Perfect Dark Reboot
Image: The Initiative

Eveline Novakovic (née Fischer) is not someone who typically gives a lot of interviews. The composer and sound designer left the games industry in 2007 after becoming a mother and has mostly stayed out of the spotlight in the time since, albeit with the 'rare' exception.

Recently, though, the original voice actor for agent Joanna Dark happily spoke to Time Extension about her reaction to the Perfect Dark reboot announcement trailer and her starring role in the original N64 title. And, as it turns out, she's just as excited as the rest of us.

She told Time Extension,

"The prospect of a new chapter to Perfect Dark is an exciting one. Technology has moved on so far since the original came out, and with this, there's an enviable freedom.

"The trailer is a tantalizing hint of what will no doubt be an expansive and breathtakingly cinematic feast of the senses. As for the voice of Joanna, I am delighted if she’s returned to her English roots."

Novakovic only played Joanna Dark in the original Perfect Dark that was released in the year 2000 for the Nintendo 64. After that, she was replaced by the voice actress Laurence Bouvard for the 2005 Xbox 360 sequel Perfect Dark Zero, which resulted in a noticeable change to a more Americanized accent.

She tells us that the reason for this will likely differ depending on who we talk to, but "I honestly don’t remember ever being asked". She also gave us an insight into what the recording process for the original game was like:

"The recording sessions for Perfect Dark were always a highlight for me. Rare had its own state-of-the-art recording studio so, at least for the vocals, we had none of the usual, real-world, studio time constraints to worry about. We were able to try different things, to see what did and didn’t work. Above all, I remember the laughter ... on both sides of the booth. The team were really lovely to work with."

Despite being announced back in 2020, the Perfect Dark reboot is yet to receive a proper release date. In the meantime, you can always play Perfect Dark and Perfect Dark Zero as part of the Rare Replay collection, which is available digitally, in stores, and on Game Pass for modern Xbox consoles. Or you can track down an original copy of the games, which shouldn't be too hard.

Did you remember playing Perfect Dark on the N64? Are you also excited for the reboot? Let us know!