Dark Reign: The Future of War for PC

Australia, 1997

Videogame

In the grim future of Dark Reign: The Future of War, the player is caught between two factions at war, the Imperium and the Freedom Guard. The player has a chance to go back in time using a time-travelling device and change history but must first complete a set of trails to activate it. Each of these scenarios has the player recreating past battles between the Imperium and Freedom Guard to prove to hone their martial skills.

Each faction has its own unique units, skills and weaknesses. The Freedom Guard are weaker but more mobile, allowing them to better to be faster and handle difficult terrain. The Imperium, in contrast, have the strength and numbers to overwhelm their enemies but are generally slower. These traits lend themselves to radically different playstyles. A player can also steal the other faction’s technology using a specialized unit, negating their opponent’s advantages. The game features a campaign and map editor and supports online play. In fact, there is still an active community despite the game being over 20 years old.

Where to play

This title is playable onsite at ACMI over WiFi

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How to watch

This work has been digitised but due to rights and access requirements can only be viewed onsite at ACMI over WiFi.

Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

developer

Auran Games

publisher

Activision

Production places
Australia
Production dates
1997

Appears in

Group of items

Play It Again II: Games Collection

Explore

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

ARC000084-1

Subject category

Game

Object Types

Computer game optical disc/Computer game/Game

Computer game/Game

Materials

CD-ROM videogame. CD-ROM, CD jewel case with insert, manual, product registration card, adverts, internet guide sheet and keyboard reference in cardboard box

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/119680--dark-reign-the-future-of-war-computer-game/ |title=Dark Reign: The Future of War for PC |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=19 April 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}