Summary
Crystal Dynamics and The Initiative’sPerfect Darkreboot was finally shown off at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase. Despite rumors of a troubled development,Perfect Dark’s trailer managed to be one of the standouts of the Xbox event, showcasing a varied and satisfying mix of stealth, parkour, combat and investigation. Expanding on elements present in previous entries, Joanna Dark’s triumphant return looks to be an immersive-sim rather than a throwback to the franchise’s old-school shooter origins.
The originalPerfect Darkreleased in 2000 for the Nintendo 64. A spiritual successor toRare’sGoldeneye 007,Perfect Dark’s focus was on satisfying FPS combat and a compelling, twisty cyberpunk campaign revolving around shady corporate dealings and secret alien invasions. Winning acclaim and awards for its plot, graphics, AI and multiplayer modes,Perfect Darkis now regarded as a classic of the genre and one of the N64’s greatest games.
The original game was followed in 2005 byPerfect Dark Zero, a launch title for the Xbox 360 and prequel tothe originalPerfect Dark. Following a younger, inexperienced Joanna Dark, the game expanded on the cyberpunk lore of the original but leaned away fromPerfect Dark’s pulpier sci-fi concepts. While less influential than its predecessor,Perfect Dark Zerosold respectably and reviewed well.
A Game Boy Color game set before the events ofPerfect Darkwas released alongside the original game in 2000. By combining the Game Boy Color game with the N64 via theTransfer Pak, players could unlock cheat modes inPerfect DarkN64.
Joanna Dark Is One of Gaming’s Forgotten Icons
The protagonist of thePerfect Darkfranchise,Joanna Dark, is an operative for the fictional Carrington Institute. Born in the year 2000, Joanna was trained from a young age in weapons skills and martial arts. By the time she was a teenager, she was an experienced assassin, traveling the world with her bounty hunter father. At age 20, Joanna joined the Carrington Institute, earning the codename ‘Perfect Dark'—a reference to her success during the Carrington Institute’s training missions.
Perfect Dark Zero: Joanna Joins The Carrington Institute
In 2020, the world is controlled by corporations. Two corporate entities stand above all others: dataDyne and The Carrington Institute. Joanna Dark is abounty hunterand international assassin. Gradually, she uncovers a conspiracy involving dataDyne, The Carrington Institute, a network of underground scientists, and a mysterious artifact named The Graal.
As Joanna delves deeper into the conspiracy, she uncovers a dataDyne plot to acquire and use The Graal for nefarious ends. Begrudgingly working with The Carrington Institute, Joanna fights her way across Asia, South America, and Africa, gradually coming to terms with the war between The Carrington institute and dataDyne—and realizing she has to choose a side.
Perfect Dark (Game Boy Color): Joanna Dark VS Cyborgs
Two years after the events ofPerfect Dark Zero, Joanna Dark is now a student at The Carrington Institute. After completing her final examination—and scoring the coveted A++ ranking—Joanna is given thecodename Perfect Darkand sent on her first official mission for The Carrington Institute.
Traveling deep into thejungles of South America, Joanna Dark infiltrates and destroys an illegal cyborg manufacturing facility headed by infamous international terrorist Mink Hunter. After taking out Mink Hunter, Joanna and The Carrington Institute uncover a grander conspiracy involving dataDyne and a crashed UFO—which the evil megacorporation is retroengineering to produce new technologies.
Perfect Dark: The Alien Invasion
Now a fully fledged Carrington Institute operative, Joanna Dark is let in on a secret: humanity is caught in the middle of a war betweenthe benevolent Maians—who have been using The Carrington Institute to slowly roll out alien technologies under the guise of new inventions—and the evil Skedar, who have been working with dataDyne to do the same.
Traveling across the world fromArea 51to China, and even to the Skedar homeworld, Joanna is tasked with unraveling the conspiracy, taking down dataDyne, and saving the world from a Skedar invasion. Finally destroying the Skedar Battle Shrine, Joanna and her Maian allies eventually repel the Skedar invasion, saving the world from total destruction.
The New Perfect Dark is a Fresh Start
With the newPerfect Darkgame promising to be a reboot, it’s unclear which parts of the original lore the newPerfect Darkgame will pull from. But with such an expansive selection of worldbuilding elements to choose from and remix, there is huge potential forthePerfect Darkrebootto be a unique and rich narrative experience.
Perfect Dark (2025)
WHERE TO PLAY
The Initiative’s Perfect Dark sees the return of secret agent Joanna Dark, as she goes on an action-packed journey to hunt down Daniel Carrington. The story-driven FPS game is coming to PC and Xbox consoles.
