Just as you're getting a sense of history between the pairing, the couple are sucked into the Bermuda triangle, where Dark Void's goofy, yet endearing sci-fi plot begins to take hold.

Playing as Will, Dark Void is structured into three main gameplay elements; cover-based shooting (think Uncharted), vertical shooting (think Uncharted at a right-angle), and jet-pack flight segments.

The game takes roughly 7 hours to play through, with just collectibles and difficulty increases to tempt you back.

There's a goofy, sitcom drama charm to Dark Void's comic book-esque plot and characters, and that comes through in their animation and cheeky design. Sure, protagonist Will is an outright carbon copy of Nathan Drake (with the voice of Nolan North to boot), but the plot does have enough personality of its own to make it engaging.

Cover-shooting has become such a cliche in recent years. With practically every other game doing it, Dark Void introduces an interesting vertical combat mechanic. Essentially, it works in the same way as typical cover, but the difference is you're peering over a huge ledge with a big drop beneath you. It can be disorientating, but in a good way.

There's a good punchiness and consistency to Dark Void's soundtrack that make it one of the game's strength. Sadly, there are some audio glitches that can ruin the atmosphere.

You get a jet-pack in Dark Void. It's surprising there are so few games with jet-packs in them actually. Mechanically, despite a learning curve, flight combat in Dark Void feels pretty good. It's tarnished by some familiar objectives, but the overall feel is good.

No one gameplay element in Dark Void particularly stands out, but the introduction of various mechanics is welcome in making the gameplay varied.

Dark Void is plagued with a host of technical problems. The sound stutters, the framerate is dippy, and worst of all the camera can be a complete nightmare at times, sticking stiffly to the player and unable to keep up with on-screen events. Which is a shame, because there are moments when Dark Void shows glimmers of technical potential - flight segments, merging into on the ground fire-fights with a tight, secure framerate. Problem is, those moments are few and far between. The game just lacks polish.

With a decent narrative, there was clearly talent behind Dark Void's fiction. So why the writers felt the need to rip off Naughty Dog's Nathan Drake character for their game's protagonist is beyond me. There was an opportunity to really make a story worthy of merit here, but the unimaginative protagonist harms that.

Conclusion

Upon finishing Dark Void we concluded that we'd absolutely play a sequel; the fiction and premise are rather endearing. Indeed, the problem with Dark Void is its unpolished execution, which feels a few yards short of meeting its potential.