Play Mace - The Dark Age Online

Summary

Mace: The Dark Age (often just called Mace) landed on the Nintendo 64 after a flashy arcade run powered by 3dfx Voodoo chips, a choice that let Atari keep costs low and even turn a profit in the arcades. The developers spent two years polishing the title, trimming a roster of thirty down to eleven fighters after teenage focus‑group testing, and even hired a Society for Creative Anachronism member to perform the motion‑capture work. The result is a medieval‑themed brawler where each combatant wields a distinct weapon, and the arenas themselves bite back with hazards like lava, water and out‑of‑bounds damage zones.

The N64 port kept the game’s signature four‑button combo system and added simple evasion moves that let you step into the 3‑D space, but reviewers noted the frame‑rate dips and occasional choppy animation that hampered the otherwise solid controls. Critics praised the graphics as a high point—still impressive on the console—but found the move set thin and the overall gameplay mediocre compared to the console’s sparse fighting lineup.

Soundtrack opinions were split: some felt the heavy metal tracks matched the brutal mood, while others called them outright awful. Despite the mixed reception, the hidden characters, boss fights, and brutal fatalities gave the title a cult‑worthy edge for fans of over‑the‑top medieval combat.

Storyline

In the 12th century, a coalition known as the Covenant of Seven dispatches its finest warriors on a grim mission: to slay Asmodeus, a dark‑arts practitioner who wields the legendary Mace of Tanis. The mace is said to be saturated with necropotic energy, promising its bearer eternal life and unchecked power.

Sensing Asmodeus’s growing threat, leaders from East Asia and the Remaining European Free Nations each send their own chosen heroes to stop him and dismantle the Covenant of the Seven before the darkness spreads. The game is titled Mace - The Dark Age, often referred to simply as Mace.