Darkest Dungeon Reviews
Darkest Dungeon is a grim and merciless tactical strategy game whose great tension comes from its many layers of complexity, unpredictable randomization, and willingness to put our fragile characters in mortal danger if we dare to venture into its depths in search of treasure and glory. Brilliant narration and stiff yet surprisingly expressive animation make it easy to be drawn into its vague but tantalizing world, though the end feels artificially out of reach.
Hours and hours of content await for players who need a time sink. I'll confess I'm still battling my way through it, though I've sunk many slogging hours into the thing – plenty to have a good rounded view of the experience. There's so much to chew through, and so many tasks to complete, that you'll find yourself more than satisfied if you're a content hound.
Despite the grind, despite the perhaps undue commitment to brutality, and despite what I feel is a joke at the player's expense at the end, Darkest Dungeon still manages to be one of the most engaging and intriguing roguelikes I've ever played and I'll probably still be diving dungeons and trying new party compositions weeks from now. After all, it would be madness to stop at this point.
Darkest Dungeon is something fresh in one of gaming's most overdone genres, and the stress system is a winner – a particular delight being how a long-lived character will accumulate various mental scars.
A gripping, unforgiving, complex dungeon crawler that translates lovecraftian themes excellently into its world. There are few indies out there that do everything as well as Darkest Dungeon. From art style to gameplay, from sound design and narrator, which is truly exceptional, and the writing Darkest Dungeon oozes quality.
It's sadistic, mean-spirited and unfair. And it makes no pretense at being anything other than that.
What surprised me was how much this simulation of the irascible human spirit reminded me of some of my favorite moments playing RPGs around the table with friends.
If you're prepared to take that possibility on board, Darkest Dungeon offers a challenging chasm to lose yourself in. It won't appeal to every type of player, but for those willing to face the prospect of crippling loss, insanity and nail-biting tension, Darkest Dungeon is certainly worth the time you'll sink into it.
Darkest Dungeon is a huge asshole of a game—in a good way. It's punishingly hard, and progress is made in small increments.
What makes Darkest Dungeon a fascinating experience isn't the rich character progression and overarching strategy, but the way it manages to make each character feel like a living, breathing human before asking you how much you'll ruin them to increase your bottom line. There's pockets of subtext that I continually filled with my own moral struggle. Spaces left ingeniously blank where, when I allow myself to reflect on my actions, I realize that the greatest evil isn't waiting at the end of a dimly lit crypt. It is sitting right in this chair, typing these words.
Obviously the audio is top notch as well, the background music is subtle and not repetitive and then there is the amazing narration that really makes Darkest Dungeon something really special.
A richly satisfying and wonderfully executed masterpiece.
Darkest Dungeon is one of the most atmospheric games I've played in a very long time, it nails its core concept and delivers an exceptionally well-crafted and interesting dungeon crawler that will take you hundreds of terrifying hours to see through to its ludicrous ending.
From the first time I saw the art style of Darkest Dungeon, I knew it was going to be something special. What I couldn't have known is just how bleak the game would be—or how cruel.
In its best moments, Darkest Dungeon makes me feel crazy and hopeless. There's something I can't say for most games: The times when I most felt that I had irrevocably fucked up were also the times when the game was at its strongest. Though some of Darkest Dungeon's more annoying design concessions detract from the overall experience, I'd be foolish not to recommend such a singular experience.
Darkest Dungeon is fantastic for the first twenty or so hours.
Darkest Dungeon is an easy game to recommend to the right gamer. It require patience, persistence and constant attention to detail. For all of the hours I have poured into the game, I'm still not even sure if I'm playing it right, but I think that's the point. We usually expect to (at some point) master the games that we play, but I'm not sure Darkest Dungeon is ever meant to be. Regardless, I can safely say that Darkest Dungeon is one of the best games to release in 2016 and is a testament to masterful game design and art direction. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they are up to the challenge.
The narrative is drowned by mechanics
Some people will have problems with Darkest Dungeon. It can (at times) be excruciatingly hard, to the point where you might consider quitting due to a frustrating experience. However, if you stick with it you will find an immensely hard, but still fair and rewarding experience unlike anything that has been released before it. All RPG fans and lovers of difficult games should definitely give Darkest Dungeon a look on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita if they haven't already. This game is not for everyone, but those who can handle the difficulty will love this game immensely.
That's what we all try to do day in and day out in our own lives, right?