History VideoGame / ChasmTheRift

* AnachronismStew: Considering the [[ExcusePlot game's premise]] it was inevitable.

Before they got to let us [[VideoGame/{{Carnivores}} Hunt Dinosaurs]] or [[VideoGame/CryostasisSleepOfReason explore frozen ships with an ability to alter the past]], the [[UkrainianMedia Ukraine]]-based Creator/ActionForms debuted into the PC gaming industry in 1997 with ''Chasm: The Rift'', a relatively little-known first-person shooter that is more than influenced by the likes of ''[[VideoGame/QuakeI Quake]]'', made in their own in-house engine. The game pits the player in the shoes of a marine trying to fend off the Timestrikers, mutants who invade the earth at few dozen time periods at once, providing an excuse to have levels based on four different time periods. The game is also an early case of a shooter with [[AnArmAndALeg a dismemberment system]] which allowed the player to blast off an enemy's limbs and in some cases even the head.

** Panzerchasm is an in-development source port of ''Chasm'', allowing it to be run on modern systems with modern hardware acceleration. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in years and in its current state is more of a proof-of-concept, with various inaccuracies such as incorrect enemy A.I. behavior (i.e. simplified movement on most enemies, zombies are vulnerable to normal damage, enemies dismember more easily and don't get stunlocked, etc), missing music and bullet impact decals, and possibly scripting bugs that potentially prevent it from being completable (i.e. the first boss drops their key too close to the killwall fan, many wall traps close faster than they should which forces you to take heavy damage (a big problem in the 3rd episode), a shootable button on Level 15 is missing making progress impossible without noclip, etc).

Not to be confused with the 2018 Metroidvania simply named ''VideoGame/{{Chasm}}'', nor with the ''VideoGame/DoomII'' level named ''The Chasm''.

* TheExecutioner: The [[AnAxeToGrind Axe-wielding]] "Punishers" show up as enemies in egyptian and medieval levels.

* RandomNumberGod: Like many early FirstPersonShooters like ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' and ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', enemy projectile damage is semi-random, with the randomly increasingly against you on the higher difficulty levels. Melee damage, however, is fixed, and doesn't change with difficulty.

* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: Averted; when you have armor, your armor takes the full amount of damage from an attack, but your health still takes some additional damage equal to about 1/4rd of the attack's damage. This is different from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' or ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' where a portion of the total damage was applied to armor and the rest to health. It also means armor doesn't double your durability, but does raise it somewhat.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Lionmen that show up in the Egyptian levels. The bonus levels introduce wolfmen of a similar nature, though their stocky build and tusk-like fangs make them look more like pigmen than wolfmen.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Lionmen that show up in the Egyptian levels. The bonus levels introduce wolfmen of a similar nature.

** Panzerchasm is an in-development source port of ''Chasm'', allowing it to be run on modern systems with modern hardware acceleration. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in years and in its current state is more of a proof-of-concept, with various inaccuracies such as incorrect enemy A.I. behavior (i.e. simplified movement on most enemies, zombies are vulnerable to normal damage, etc), missing music and bullet impact decals, and possibly scripting bugs that potentially prevent it from being completable (i.e. the first boss drops their key too close to the killwall fan, many wall traps close faster than they should which forces you to take heavy damage (a big problem in the 3rd episode), a shootable button on Level 15 is missing making progress impossible without noclip, etc).

* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: Averted; when you have armor, your armor takes the full amount of damage from an attack, but your health still takes some additional damage equal to about 1/3rd of the attack's damage. This is different from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' or ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' where a portion of the total damage was applied to armor and the rest to health. It also means armor doesn't double your durability, but does raise it somewhat.

In September 2022 an UpdatedReRelease of ''Chasm: The Rift'' was announced, coinciding with the game's 25th anniversary, retaining the game's original graphics, but with modern 3D hardware acceleration allowing for modern resolutions up to 4K, as well as some modern effects such as dynamic lighting and shadows. A release date of October 10th, 2022 was set on Steam and Gog.com, and a demo was made available on September 22nd, 2022.

* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Perhaps one of the harshest examples ever. From Level 9 onward one nasty trick the game likes to play is to teleport a group of enemies right on top of you after you flip a switch or pick up a keycard. Their fat hitboxes prevent you from moving while they maul you to death; the only escape is to have enough armor to survive while you equip a high hitstun weapon like the minigun or crossbow and blast your way out.

* SetAMookToKillAMook: Similar to ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', the game has monster infighting, with enemies attacking each other if they accidentally damage each other.

* MisidentifiedWeapons: The so-called "grenader" works essentially as the Rocket Launcher, as it's projectiles are not affected by the gravity.

* HitboxDissonance: The hitboxes on everything are a lot fatter than they should be. Projectile weapons such as the sawblade launcher or crossbow will often get caught on corners instead of passing through (this can really screw you if a grenade detonates in your face when you're trying to fire it around a corner), and if an enemy pins you against a wall you'll likely be immobilized even though it looks like you should be able to slide around them. Panzerchasm has more standard hitboxes so these problems don't crop up.

* KaizoTrap: After the second boss dies, the ceiling starts to collapse, which will instantly kill you if you don't quickly run immediately for the level exit.

In September 2022, on the game's 25th anniversary, an UpdatedReRelease of ''Chasm: The Rift'' was announced, retaining the game's original graphics, but with modern 3D hardware acceleration allowing for modern resolutions up to 4K, as well as some modern effects such as dynamic lighting and shadows. A release date of October 10th, 2022 was set on Steam and Gog.com, and a demo was made available on September 22nd, 2022.

In Fall 2022, on the game's 25th anniversary, an UpdatedReRelease of ''Chasm: The Rift'' was announced, retaining the game's original graphics, but with modern 3D hardware acceleration allowing for modern resolutions up to 4K. A release date of October 10th, 2022 was set on Steam and Gog.com, and a demo is available.

In Fall 2022, on the game's 25th anniversary, an UpdatedReRelease of ''Chasm: The Rift'' was announced, retaining the game's original graphics, but with modern 3D hardware acceleration allowing for modern resolutions up to 4K. A release date of October, 2022 was set on Steam and Gog.com, and a demo is available.

* GuideDangIt: The hint on how you should negotiate with the first boss[[note]]hide for a while[[/note]] appears 2 seconds before you're treated to a face-full of him. Too short of a time for you to actually get out of his sight before he spots you. Once he does, there's no way of avoiding him in the cramped arena to survive long enoug for the escape path to open. SaveScumming is literally mandatory here since even after getting the hint it'll take you several failed attempts to figure out where can you hide safely.

** Panzerchasm is an in-development source port of ''Chasm'', allowing it to be run on modern systems with modern hardware acceleration. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in years and in its current state is more of a proof-of-concept, with various inaccuracies such as incorrect enemy A.I. behavior (i.e. simplified movement on most enemies, zombies are vulnerable to normal damage, etc), missing music and bullet impact decals, and possibly scripting bugs that potentially prevent it from being completable (i.e. the first boss drops their key too close to the killwall fan, many wall traps close faster than they should which forces you to take heavy damage (a big problem in the 3rd episode), etc).