Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

The epic conclusion to the Cybertron saga, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is a third-person shooter based on the popular transforming robots. The game has the Autobots meeting alternate universe versions of themselves as they devise a plan to leave Cybertron behind.

Rise of the Dark Spark is a love letter for fans of the Transformers franchise. Unfortunately, this love letter has been written using crayons: the game’s overall shoddy performance and disappointing action sequences are not up to the series’ standards. Despite that, there’s still some potential hidden under some frustrating design choices to be found in this game, especially if you’re a die-hard fan of the Transformers.

More Than Meets The Eye

As mentioned before, Rise of the Dark Spark is the third and final entry in the Cybertron saga. This popular series of games began with Transformers: War for Cybertron and offered players a refreshing escape from the usual movie-inspired Transformer games. Surprisingly, Rise of the Dark Spark does away with the original idea of the Cybertron series and introduces the movie version of some characters into the mix. Of course, this has a lore reason, but one can help but feel a bit disappointed seeing the game becoming a bridge between the original franchise and the somewhat divisive movies.

Even though Rise of the Dark Spark is a third-person shooter, some of the game’s setting and its use of regenerative health and shields seem fairly similar to what we’ve seen in the Halo series before.

Being a Transformers game, the story really isn’t anything to write home about. Much of the plot is the usual stuff you’d find in a Saturday morning cartoon, but that’s fine for this type of game.

The large weapon selection is definitely the game’s strongest suit. With 20 guns to choose from (each with a variation when in vehicle mode) the choices when it comes to combat are nearly endless. However, since many of the game’s enemies are simple bullet sponges, firing these weapons can get old very fast.

Troubling Mechanics

One area where the game’s shortcomings quickly become apparent is its visuals. Muddy textures and terrible pop-in can be found everywhere in this awful-looking representation of Cybertron. Unfortunately, the game’s crossover aspects also made it so the Cybertron designs had to be revised in order to fit better with their movie counterparts. The colorful robot designs and flashy guns have been replaced with more neutral versions of themselves. Sure, some things like Optimus’ hot red coloring are still alive and well in Rise of the Dark Spark, but one can’t help but feel like the game has lost a bit of its identity since Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.

Rise of the Dark Spark’s multiplayer mode is one of the game’s few redeeming factors. Unfortunately, official support for the game’s multiplayer component is now extinct, leaving players stuck with the single-player portion of the experience. As long as you don’t mind long bouts of repetitive gameplay and some bland shooting mechanics, there’s still some fun to be had in this simple yet entertaining shooter.

Pros

• Addictive multiplayer mode
• Entertaining story
• Tons of weapons to choose

Cons

• Redesigned Transformers are very hit-or-miss
• Unsatisfying combat and overall gameplay
• Muddy visuals