Bog standard and forgettable platformer
Now this is an obscure little platformer that passed the whole world by without any one noticing it, much like its spiritual predecessor Zipman III. However, while it is no disaster it's only really worth digging out if you're a true collector or platforming freak. Players take control of a wizard on an epic quest to save a magical world from being destroyed and which is populated by orcs of varying kinds and environmental hazards like bubbling lava pits and never-ending chasms of doom. As a wizard, you of course have access to spells and these are cast by collecting the crystals will litter the side scrolling levels. The different crystals allow for different powers to be used, including healing the wizard, allowing him to jump further or even fly, and giving him access to ranged weapons with which to dispatch the orcs. Dark Wolf is a pretty basic platformer which although charming has a few issues which make it less than a classic. In terms of pace, it is fairly slow and lacking in challenge or excitement, with plenty of tedious slogging around without anything very interesting actually happening. The controls don't help matters much as they are likewise sluggish and lacking responsiveness, further enhancing the frustration factor. Graphically, the game is vaguely attractive thanks to its bright colour scheme and boldly designed environments and sprites. However, it lacks that real old-school appeal thanks to a lack of detail or originality in the design. Levels too are pretty ordinary, lacking flair and really this sums up the entire game. There's nothing catastrophically bad about Dark Wolf, it's just strictly by-the-numbers but when there are truly classic platformers out there like Flashback, Ghosts & Goblins or Rainbow Islands, this is hard to recommend.
