Chasm
Chasm
Game
Game2022
Chasm: The Rift
Developer Action Forms, General Arcade
Chasm: The Rift (also known as Chasm: The Shadow Zone) is a first-person shooter video game developed by Ukrainian studio Action Forms and published by Megamedia Corporation in 1997 for the MS-DOS operating system. The game is set across various locations, including military bases, ancient Egyptian tombs, medieval settings, and an alien world. Players assume the role of an elite soldier tasked with single-handedly… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
248 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 31, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
72
Fresh
131 positive · 50 negative
95% range 65–78%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 131 | 50 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 2 | 2 | 37 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
250 of 314 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
73% recommend · 139 yes, 51 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 190 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (428 of 525 positive).
Players describe Chasm: The Rift as a janky but charming retro FPS similar to Quake. [1][2][3] Many reviewers praise the dismemberment system and satisfying combat. [1][4][5] Some players criticize the level design as confusing and the game as short. [6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [14]
I'm gonna try and be really honest with this review because I'm of the opinion that this game has been somewhat misrepresented by a lot boomer shooter fans and YouTube personalities. Of course it's perfectly fine to have a different opinion of an obscure Ukrainian FPS game from 1997, but many of these people today fall into the same trappings as the small but dedicated group of gaming journalists from the 90s who …
- [1]
Basically it's slavic Quake. Janky but charming, you also can dismember enemies which is very cool.
- [3]
Chasm: The Rift is a fascinating eurojank FPS from the mid 90s that unfortunately got terrible reviews for it's time for being too similar to Quake. It was actually supposed to compete with Quake a year earlier, but GT Interactive lost publishing rights to Activision when id Software signed with them. I remember playing this game when it came out many moons ago in 1997 and absolutely loving it. It was like Quake, …
- [6]
i think it's a great game but the level design is very awful and confusing, at which make me jump for final boss already, i was enjoying some places and vice-versa but the design level is not good at all, though this game is oldschool i do recommend for who has more pacience than me and its fair for play it also the game plays in very hard difficulty even if you play in easy mode. 6/10
- [2]
It's like Quake, but flat. It's a Panquake.
Summarised from 34 of the 253 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Chasm: The Rift sits at 72% positive across 181 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Critics generally praised Chasm: The Rift for its detailed monsters with dismemberment mechanics, well-designed weapons, and technical features such as rain effects and destructible environments. However, they also noted that the game fell short of contemporaries like Quake due to its overly simplistic level design, which featured an abundance of narrow corridors that restricted player movement. The multiplayer mode faced criticism for its inconveniences and inability to compete with more prominent titles of the era. A reviewer of the Game.EXE magazine praised Chasm: The Rift, but noted its lack of 3D accelerator support. The reviewer highlighted the game's monster design and animation,…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 248 · most liked firstHere’s a comm I got from @4brandonjs4.bsky.social of Erma watching Warrior Unicorm Princess with Lonely Girl from the game Escaped Chasm by @tuyoki.bsky.social! Really love how it turned out, thank you Brandon! #Erma #Escapedcham #Art #CommissionedArt
neutral · AI labelView post →I was responsible for lighting Chasm, a multiplayer map released with Halo Infinite Season 3. Designated as a "quick-map"-an idea to utilize existing campaign assets to speed up the release of Dev-made maps in the game. Usually it takes ~6 months to light a map depending on size, Chasm was done in 1
neutral · AI labelView post →Hey. Every future Marvel video game? Stop using Chasm for Spider-Man costume variants. Thank you. Bye bye.
negative · AI labelView post →👁work in progress 👁 Just doing some tests for #Val'tyFPS (Not an actual level) I want to know how my fav animated "skybox" work for some future interesting flesh areas. If you don't know yet, Val'ty's game is a short FPS inspired by games like MDK, ParanoiaScape and Chasm The Rift. #WIP #retrofps
neutral · AI labelView post →Vanilluxe - The Snowstorm Pokémon These bad boys are made of water, 0 calories. Eating a Vanilluxe is just for the love of the game. If there's some weird Pokémon biology at play, I'll estimate 68,000 calories. (If it were literally ice cream, ~240,000 calories.) Free @ The Giant Chasm, Unova
neutral · AI labelView post →What is the game about? 🦎Val'ty What is the hook? 🦎Val'ty Why does the world need another simple FPS? 🦎Val'ty is in it. Who's the target audience? 🦎Val'ties #Val'tyFPS is our short game about a silly reptilian family. Inspired by games like MDK, Chasm the Rift and Turok.
