The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)

I remember being blown away by this game when it first released. Not only did it have the best graphics on the XBOX, but it also sported a fairly novel lighting engine (this was an approach to graphics that were quite popular around this era, including Doom 3), a great setting and engaging story. Sure the story itself is nothing complex. You're locked up inside the worst prison in the whole universe and need to escape. Simple enough, but it does take a surprising amount of twists and turns while steadily upping the ante.

This is easily the best film to video game adaptation, even to this day. While I do like the LOTR's movie tie in games, those were pretty simple arcade affairs that were nonetheless fun. Here, the devs make the brilliant decision of making a prequel to the films. This allowed them a great deal of freedom with their creativity, since they didn't have to shoe-horn in set pieces from the film itself. Rather they expanded on the character of Riddick, and honestly did a far better job of characterizing him consistently than any of the films.

What makes this game both unique and great is its balance of gameplay. Not one element is particularly great, but the game firmly falls under the greater than the sum of its parts. It can be an immersive sim-lite (for lack of a better term). Where you have a labyrinthine prison to explore with multiple paths forward that you can choose from. There are vents, disguises, people you can do favors for or bribe, or simply stealth your way through. It has light RPG elements, though it's certainly not an RPG. Butcher Bay is a grimy hell hole and the game never relents on the atmosphere, with an engine that helps sell it.

Combat is certainly janky. Melee combat can feel unreliable and often you will resort to cheesing your way through fights, but it does still visceral, especially with the blood splatters. Stealth is where this game feels the best, so avoiding direct confrontations. There is gunplay to, but this feels more serviceable than great. Where it all clicks together is in the flow and shake up of gameplay. You go through sequences of talking and getting on good terms with inmates or guards, followed by stealth sequences, then high octane combat, then back again. The game really makes you feel like an edgelord Riddick and Vin Diesel's voice acting really sells it.

A really interesting aspect of this game is how it basically inverts the horror elements. The great lighting engine does create an oppressive atmosphere, but with Riddick's eye shine, the darkness is your friend. They smartly give this mechanic a downside, by having lights and gun muzzle flashes blind you, encouraging you to swap between using and not using the power. Riddick is the monster in this game and it has literal monsters in it.

The best part is certainly the ending, which I won't spoil, but what I will say it's one of the better ends to an antagonist in any medium. Nothing complex mind you, but it's a good one.

In the end, what makes this work are the fun characters, balance of game play and the atmosphere. A very unique game that easily holds up. It has jank, but it's easy to overlook that with how much it gets right. It's a shame that the sequel focuses on the wrong aspects of what made Butcher Bay great. It instead has a more combat focus, which again, was okay at best and again feels that way even when it is the focus.

The film Pitch Black got at best average reviews upon release. It did make money, however and got somewhat of a fan base. Still, it seemed surprising at the time that they took a chance on developing this game

The game is actually a prequel to the first film. You are, of course, Riddick. Vin Diesel does his own voice work and the other voice actors do a fine job

As Riddick, you have been placed in a maximum security prison and obviously this won't do for Riddick and so you are trying to escape

I found all features of the game to be well done, whether it be the hand to hand combat, stealth or shooting. The graphics were EXCELLENT for the period

You receive quests by interacting with other prisoners. Some are amiable while others want Riddick's guts spilled on the floor and you will have to fend these prisoner off while also dealing with the prison guards who are all over your ass

In the beginning, you can attack with your fists or make weapons such as shivs or clubs. Later on, firearms become available to you

Stealth allows Riddick to kill enemies quickly. You can execute from behind, or jump down on your unsuspecting victim. Much like other stealth games, you do have to be careful to hide away the bodies of your victims

It is rather on the short side, but if that was not the case I might have 5 starred it. I really enjoyed this, frankly more than the films

Intro

Riddick 1 is a first-person brawler/shooter with minor stealth elements. As that bald action guy who isn't The Rock you have to make your way around a gigantic prison and mining complex.

The Good

• It looks good for a 2004 game, though i'm not sure how much of that is the remaster.
• Not-The-Rock and other C-list celebrities voiced characters, including Ron Perlman.
• You can disable the security alarm in a room by shooting the lamp.
• Laughable macho dialogue.

The Bad

• Laughable macho dialogue.
• You can get stuck in the prison by running out of money.
• Stealth is often impossible.
• Really long stretches where you only have a shiv.
• Checkpoints, and very few of them.
• Lots of loading screens in smaller areas.
• No regenerating health, just limited healing stations.
• Almost no variation in enemies; Guard, riot guard, crawler, turret.
• Almost no variation in weapons; Shiv, club, pistol, shotgun, assault rifle.
• No interactive map.
• Levels are a combination of super-linear and maze-like stretches.
• Enemies are either blind & deaf or hyper-aware & super fast.
• Third-person camera when climbing.

Conclusion

This game is a mess. I've played it for 3,5 hours and for the past 2 hours i've been running around without any idea of where i'm supposed to go while bringing a shiv to an assault rifle fight dozens of times (you can't use enemy rifles due to DNA-locks). Stealth rarely works and to make things worse the enemy seems to ignore the dark once you're spotted. I thought it was so cool you could shoot the lights and use your nightvision to sneak up on them, but that just doesn't work because they see you anyway.

The game is alright early on, when you can actually use firearms and there's some interactions with other characters. Once you get to the actual escape it just gets really boring. Almost every enemy is a guard and you only have a shiv to fight them. This came out in the same year as Half-Life 2, VTM: Bloodlines, Doom 3 and Farcry. None of those ever felt this dull.