Parkan: The Imperial Chronicles

Windows1997

  1. JP—
  2. NA—
  3. EU—
  4. RU1997

Parkan: The Imperial Chronicles is the English title of the Russian game Паркан: Хроника Империи. Today it is sold on Steam in a 2017 edition with English and Russian voice-over.

Parkan: The Imperial Chronicles was developed and published by the Russian studio Nikita and released on September 1, 1997. Nikita called it a 'first-person strategy': it combines space flight simulation, first-person shooting and economic strategy. Development ran from February 1994 to August 1997, with Nikita Skripkin as director and Oleg Kostin as lead designer.

In 4097 the player flies the Imperial raider Parkan into the isolated Lentis sector to find the missing research ship Wanderer. Fuel is the universal currency, and the player is free to trade, mine, work as a mercenary or turn pirate, and to found colonies. The world is generated at the start of every game and lives in real time.

Russian critics welcomed the game, while foreign reviews were mixed. Its sequels are Parkan: Iron Strategy and Parkan 2, and the original returned on Steam on January 23, 2017.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
RU Паркан: Хроника ИмперииEnglish Wikipedia gives this date without naming the region. Windows Sep 1, 1997 Nikita 1
WW PARKAN: THE IMPERIAL CHRONICLESSteam; English and Russian (full audio). Windows Jan 23, 2017 GameXP.com 2

Also known as: Паркан: Хроника Империи RU1

Box art by region

  • Паркан: Хроника Империи box art, Russia release
    RU Паркан: Хроника Империи

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.

Version differences

  • GraphicsParkan 3DX

    The Parkan 3DX patch added 3D accelerator and joystick support and improved performance; the original release had neither and demanded a powerful PC.1

  • Difficultylater version

    A later version made the ship's jumper (hyperdrive) easier to recover, softening the start of the game.1

Translations

  • English Official

    —2017Windows · Russian originalReleased

    The 2017 Steam edition lists English with full audio alongside Russian.2

Where to play legally today

  • Steam Purchase

    PARKAN: THE IMPERIAL CHRONICLES

    Windows; English and Russian (full audio)

    Checked: 2026-10-132store.steampowered.com

How to run it today

Buy the Steam edition (Windows), which lists English and Russian with full audio.2

Reception

Russian critics were largely positive: Game.EXE gave 94% and Strana Igr 8/10, praising the concept and depth. Foreign reviews ranged from Master Games' 6/10 to PC Joker's 22%.1

In lists

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2store.steampowered.com
  3. 3store.steampowered.com

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.