Pathways Into Darkness
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| Pathways Into Darkness | |
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| Developer(s) | Bungie Software Products Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | Bungie Software Products Corporation |
| Designer(s) | Jason Jones |
| Release date(s) | 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Blend of Role Playing Game and First Person Shooter |
| Mode(s) | single player |
| Platform(s) | Mac OS |
Pathways Into Darkness is a video game created and published by the Bungie Software Products Corporation (now Bungie Studios) in 1993. It was released for the Apple Macintosh. Its tagline was "This is the closest you'll get to virtual reality without a helmet!"
The game helped usher in the popularity of the first-person shooter genre on home computers, at the same time period as Wolfenstein 3D for the IBM PC.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
Pathways Into Darkness casts the player as a member of a US Army Special Forces team on a mission to prevent an ancient godlike being from awakening and destroying the Earth. In order to succeed, the team has to enter an ancient pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula, reach the bottom level, and detonate a low yield nuclear device in an attempt to stun the Dreaming God and bury it under millions of tons of rock. However, before the game begins, during the team's deployment, your parachute fails to open, you plummet to the ground, and are separated from the others who presume you to be dead. Eventually, with most of your equipment lost or broken, you reach the pyramid. The only items that didn't break were your flashlight and survival knife. The team entered several hours previously, leaving in their stead a stream of horrific monsters, created (like the pyramid) by the slowly waking god, who will fully awaken in five game days.[1]
[edit] Gameplay
The game's style is an unusual blend between that of the first-person shooter and an RPG. While much of the game consists of fighting monsters, a great deal of time is also spent solving difficult puzzles, and conversing, via a magic yellow crystal, with dead men (mostly from an ill fated Nazi expedition), who know a few of the pyramid's secrets.
[edit] The Dead
Though the only living human character is the player, each of the dead soldiers has his own story, assuming he can remember it. Dead people in the pyramid do not pass on to an afterlife: they remain in their corpses, still perceiving what occurs around them but unable to act as they slowly forget everything about their lives. Some of them appear to have gone quite insane. Most of them will at least respond to "Name" (by telling their name, if they remember it) and "death" (by describing how they died. Most seem to remember that, though not all are willing or able to discuss it.)[2]
[edit] The Germans
- Anonymous German Soldier (Ground Floor): Unable to remember his name, this soldier was killed by Muller for refusing to follow him through a door.[3]
- Anonymous German Soldier (Lock&Load): This corpse will only state that he is "cold, so cold." He does not remember his name, and asking about his death only prompts him to describe death as cold and lonely.[4]
- Gunther: Killed when he tried to help a wounded Joachim escape a party of Headless. He was leading a party composed of himself, Behrens, Hans and Joachim. He and Joachim were friends. Though he immediately recognizes the player as a foreigner (i.e. not German) he's friendly enough.[5]
- Hans: A new recruit, he was used for carrying ammo by the other expedition members because he couldn't shoot straight. Killed by a Phantasm.[6]
- Walter: Was given a golden key by Muller and sent down to find a room with 12 gold ingots and bring them back along with the cedar box
- Friedrich: Muller's second in command. Never really knew why he was on the mission. Killed on "Happy Happy, Carnage Carnage."
- Muller: the leader of the Nazi expedition. A short, greedy man, he was strongly disliked by his entire team and shot at least one of them in the back. Even after death, he lies to the player about his intentions, mission, and the dangers of the pyramid. If asked about colors, it is discovered that he knew a little something about the crystals too. Despite his faults, he seems to know more about the pyramid than anyone else - though as one of his late underlings put it, "that only makes him more stupid."[7]
[edit] The Americans
- Greg: The last member of your team to have died in the catacombs below the pyramid. He hid the nuclear device in a purple pod directly to the south of his last stand. Died on level, "Watch Your Step."
- Steven: One of your former teammates. He changed the code on the nuclear device from 2870334 to 6580334.
You can also talk to your former teammates, who have all died during their mission.
The last group of dead humans you can talk to are a group of Cuban mercenaries who died while trying to loot the pyramid for artifacts and treasure.
