Mace: The Dark Age

1997 · Fighting · Arcade

About Mace: The Dark Age

Mace: The Dark Age (1997) is Atari Games' violent 3D weapon-based fighter, built on 3dfx Voodoo hardware, in which warriors of the 12th century seek to destroy the sorcerer Asmodeus.

Mace: The Dark Age in Depth

In the 12th century, the dark sorcerer Asmodeus wields the fabled Mace of Tanis, imbued with necropotic energy that promises eternal life and boundless power, and leads a Covenant of Seven nations. Leaders from East Asia and the remaining free nations of Europe send their chosen warriors to kill him before it is too late. Like many fighters of its time it is extremely violent: as in Mortal Kombat, a fighter who wins both rounds can perform an execution on the loser, and its play resembles Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. and Mortal Kombat.

Instead of ring-outs, arenas are bordered by dangerous terrain such as lava that damages anyone who strays out of bounds, similar to Dead or Alive, and stages feature interactive elements such as water. An evade button lets fighters step forward or back into the 3D environment. Critics widely agreed its graphics were excellent and its gameplay mediocre: Electronic Gaming Monthly called it "one of the most visually impressive fighting games around" but found the combos "don't flow smoothly" and the controls stuck in "a yesteryear-zone". GamePro, one of the few wholly positive reviewers, praised the "dynamic details that not only look great but add to the fun and playability" of its arenas.

Making Mace: The Dark Age

Atari Games developed and published it for arcades using the 3dfx Voodoo graphics card, the technology behind San Francisco Rush, which was cheaper to develop for than proprietary hardware. It was a commercial success in arcades, turning Atari a profit, though reviews were average. Midway released a Nintendo 64 port, which critics judged the best fighter on the console only by default; Next Generation said it "would still get pounded into the ground by any PlayStation or Saturn fighter game", and GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann found it inferior to Dark Rift, saying it "looks fantastic but still plays poorly."

Mace: The Dark Age Trivia

It took about two years to make.
Thirty characters were created, then cut to eleven through teenage focus groups.
Its motion capture was performed by an Atari team member who belonged to the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Cheaper 3dfx hardware let Atari sell it to arcade operators at a lower price.
A PlayStation version was planned but never released.