Game Overview: Dark and Darker
In a world of first-person and tactical shooters, it’s rare to see developers break off from this formula in competitive gaming. However, when extraction looter strategy meets sword and sorcery, we finally get to try something new as gamers with the subject of today’s game overview: Darker and Darker!
Offering a variety of classes and playstyles, Dark and Darker takes a unique spin on the extraction looter genre by creating a Dungeons and Dragons-esque dungeon crawling experience.
Discover a wide range of locations, including enormous underground caverns, the ruins of abandoned castles and their dungeons, and the summits of icy mountains watched over by deadly dragons. Fight monsters and the environment in unique PvE combat, all while fighting or fleeing from the numerous other players locked in the dungeon with you as you try to escape with every scrap of loot you can get your hands on. Players can choose how they wish to survive (and sometimes thrive), whether alone or with friends in a party of up to three, in a world of magic, swords, and most importantly, adventure.
With its recent launch on the Steam storefront on June 7th, 2024, players new and old alike are flooding into the dungeons to extract as much loot as possible. The game developers have worked diligently with their most dedicated fans over the past year through playtests and an open beta. They’ve tweaked and tinkered away to bring a balanced and enjoyable gameplay experience in anticipation of this long-awaited Steam release. At the low price of $0, you can try out the game for free as a budding adventurer. For only $30, players can choose to upgrade to Legendary Adventurer with access to full-game features like additional character slots, a community marketplace to trade gathered loot with other players, and access to a dangerous “high roller” dungeon with deadlier monsters and better loot to boot.
Gameplay:
As an adventurer, players will delve into the depths of various dungeons, trying to survive and collect as much loot and equipment as possible before escaping with their lives. However, be wary of what you bring into the dungeon with you, as if you don’t return, neither will any of the valuable items you collected or entered the dungeon with. Dark and Darker is an extraction looter that brings high stakes into every battle and escapes as players attempt to collect loot, complete quests, and escape with their lives all while fighting (or avoiding) monsters and other players alike.
Dark and Darker plays as an “Unforgiving Hardcore First-Person Fantasy Dungeon Adventure” with challenging combat, engaging decision-making, and a sense of mystery and danger around every unlit corner. With Mordhau-meets-Skyrim combat mechanics, players are left to choose which weapons and play styles they wish to master.
Will they be fearless warriors or experts at dodging blows and playing the defense? A reliable healer with a vast repertoire of strengthening and healing spells to assist and prevent your comrades from imminent death? Alternatively, will they decide to become skilled spellcasters and unleash flaming balls of fire on their enemies? With this many play styles, Dark and Darker's high-skill floors and even higher-skill ceilings have provided players with a challenge that makes every victory, big or small, worth celebrating.
Nappin^
I have been playing this game since play test 2 or 3, so for over a year now. The only way I could describe this game is like that one adventure time episode where they are on a dungeon train and they pass through car after car getting better and better stuff. Overall this game has been pretty amazing and the developers are very diligent with their updates. Although the game is not perfect it’s getting there and you can’t blame the developers because the games not even finished yet. So overall I give dark and darker a 4.
4
@Poopmasta
(Heard about the game from) a real life friend.
Tried it out. It's fun but difficult. Progression seems hard in the beginning since players and monsters are out to get you. Reminds me a bit like Skyrim dungeon crawling + Dark Souls PvP. It definitely feels like an early access game, but the combat is fluid and the mechanics are solid. Updates are constant and it seems the devs actually care about input. (Recommend?) Yes.
It is early access, but I give it a 3.65.
3.65
@CheapjingJR
Been playing this game since the 2nd playtest and been following the devs through all of the development challenges. The developers and the community have been amazing every step of the way keeping us players informed about the process and what their goals are with the game. As a Dungeons and Dragons player this game is the closest I’ve felt to a faithful first person recreation of how it feels to play each class. Every action you take has meaning and consequence making wins even more rewarding and deaths a valuable learning experience. As it is still in early access there are some balancing issues as they navigate adding heaps of content with every patch, but I rarely feel as though deaths were unpreventable. Overall, Dark and Darker is one of my favorite games right now and I can’t wait to see how the game and community grows. 4.5.
4.5
Prinzy
Dark and Darker is the first person, dungeon crawler every DnD player wishes they could have. While it's still a work in progress, it's both enjoyable and frustrating in all the right ways. The game is constantly updated with new quests and features all the time meaning there's always something to do.
It's is a uniquely awesome game! 4.
4
System Requirements:
MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 64 Bit/Windows® 11 64 Bit
Processor: 3.0 GHz Quad Core CPU
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1060 with 3GB of video RAM or Radeon RX 580 with 4GB of video RAM
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 15 GB available space
RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 64 Bit/Windows® 11 64 Bit
Processor: 3.6 GHz Quad Core CPU
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX or Radeon RX5600 or above
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 15 GB available space
Artist: @Alcha | Writer: @CheapjingJR | Writing Editor: @fweakz | Interviewer: @flat