[edit] Weapons
- Survival knife: This is your starting weapon. The survival knife is one of the few items that didn't break or get lost during your failed parachute drop.
- Walther P4 pistol: First found on "Ground Floor" [8]
- MP-41 Submachine gun: First found on "Happy Happy, Carnage Carnage"
- M79 Grenade launcher: First found on "Need a Light?"
- AK-47 Assault Rifle: First found on "I'd Rather Be Surfing"
- Colt .45 Pistol: You begin with this weapon, but have no ammo for it. It is unclear if you'll ever get ammo for it.
Note: Your weapon proficiencies also display an M-16 Assault Rifle as being Expert. You can find M-16s in the game; however, the few M-16s found are described as having the "muzzle bent just enough to render it useless."
[edit] Monsters
Throughout the game you encounter successive waves of bizarre and horrifying monsters, presumably all created by the Dreaming God. They include:
- Headless: Weak orange bipeds with olive-shaped bodies atop froglike legs. On top of the body is a round mouth filled with sharp teeth and a long tongue. They spit a quantity of green goo as an attack. Headless mostly occupy the levels above the surface and are the first enemies encountered in the game. Though they're quite weak and feel pain (they flinch and scream when injured) they are often found in groups.
- Zombie: Skeletons in headdresses who throw bones at the player. Unlike the Headless, they do not feel pain, so the only way to stop them from firing is to kill them. When they die, they dissolve into small piles of dust.
- Phantasm: Also known as Shades or Banshees, Phantasms are black, translucent cloaklike shapes with glowing red eyes. They are immune to all conventional weaponry; only the Crystals have the power to harm them. Phantasms are invisible in the infrared spectrum. They simply disappear upon death.
- Ghoul: A Ghoul is a pale, hulking, hunchbacked humanoid. Their distinctive posture is probably necessitated by the small corridors of the pyramid. Ghouls deal a lot of damage by throwing rocks at high speed, but are not very tough for all their size and can be quickly dispatched with a knife. Like the Headless, their firing can be interrupted by harming them.
- Nightmare: Bloated, dark brown fishlike monsters with yellow eyes, Nightmares float through the air firing orbs of electricity. On death, they explode with some force, hurting or even killing their attacker. Presumably they are full of some kind of lighter-than-air, combustible gas (hydrogen?) but they seem to contain a fair amount of liquid as well. Greater Nightmares are blue with red eyes, and are far more dangerous. Their electricity orbs home in on their targets, and they only take damage from armor-piercing rounds.
- Ooze: Roughly humanoid monsters that hurl bits of slime. They resemble humans covered in a thick coat of orange/tan mud, with no visible facial features but a vertical, tooth-lined opening in the chest. It's unclear whether a more solid body exists beneath the mudlike exterior. They often travel in threes.
- Green Ooze: Green Oozes are indestructible monsters that also travel in groups of three. For some unknown reason, they will ignore intruders who are poisoned. These Oozes are only found on the level, "Warning: Earthquake Zone."
- Rats and Lizzards: Small rapid moving flying creatures that which attack in swarms and gnaw the player to death. The Lizzards additionally are capable of following the player between levels.
- Invisible Wraith: Bizarre enemies that are completely invisible to the naked eye Wraiths can only be seen with aid of Infra-Red goggles. Attacking at such great speeds you may well be dead before you get the chance to see what hit you.
- Electric Sphere: Found throughout the ever-changing "Labyrinth" level, large spheres of electrical energy. Capable of both travelling at incredible speeds and rapidly "sensing" an intruder at a great distance they can be a quite formidable enemy. When attacking they tend to attack in groups cooking their target with powerful electric fields.
- Purple Pod: Purple mines found on one level that explode when stepped upon. They are also capable of conceiling hidden items within them.
- Sentinel: Strange sitting "humans" who generate a forcefield. They are dressed similarly to that of Zombies and Ghasts. Can only be killed with the Green Crystal
- Skitter: Large carnivorous spider like monsters who spit sticky projectiles that form their web to trap prey (eg. the player in) of whom they then eat. They come in two varieties non-venomous which are a cyan color found on the upper lower levels of the pyramid and the magenta colored venomous variety on the lower levels of who shoot toxic projectiles that poison the player.
