talented actor, with vocal skills capable of anything from High School girls to...
)
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
: The distrustful head of the SS. (English VO: Derek Stephen Prince
Derek Stephen Prince
Derek Stephen Prince is an American voice actor who is most memorable for his various roles in the Digimon series, as well as the voice of Elgar in the live-action Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers in Space.While a talented actor, with vocal skills capable of anything from High School girls to...
)
Alexander Vlado: An SS Sturmbannfuhrer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(equivalent to major) from a race of ancient vampires called the Blood Clan. Appears pale and ghoulish. (English VO: David Lodge
David Lodge (voice actor)
David Lodge is a voice actor who is not to be confused with the British actor of the same name. He is active in the anime and video game voice acting community, but is also very well known for his voicework in the Power Rangers franchise...
)
Carmilla
Carmilla
Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. First published in 1872, it tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla...
: One of Vlado's officers, and of his same vampire race. Has little regard for human life. (English VO: Jessica Straus
Jessica Straus (voice actress)
Jessica Suzanne Straus is an American voice actress who works in the video game and animation industry. She has provided voices for such titles as .hack//GU//Rebirth and Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun...
)
Others
The official site lists 18 additional blank character entries, containing the words "Coming Soon." Several non-recruits round-out the Wolf Pack, includingLewis Canton: A reserve, Lewis puts his talents as a spy to use for the unit, gathering intelligence on the Germans and occasionally joining in the fracas. (English VO: Kyle Hebert
Kyle Hebert
Kyle Henry Hebert is an American voice actor and podcaster who works with anime films, television series, as well as video games...
)
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
: Though he once misused his powers to terrorize the East End of London, he was rehabilitated by the Wolf Pack, who yet regard him with an uneasy acceptance. Jack can use firearms, but is most proficient with knives. (English VO: Derek Stephen Prince
Derek Stephen Prince
Derek Stephen Prince is an American voice actor who is most memorable for his various roles in the Digimon series, as well as the voice of Elgar in the live-action Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers in Space.While a talented actor, with vocal skills capable of anything from High School girls to...
)
Elisa Van Helsing (Eliza Van Helsing in the Japanese version): A professor at King's College
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, Elisa dusts off her Killer Sword and takes up her grandfather's work as a member of the Wolf Pack, when times are dire. (English VO: Jessica Straus
Jessica Straus (voice actress)
Jessica Suzanne Straus is an American voice actress who works in the video game and animation industry. She has provided voices for such titles as .hack//GU//Rebirth and Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun...
)
Max Neuman: The Wolf Pack accommodates their former enemy, a Panzer Daemon, when a malfunction leads him to defect to the Allies.
Leona: A 17 year old Girl belonging to the French Resistance who is serving as a liaison. (English VO: Karen Strassman
Karen Strassman
Karen Strassman is an American voice actress and actress who is most known for her television and film appearances as well as voice acting. She voices many characters in many video games, animated series and anime series, including Zhalia Moon in Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, Fantine in IGPX, Kallen...
)
Reception
Operation Darkness has generally fared poorly with critics, who consistently cite the camera and graphicsGraphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
as fatal flaws. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 2.5 stating that "Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong". http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/883/883699p1.html The Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
gave the game a 2.0 describing the game as "Tedious". EGM gave the game a 28 stating the game should be "avoided like lycanthropy
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
".
The title currently has a Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
metascore of 47, indicating "Generally Negative Reviews".