CyberMage: Darklight Re-Awakening

Welcome, Mage!

In 1995 David W. Bradley and Origin released CyberMage: Darklight Awakening, a first-person shooter with a comic-book soul. It ran on DOS/4GW. Your PC no longer does.

Darklight Re-Awakening brings it back. Original game code runs on an x86 interpreter written in Rust, with DOS, DPMI, BIOS, VESA and sound services rebuilt natively. Function by function, native Rust replacements are checked bit for bit against the original.

Latest News NEW!

Version 1.1.0 — adds a saved V-Sync option for monitor-synchronized presentation. Download the portable Windows x64 build or get the source.

New V-Sync toggle in Options → Display, for windowed and fullscreen play.
Native renderer work: walls, floors, ceilings, sky, props and HUD.
Widescreen sees more of the world, without stretching the original UI.
WASD and mouse look, or an Xbox controller. Both can coexist.
Automatic date-and-time save names. No typing on a gamepad.
Native EA TGV movie playback and HMI music support.

Options

Modern display and input, original game settings
Resolution	640×480 to 5120×2160, including ultrawide
Frame rate	Adaptive 3D resolution targeting 60 FPS
Fullscreen	Borderless Windows desktop window
Input	Keyboard/mouse + Xbox/XInput
Look speed	Adjustable sensitivity, deadzone and inverted look
Music	Windows General MIDI
Difficulty	Novice / Normal / Nasty

Screenshots

See the mod in action. Select a screenshot to view it at full size.

Classic 640 by 480 gameplay with the original HUD in the laboratory — **Classic 4:3**Original proportions and HUD at 640×480.

1920 by 1080 widescreen laboratory gameplay with a proportion-correct HUD — **Widescreen 1080p**Modern output with the original interface kept in proportion.

3440 by 1440 ultrawide laboratory view showing additional world visibility — **Ultrawide visibility**3440×1440 sees more of the world without stretching the scene.

Native Display and Input options with resolution, sensitivity, deadzone, inverted look and fullscreen settings — **Display and input settings**Resolution, look speed, controller deadzone and fullscreen controls.

Original pause menu over modern gameplay with Save, Load, Continue and Quit entries — **Familiar pause menus**The original menu presentation remains available with modern input.

Illustrated in-game keyboard and mouse guide showing WASD and modern action bindings — **Illustrated control guides**F1 opens the keyboard/mouse guide; switch guides for Xbox controls.

Laboratory corridor with lit ceiling panels and textured walls — **Sci-fi interiors**Textured walls, floors and lighting in the laboratory.

Stone passage and barred gate in the original game world — **Stone environments**The original game's varied locations rendered by the mod.

Outdoor forest scene with trees and dense foliage — **Outdoor scenery**Trees, foliage and world props beyond the indoor levels.

Screenshots contain original CyberMage artwork, which retains its original rights and is not covered by the project's MIT license.

Trailer

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Load (Download)

You need your own lawfully obtained CyberMage v1.01F game files. No commercial game installation is included.

Download Windows x64 ZIP — v1.1.0 Release notes Source ZIP

For Windows 10/11 x64. No installer, Rust, Python or separate VC++ Redistributable is required.

Download and extract the entire Windows ZIP into a writable folder (not Program Files).
Run cybermage.exe; first-run setup opens automatically.
Import your own ISO-9660 .iso or select CYBERMAG/CM_HI.EXE from your installed game.
Play! Personal saves and settings stay on your machine.

ZIP SHA-256 checksum · Read the included README and controls guide. Redistribute only the original clean ZIP, not an installation containing imported game files or saves.

Prefer building from source? Install Rust and your platform's build tools, then run cargo build --locked --release.

Training

Action	Keyboard + mouse	Xbox pad
Move / look	WASD / mouse	Left / right stick
Fire / hand aim	Left / right click	RT / hold LT
Jump / crouch	Space / Ctrl	A / B
Use / enter vehicle	E	X
Weapons / powers / items	1 / 2 / 3	LB / RB / Y
Map	M or Tab	Back → Automap
Guides / actions	F1 / F4	Back → Control Guides / Back
Menu	Esc	Start

Everything else: the full controls page.

Under the Hood

CM_HI.EXE is a Watcom C++ program in LE format. Its debug information still names functions and variables, helping the native ports follow the original engine.

A built-in differential tester runs old and new implementations side by side and compares the bytes they touch.

This page uses system fonts and CSS borders. Gameplay screenshots illustrate the mod's features; no extracted game fonts or standalone interface decorations are distributed here.

Credits

CyberMage: Darklight Awakening
Original game by David W. Bradley, presented by Origin and Electronic Arts.

Darklight Re-Awakening is an independent, unofficial fan game-mod, not affiliated with or endorsed by Origin or Electronic Arts. Original project code is MIT licensed; commercial content and trademarks retain their original rights.

The edited cover and gameplay screenshots contain commercial artwork that retains its original rights and is not MIT licensed. Editing the cover's subtitle does not remove those rights. See the third-party notice.