neutral · AI labelView post →MMO players (past and present): what is your attitude towards "forced" group content?. Specifically things like instanced 5 man dungeons (like Ragefire Chasm or the Deadmines in WoW) which are explicitly designed to challenge a full party of a certain level range. Notably, not endgame content. I'm sure the answer changes based on different factors (e.g. how good are the rewards? What are the drop rates like? Are similar rewards available elsewhere? How long is the dungeon? Am I late picking the…
neutral · AI labelView post →Chasm-developer's new sci-fi WWII metroidvania game 'WOLFHOUND' gets a new gameplay trailer. Steam page: store.steampowered.com/app/1205660 #indiegames #indiegame #steam #metroidvania
neutral · AI labelView post →You will love our indie game if you enjoyed: - Turok - MDK (1 & 2) - Chasm: The Rift - Dance Dance Revolution - Creepypasta, Arg, Easter Eggs Wishlist here store.steampowered.com/app/3860970/...
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm gonna try and be really honest with this review because I'm of the opinion that this game has been somewhat misrepresented by a lot boomer shooter fans and YouTube personalities. Of course it's perfectly fine to have a different opinion of an obscure Ukrainian FPS game from 1997, but many of these people today fall into the same trappings as the small but dedicated group of gaming journalists from the 90s who claimed that Chasm was an honest to god "Quake killer". Make no mistake, this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I decided to showcase my game Val'ty and 3 games that inspired it (like in the previous trend), but this time all in action. 👽VAL'TY 👽MDK 👽Chasm: The Rift 👽Turok
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm working on #Val'tyFPS (very early in development). It's a simple FPS game inspired by ParanoiaScape, MDK, Akuji, Chasm: The Rift, and Quake II. It follows a quirky alien and her daughter as they invade a living spaceship. Featuring maggots to eat, plushies to collect, and walls of rotten flesh.
neutral · AI labelView post →The inspiration behind Val'ty game: Jump Pads > Rise of The Triad Teleportation sphere > Turok 3 Secret keys (not in demo) > Turok 2 Sniper Mode > MDK Level Design > Turok and Chasm the Rift Sidekick > Daikatana Machine Gun > MDK and Kiss Psycho Circus Main Menu > Playstation demo discs
neutral · AI labelView post →This was my 'we have Quake at home' as a kid. I had a strange fixation with Chasm as a child, the kind that can only happen if you're a kid with no money, no вітснеs and a computer that's older than you are. I never beat the game proper, and I probably never will. But I explored it more thoroughly than most of you ever will, using console commands and the infinite time and patience only a child can have. Chasm has the bones to be a great boomer shooter. It has a good aesthetic and monster…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: ✅ Decent game, but has major issues. ✅ Runs without any issues. ✅ Good music. ✅ The decapitation system is nicely done.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like Retro FPS's? How about sharing VAL'TY? A game where you play as an "evil" 46 years old alien mother accompanied by her tiny and fierce daughter. Inspired by MDK, Turok, Chasm the Rift and my own previous titles. Demo soon. Wishlist to get Val'ted! store.steampowered.com/app/3860970/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Basically it's slavic Quake. Janky but charming, you also can dismember enemies which is very cool.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like Quake, but flat. It's a Panquake.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[rts appreciated] wip of the EVENT STAGE for my game Sacred Chasm : Silent Utopia ! this is gonna be playable throughout the winter (nov~feb) and unlock special achievements... i plan on doing more of these! store.steampowered.com/app/2840640/... #bullethell #indiegame #indiedev #schmup #STG
neutral · AI labelView post →The guy across from me watched me run away with the game thanks to Glacial Chasm, so he went up front and bought one for himself. MY IMPACT
neutral · AI labelView post →Chasm: The Rift is an interesting game. It's a hacked together 2.5D Quake-like game that is pretty cool for its time. Despite being an interesting technical curiosity, the game itself is just bad. Chasm features some of the worst level design I have ever experienced. The levels are labyrinthine, nonsensical messes with completely unfair traps and constant places with guaranteed damage, no matter how good you are. Some of the enemies are entirely unfair and the game loves spawning them around…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today I bring to you a new little feature: photo mode 📸 It's pretty neat to take in the game from a different angle or to show off your decorated base ✨ ⭐ Wishlist Super Chasm Hunter on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/4431230/... #indiegame #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Chasm: The Rift is a fascinating eurojank FPS from the mid 90s that unfortunately got terrible reviews for it's time for being too similar to Quake. It was actually supposed to compete with Quake a year earlier, but GT Interactive lost publishing rights to Activision when id Software signed with them. I remember playing this game when it came out many moons ago in 1997 and absolutely loving it. It was like Quake, yes, but way creepier. The dismemberment at the time was so crazy, I couldn't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →VERY Short, odd, wonky, straight into it. Yeah it's good if you want more Wolfestein 3D. Level design isn't that bad, no idea why it was one of the major complains i seen around. These type of people would have a heart attack trying to finish one level on Rise of the Triad lol.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →civvie's gotta stop making me buy games, my wallet can't take this :_:
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Four story quests, a boat load of World Quests, two Interludes, all of the Chasm, all of Mondstat and Dragonspine explored, and several new game modes unlocked, I am officially in an area I’ve never been in before: Sumeru! When I started back, thought it was gonna be closer than 100 hours later lol