- Ghast: Skeletons with a similar headress to that of the weaker Zombies but in blue instead of red. Ghasts wander the lower levels. They are capable of causing small "earthquakes" damaging those nearby. In groups their damage is greatly increased causing far more deadly quakes. Like the Zombies when Ghasts are killed they disintegrate into a pile of dust.
- Greed: Better known as the Big Blue Meanie. A massive blue creature, simply a face surrounded by two arms and chickenlike feet. The arms end in tubes that can spray bursts of fire. This monster is responsible for the death of almost every member of the main character's team. Greed has remarkably high stamina, though it can be killed.
- Malice: Known more colloquially as the Giant Purple Mutant Hellbeast, or Barney on Steroids, this purple serpentine monster cannot be killed. It belches clouds of toxic gas to attack. There is some controversy among players whether the Gas Mask item is useful in reducing or preventing this damage. Though the player will only encounter one Hellbeast at first, two others appear near the first one towards the very end of the game.
- Deceit: A floating, gaslike creature, known to some as "Flaming Smokey Dude." It never attacks, but is always found in the company of a large number of monsters. After all of its companions have been killed, Deceit itself is easily defeated and leaves behind an Alien Gemstone. Deceit's nature is never explicitly stated: whether it is somehow a representation of the immortal Dreaming God itself, or one of its creations, possibly the (formerly) imprisoned demon mentioned by certain characters. This monster is also seen in the unofficial port of Marathon to the Aleph One engine as part of the protagonist's opening flashback/dream.
[edit] Crystals
During the course of the game the player acquires several different crystals, each of which has a separate special power. After equipping a crystal, it takes several seconds (the exact duration varies from crystal to crystal) to charge before it can be used. After each use the crystal takes longer and longer to fully charge up, after a while the crystal would shatter into a fine powder and be removed from your inventory. The crystals and their powers are as listed below:
- Yellow: Hums in the player's hand. Each use enables instantaneous communication with a corpse in close proximity. The exact nature of this communication is never explicitly described, though it is likely similar to telepathy. This crystal is unique in that it never shatters. It is always available once found, since some puzzles cannot be solved without the help of the dead.
- Blue: Icy cold to the touch. Freezes a target temporarily, causing damage.
- Orange: Very warm to touch. Burns the target, dealing more damage than the blue crystal.
- Violet: Crackles and gives constant static shocks. Unleashes a lightning storm, dealing heavy damage to all visible enemies. This crystal can be found in the center of "The Labyrinth"
- Green: A rough crystal that vibrates slightly. Creates an earthquake with the user at the center; also hits creatures behind the user. Ineffective against flying foes.
- Black: Holding this crystal is painful, as though it were covered in hundreds of tiny needles. A single charge instantly turns the nearest creature into stone permanently. While effective against nearly every enemy, it is not found until late in the game and only has about 10 charges, limiting its usefulness.
[edit] Potions
Occasionally one will encounter a potion in a bottle, affecting the player in different ways when consumed depending which type of potion, these include:
- Bubbling Red Potion: Makes the player move twice as fast and able to make twice as many attacks.
- Clear Blue Potion: Instantly restores the player's vitality points when drunk. Can also cure the effects of poisoning.
- Thick Brown Potion: Deadly poison, will poison the player when consumed. Used to get past the Green Oozes.
- Pale Violet Potion: Short lived potion that makes the player invulnerable and immune to pain.
[edit] Magical Items
While exploring the temple and the tunnels below it, you will come across several magical objects that will help you in your quest to stop the god from awakening.
- Alien Pipes This item will open the 2 doors on "Ground Floor." The pipes are found the level "Ascension." Muller also has a set of the Alien Pipes with him on the level "Happy Happy Carnage Carnage."
- Cedar Box This item can duplicate anything that is put into it after a few minutes or so. VERY useful for making more ammo! This can be found on the level, "A Plague of Demons."
- Red Cloak This slows time for the wearer.
- Easter Egg This bizarre object is found on "Happy Happy Carnage Carnage," and eating it will take you directly to, "Okay, Who Else Wants Some?" Which is the last level in the game.
