Death in the Shadows

Published April 17, 2009

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is the follow-up to one of the most surprising hits on the original Xbox®, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

He's not long for living if Riddick has his way.

Vin Diesel reprises his role as the taciturn Furion warrior Riddick, a man teetering constantly on the edge between sympathetic and cold-hearted, unwilling to show weakness but unable to let injustice stand. He is the hunter of fiends, the dark murderous presence that haunts the merciless and ill-hearted.

Uncovering the conspiracy that surrounds this new, terrible breed of warrior and taking revenge on the mercenary leader that masterminded it is no easy task.

Dark Athena finds Riddick assaulting a mercenary controlled prison ship, one whose purpose runs along a much more sinister line than originally supposed. Indeed, terrible experiments on the ship Dark Athena are turning the prisoners into mind-controlled drones, shackling them into a torturous existence somewhere between the spark of life and release of death.

Uncovering the conspiracy that surrounds this new, terrible breed of warrior and taking revenge on the mercenary leader that masterminded it is no easy task. However, with these tips you should find your dark path to victory just a little bit easier.

Interrupt Attacks
The brutal hand-to-hand combat engine is as challenging as it is entertaining, particularly on the Hard difficulty setting. It takes careful timing and good defense to win out against the tougher opponents, but interrupting your opponent's attacks with one of your own can help tip the odds in your favor.

Brutal way to regain health.

Rather than unleashing your own barrage of attacks, likely to be blocked or countered, wait for your opponent to strike. Then, attempt your own attack smack-dab in the middle of their attack animation.

Provided you use standard quick attacks rather than the longer, heavier strikes, you should smack them before their attack reaches you, causing damage and opening up an opportunity to launch your own offensive.

Box Cover
You gain tremendous benefit by firing from behind the safety of cover. Position yourself directly behind a crate and Riddick will adjust the grip on his weapon, holding it up and over the crate. This visual cue lets you know you're safely behind cover.

Despite his iconic battle prowess, Riddick can't take more than a few bullets before he crumbles, so take the time to examine your environment and use crates as cover whenever possible.

Ever the Stealth Kill
Riddick may eventually have a whole arsenal of weapons, but don't think that's license to turn Dark Athena away from its stealthy nature into a run-and-gun shooter. When contemplating how best to drop an enemy, let the stealth kill be your first option.

This is going to be good.

Provided you're behind an enemy and crouched (X button), you should be able to approach directly from behind and trigger an instant kill with the Right Trigger. Not only will prioritizing this tactic help keep you unnoticed, but it also goes a long way toward conserving your ammo so when things break down and you have to turn to your guns, plenty of bullets are available.

Shoot and Hide
Any time you shoot down an enemy, there's a good chance you can retreat safely back into the shadows, flummoxing nearby enemies. Try that rather than standing out in the open and battling it out. Once you're back under cover of darkness, wait for the battle music to die down. When the music stops, you know enemies are no longer actively searching for you. Proceed from there.

Eye Shine Conservation
Making use of Riddick's Eye Shine works wonders for noting far away enemies and plotting your course through an area, but it also makes recognizing whether you're still safely hidden in shadows somewhat problematic.

Whenever you're properly cloaked in darkness, the screen is heavily tinted blue. You can be sure no enemy will spot you unless they shine a light directly on you or bump into you during their patrol.

With Eye Shine turned on, the world is bathed in strident colors, making it much harder to confidently tell whether you're properly concealed. Use Eye Shine in short bursts only as a way to scout out the environment around you.

Doorway Battles
When the bullets start to fly, turn the odds in your favor by funneling the enemies to a chokepoint, usually a doorway. This way, they can't flank you or pin you between deadly crossfire.

Use drones when possible.

Try looking around to see if you can safely make your way to and through a door whenever a gunfight breaks out. Then, pop out and fire off a few rounds so nearby enemies will run towards you. When they do, position yourself just to the side of the door, wait for them to come through, and pick them off one by one.

Dragging Drones
Picking up a drone and making use of their assault rifle is a worthwhile tactic at almost any time. First, the Drone provides you with a bit of cover, so gunfire shouldn't take you down quite so quickly. Secondly, you won't waste any of your own ammo.

Also, while you can't push a drone you're carrying forward, you can drag them backward. Once a battle is over, turn around and drag the drone to the next exit. It may be a little time consuming, but if there are enemies waiting in the next room, you'll begin the fight with a substantial advantage.

Beware the White Light
Whenever you see a drone sporting white, rather than red lights, you know they're being actively controlled. Drones are substantially more dangerous when actively controlled, so make sure these white-light drones are your primary target whenever you spot them.

Try not to engage them straight-on. Instead, wait patiently until you have the drop on them. Then, trigger a stealth-kill from behind or attempt a headshot at a distance.

With these tips, and a willingness to embrace the game's special brand of stealthy action, you should be well on your way to toppling the mercenary regime.

Article by Ryan Treit