Much of Dark Void is given over to aerial combat against swarms of flying saucers. You can shoot them down with the jet-pack’s guns, hop into a rebel plane, or hijack an enemy saucer. The controls are fluid and the pace is harrowing, but the dogfights drag on far too long with too little variety. Hijacking is the most effective means of taking down saucers. You must maneuver around the ship’s perimeter to avoid turret-fire while prying a control panel open. It’s an exciting endeavor the first time around, and routinely mundane the next two-dozen.

Dark Void can’t seem to decide what it wants to be. Chapters that mix ground- and air-based combat against Watcher foot-soldiers are undoubtedly the most exciting, and the rarest. You spend the first quarter of the game waiting to get the jetpack, much of the middle indoors, and the long road to the finale trying to get the jet-pack back after being captured. Sci-fi nerds, action fans, tech-junkies, little children, old men - everyone loves jet-packs. Why Airtight Games chose not to maximize the use of such an awesome piece of equipment is beyond my comprehension.

Further marring any enjoyment to be had are the copious amounts of brazenly apparent bugs. I saw a fully-loaded gun that wouldn’t fire, enemies that could only be hit with melee-attacks (not a “special” enemy), enemies spawning half-stuck in walls, and heard the audio in multiple cut-scenes disintegrate into static. My favorite was getting shot and killed before the game faded in from the loading screen. Either Dark Void was knowingly shipped with an egregious amount of bugs or there was a manufacturing error worthy of a recall. Regardless, I feel disrespected as a consumer.

Dark Void’s soundtrack is a consistently amazing blend of techno-noir (ala Blade Runner), tribal beats, and orchestral arrangements. It’s the type of score that can instantly make anything epic. The fact that it holds my highest praise should also be greatly disconcerting. Dark Void’s jet-pack inspires some genuinely thrilling moments, but never for long. From glitches to repetitive dog-fights and long stretches sans jet-pack, there is always something to ruin your fun as you trudge toward a wholly disappointing boss-battle and an inconclusive, patchwork ending.