neutral · AI labelView post →I bought this game back in 1997 or '98 when I lived in Turkiye and still have it on CD to this day. Although the game fascinated me, I never made a ton of progress because the unpatched jank was infuriating and I'd just lose interest. I've revisited it countless times over the decades--always having fun for a level or two, then getting pissed off at something. My hopes for this remake were low but I've been playing the game frequently since buying it and I'm so far into it now that I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i think it's a great game but the level design is very awful and confusing, at which make me jump for final boss already, i was enjoying some places and vice-versa but the design level is not good at all, though this game is oldschool i do recommend for who has more pacience than me and its fair for play it also the game plays in very hard difficulty even if you play in easy mode. 6/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In theory this is a game that I should like quite a bit. it's an older shooter that was overlooked by the public for being technically inferior- a game that was mostly flat in a time when quake 2 was around the corner. the only thing it had going for it marketing wise was that it was able to run on weaker computers than quake 1. I can see why the few people that love it, do so fervently. there is an enemy dismemberment system that affects the gameplay, making it so zombies won't die unless…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Correction, this is not from the Chasm metroidvania game dev, in my defence Chasm dev next game is Wolfhound a 2D Metal Gear/Contra looking metroidvania as well lol youtu.be/KIw7bsewjKk?... store.steampowered.com/app/1205660/... #indiegames #metroidvania #blutoid
neutral · AI labelView post →Plenty of traps, BS and jank. I was save scumming through it but then there's a boss that isn't very well explained and I was just done with it at that point. I imagine it could be easily and eventually overcome by more trial and error, or watching a video, but why am I even having to do that and do I care enough at this point? (no). It must be said that It's not the worst FPS if you can approach it with more patience than I did.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Annoying enemies, cramped corridors, the weapons all just kinda suck, level layouts suck, sometimes you need to shoot an object to progress and nothing in the game ever hints at this Seriously don't bother playing this unless you're a boomerslop fanatic. It's literally just Quake but bad
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is an achievement for completing the game with just basic pistol that hits like a peashooter on hard (it takes 5-20 shots to kill an enemy) without dying, the game constantly puts you in situations where you have multiple enemies in tight space without possibility of kiting or leaving (closed door etc), the only chance to survive is to luck out on stupid ai and bodycheck your way out, yeaaa, otherwise youre probably better off just playing quake
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"What were your biggest inspirations for creating Val'ty's game?" - D&D, UFO conspiracy theories. And games: MDK, Turok, Chasm the Rift, Kiss: Psycho Circus #ama
neutral · AI labelView post →The original Slavjank. Plays like a halfway hybrid of Doom and Quake; while all of the levels are nearly entirely flat, there is a degree of freedom in player agency, such as the ability to ponder the Y axis. There are neat weather and environmental effects, like rain and spinning turbines. Most importantly, the arsenal feels meaty and powerful. The standard shotgun is a beast, and it only gets better from there. This was also one of first shooters to feature dismemberment; i.e. the ability to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to love this game but sadly I can only recommend it to those with a TON of Patience. The graphics are nice for the time and it has a dismembering feature that the Soldier of Fortune series would later use. Now keep in mind, I didn't beat the game at the time I'm writing this review, so I know that it doesn't seem fair. Sometimes, people have limits. Sorry. Here are the 3 main issues that I have with Chasm: The Rift: 1. The Bosses can't be defeated with repeated gunfire.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've never seen a boomslop game that's so unfair to the player. Nearly every level is a bunch of death traps aimed at instakilling the unaware player. It's like if someone decided to make a game out of Serious Sam's 1 HP pill traps. Guns feel insanely underwhelming: on Hard the rocket launcher takes 2 hits to kill a Quake-like zombie, who does a very fair hitscan attack while not getting staggered during its animation, btw. Everything DOOM taught about enemy design has been thrown out of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Level design from hell
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun until you get to egypt. It drops dead off a cliff with horrible level design that never recovers. Forget it. Just play quake.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My favourite game on each of my retro systems. Part 6. System: MB Vectrex (1982) Best game: Cosmic Chasm (Cinematronics 1982) Action packed shooter with a superbly stressful against the clock dynamic. #retrogames #retrogamer #retrocomputing #vectrex
neutral · AI labelView post →Good afternoon and happy Saturday cutie patooties!! What’s in yall gaming rotation? ~ PS5 Ghost of Yotei 🐺 🪕 PS Portal (at work) Unicorn Overlord 🦄 👑 PS Vita Chasm ⚔️
neutral · AI labelView post →Insane Time Traveler achievement is pointless. It was not designed for the game at all. It is not fun and you can easily soft lock yourself due to the lack of HP pickups and spongy enemies taking forever to kill. They should just add level select and let you play the last level and beat it on hard with the starting weapon for the achievement as a game that is usually 2 to 3 hours long has double the length making it boring and not fun to play. I am very surprised developers have zero care to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quake for the poor… Daikatana before Daikatana… What if Quake had the story of Daikatana and was designed by people who made Corridor 7: Alien Invasion? You would get Chasm: The Rift… For some reason, I heard a lot of good things about this game, including HROT being partly inspired by it and that David Szymanski (the developer of Dusk) himself once made his own source port for this game. From the Steam page, the game looked like Quake but with more diverse style and an actual story, so I was…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After twenty years, now i can finally play this game without crashing!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →imagine quake but its basically impossible to dodge the enemy attacks or even tell they are going to shoot. No. Play a quake custom campaign instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whatever. I just go and do something else in this game. Depraved Chasm? Probs not as bad as the name.