[edit] Misc. Items
- Canvas Bag - Can hold your stuff.
- Gas mask - This is a gas mask that you find on one of the bodies of the dead Cubans.
[edit] Treasure
During the game you will also encounter a variety different and very valuable treasure items. While most of these have no practical purpose picking them up will increase the players score. As a player's score increases, so does his maximum health level. Some treasure has no real use, but other items have uses in the game.
- One treasure that you find early on is a Silver Medal from Nazi Germany that is on the corpse of a dead German soldier on the level, "They May Be Slow..."
- A Diamond Necklace is another piece of treasure that is located on the level, "Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares."
- A Gold Ingot can be found next to the corpse of a Nazi soldier on the level, "Feel the Power." 11 More ingots can be found behind a gold door on the level, "Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares."
- An Emerald is located on the level, "Lock & Load."
- Two Sapphires can be found on the level, "Watch Your Step."
- A Pearl can be found on the level, "Evil Undead Phantasms Must Die!"
[edit] Interlevel Transport
- Ladders: Ordinary wooden ladders, found above the ground.
- Crystal Ladders: Ladders made of crystal in a variety of colors.
- Vines: Long vines which lead into the lower depths of the Pyramid.
- Teleporters: Translucient portals which could lead virtually anywhere. Many are only one way.
[edit] Connections with other Bungie games
Pathways Into Darkness is considered by many to be the beginning of the "Bungie Mythos", a large timeline which connects this and later Bungie games.
The most salient of these connections is the nature of the "waking god" and the helpful aliens who inform the United States government of its nature. The "waking god" is believed to be a — or the — W'rkncacnter, a race or singular entity in the Marathon series which shares similar properties, primarily ancient origins, incredible power and the capacity to cause destruction on a global or cosmic scale simply by existing.
Also, the aliens who inform the US of the waking god are the Jjaro, an ancient alien race that is featured heavily in the Marathon and (as some fans believe) Halo series, although they are never mentioned by name in the latter.
There are also connections which are not directly spoken, but many believe. Although it is never directly stated, the Marathon character is rumored to be a cyborg, formed from the dead bodies of soldiers. This character feels as if he has done certain things before, or as if he has dreamed about them. These 'certain things' match up well with nearly identical events which the main character from Pathways experienced.
The most subtle of the connections between Pathways Into Darkness and Marathon lie in a single computer terminal in the latter game. While seemingly there to provide proof that a human AI is distorting human history data (to prevent invading aliens from knowing of Earth's location) the text is actually a highly corrupted version of the original Pathways Into Darkness story.
[edit] The original story
The original plotline for Pathways Into Darkness focused on a group of semi-immortal humans, who had maintained immortality since the time of the Roman Empire, owing to a Fountain of Youth. Every seven years, the leader of the group would have to go down into underground caverns to retrieve the water for the rest of the group to maintain immortality. The player would represent a member of this group, who has been randomly chosen to do this, since the last leader did not return. [9]
[edit] Other influences
Many fans have noted similarities between the dreaming alien god of Pathways Into Darkness and the terrors of H.P. Lovecraft fiction. In particular, the description of the god as an ancient entity, from outside of known space, involved in wars beyond history, and affecting reality with its dreams, are reminiscent of Lovecraft's Elder Gods or the Great Old Ones.
[edit] Trivia
- If the player is killed by an Ooze, he receives the message: "Oozes. They're everywhere. Can't stand 'em". This is similar to a comment from The Tick about ninjas.
[edit] External links
- Pathways Into Darkness on bungie.org
- Pathways Redux - a PID-inspired mod for Doom 3
- Pathways Into Darkness at MobyGames
- Marathon: Pathways into Darkness - Pathways into Darkness for Aleph One
| Non-series games | Gnop! • Operation Desert Storm • Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete • Abuse • Oni • Pathways Into Darkness • Myth series • Pimps at Sea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon series | Marathon • Marathon 2: Durandal • Marathon Infinity | ||
| Halo series | Halo: Combat Evolved • Halo 2 • Halo 3 • Halo Wars • Untitled Halo Project | ||
|
Marathon • Marathon 2: Durandal • Marathon Infinity |
