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TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK
review | PLAYSTATION 4
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Publisher: Activision.
Developer: Edge of Reality. Released: June 2014. Genre: Third-person shooter. Other versions: PS3; XONE; X360; PC; WIIU; 3DS. Posted 13th July 2025. By Shane Battams © 2025 |
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A common cause of failure is trying to please everyone, and this fate perhaps befell Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark. Part sequel to the warmly received Cybertron games and part tie-in to the then-recent Age of Extinction movie, this effort from Edge of Reality ends up all mediocrity. This uninspired entry lacks an involving campaign or a coherent story, and improvements to the formula established by the likes of War for Cybertron prove thin on the ground. Even die-hard fans of the iconic transforming robots can give this a pass.
Taking place before Fall of Cybertron and The Age of Extinction, the plot involves the titular Dark Spark, an object of immense power. At the start, it falls into the hands of Lockdown on Earth, only to jump back in time to the Cybertron continuity to explain the discovery of this relic, the climactic battle for it, and how it landed on Earth. If you’re thinking this sounds a touch jumbled, you’d be right. The lack of care taken with cut-scenes, direction or dialogue leaves the plot feeling like a rushed, incoherent hack job that crams in the tie-in to the summer blockbuster released around the same time, reeking of publisher interference.
A rushed feel and bland design: Rise of the Dark Spark fails to take advantage of its action-heavy license
This rushed quality applies to the campaign itself. It’s a game of two halves, as the more spacious and attractive Cybertron levels collide with blandly designed, ugly levels set on Earth. However, issues damage both sides of the campaign, including endlessly spawning enemies, frustrating escort quests and a startling lack of checkpoints. Whereas other games utilised the license well, Dark Spark feels like a pale imitation. Level design restricts focus to plain shooting, reducing the importance of transforming into vehicles. Shooting proves functional if loose, driving works well and transforming never gets old. However, Edge of Reality never takes advantage of these strengths and is instead content to shove endless goons at you until bullet-sponge bosses make an appearance. There are some highlights, such as tearing through foes with Grimlock near the climax of the campaign, but aside from that, this six-hour campaign ends up a bore.
Considering Dark Spark also marks the debut of the franchise on eighth-gen consoles, it feels like the hardware has barely been taxed. Environments suffer from poor texturing and a lack of detail, less important robots appear blocky and the animations look jittery. The only pluses are intricate main characters, some cool lighting that sees robots glow red in the dark, and a stable frame rate for the most part. The audio mixes bland, deeply uninspired music with weak sound effects that carry all the impact of a poke in the ribs, and there’s a lot of lacklustre voice acting. Some of the franchise stalwarts, such as Peter Cullen, do at least lend their talents, but the script they’re reading is incredibly dull and leaves their performances wasted.
Considering Dark Spark also marks the debut of the franchise on eighth-gen consoles, it feels like the hardware has barely been taxed. Environments suffer from poor texturing and a lack of detail, less important robots appear blocky and the animations look jittery. The only pluses are intricate main characters, some cool lighting that sees robots glow red in the dark, and a stable frame rate for the most part. The audio mixes bland, deeply uninspired music with weak sound effects that carry all the impact of a poke in the ribs, and there’s a lot of lacklustre voice acting. Some of the franchise stalwarts, such as Peter Cullen, do at least lend their talents, but the script they’re reading is incredibly dull and leaves their performances wasted.
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A few systems attempt to tie everything together, but this Transformers game is a victim of circumstance. Every kill earns you XP, and both completion of challenges and levelling up reward Gear Boxes that drop new weapons, buffs and upgrades. Distinctions reward considered play, level challenges yield bonuses and you can even activate Prime mode once you cap out at Level 25. Previously, this all linked back to the co-op Escalation mode, a Horde-style affair that allowed four players to shoot through 15 waves across a handful of maps, which were designed more carefully to allow experimentation with Transformations. Unfortunately, the servers for this mode were shuttered in early 2020, meaning most of these extras (and one of the game's saving graces) are rendered moot.
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In the end, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is a completely forgettable affair. In trying to please both Cybertron fans and those enamoured with the movie series, it ends up repelling both with a ropey, unlikeable narrative. Lacklustre level design, flat presentation and a general lack of care left it looking out of place on the PS4, even back in 2014. Diehard fans of the series will struggle to glean much from this rushed tie-in, and unless your expectations for third-person shooters are low, you can easily skip this outing.
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VERDICT"Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark tries to please both sides of the fandom, but lacklustre level design, flat presentation and a general lack of care ensures it will displease everyone." OVERALL: 4/10 |
OTHER GAMES STARRING MECHS REVIEWED
Super Robot Pinball (2001, Game Boy Color)
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Transformers: War for Cybertron (2010, Xbox 360)
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