neutral · AI labelView post →i couldn't even get past the first stage this game sucks and barely tells you anything on what to do
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Escaped Chasm is a 25-minute dark fantasy adventure game created by Temmie Chang, the lead artist for Deltarune. This atmospheric horror story (with a happy ending) pushes the boundaries of the medium to create a palpable sense of liminality and joyful escape. digitalfantasydiary.com/2025/06/21/e...
neutral · AI labelView post →Played this game back around the year 2000 on my family's Win95 PC. I was but a lil' ♥♥♥♥♥ back then who couldn't finish the first level, but that didn't stop me to write "je to dobra hra" (roughly translated to "it's a good game") into a txt file in the files, thinking that somehow the creators, or somebody, will read that "review". Today I finally finished the game and can write the review as intended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's quite a fun retro FPS, reminds me of Quake. But honestly game is too short. Completed it within 4.4 Hours. Now I understood why people were complaining about the price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very solid shooter. Very Quake 1 coded. I've stated in the past that I'm not a massive fan of Quake 1, but Chasm: The Rift is different enough in a good way. It also helps that the game is quite short, even with the extra levels. Boss fights are pretty terrible, decent weapon and enemy variety. Dismemberment and gibbing makes the combat feel satisfying enough. Levels are quite cramped which makes it hard to dodge enemy attacks. It's easy to get lost because of maze like layouts.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite being labelled as just another Quake clone, this is just a genuinely neat product.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty decent quake clone, although boss fights aren't well explained. Nice port and nice looking graphics for the time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →trying to pay maximum attention so i can be considered a winner
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Chasm is an interesting experience with neat ideas, and it has a lot of charm. The combat feels good. The weapons are pretty cool. Enemy designs are creative. The art style is really neat, and I love the way it looks and feels. The ambient soundtrack is great and fits the environments you're fighting in. However, this game has some serious issues, and one must think about that before purchasing. The first issue is the price. The people who worked on remastering and porting over Chasm for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rarely do I find old (classic) games which I've never even heard of. At first I thought Chasm: The Rift was a new attempt on recreating a retro FPS game, only to find out that this game released in 1997.... If you have played Chasm: The Rift, you would understand why it is a forgotten 'gem'. The game is quite similar to Quake, which released a year before and was obviously much better. It also had to compete with some other great FPS games in 1997; Blood, Redneck Rampage, Shadow Warrior,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →YES, Lobotomized Quake made by alcoholic belters thrembillion years ago and shilled by obsessed unbothered belters.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Neat if you really enjoy retro FPS, otherwise I don’t think you’ll get much out of it. Levels are tight hallways with maze like layouts. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ trial and error switch puzzles that just instantly kill you. Found half the weapons to not be great. I don’t hate this game, it’s charming in its way. Shooting off limbs never gets old and it’s kinda chill compared to other balls-to-the-wall nonstop action old school FPS. But there are much better titles for cheaper.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dont get me wrong. The remaster is really superb. The problem is the game itself. It is a short game but it didnt age well. Janky shooting, confusing levels and textures, hitscan enemies, pain to play. Anyone interrested in retro throwback shooters should look somewhere else or just get Quake 1 Remasterred. If anyone really wants Chasm, just wait for a steep discount.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like this game. It has a lot going for it - an immersive, well-detailed atmosphere complemented by ambient soundtrack, and plenty of great ideas like the ability to dismember enemies to cripple their firepower, and exploit their "right-handedness" to cover from their shots while you're firing at them. It's these small things that make Chasm: The Rift distinct from the other emerging 3D first person shooters of the time. Yet... it falls short in its execution. The problem with this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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