2Dark Reviews
2Dark tries to do too many things at once. Its stealth mechanics, while occasionally satisfying, are frustrating and pedestrian. Similarly, its attempts at horror, while presented well, are undermined by bad writing and repetitive gameplay. A lack of clear signposting and a terrible UI do nothing to help this maddening experience.
Visually and thematically, 2Dark succeeds in paying homage to its forebears. Everything else, however, is desperately lacking. Alone in the Dark had twenty years in which to rise and fall but Raynal’s latest stab at survival horror barely gets twenty minutes.
2Dark felt like a confusing and difficult mess that was hard to get into.
No, it's not a sequel to that terrible vampire stealth game. That would've been preferable
The setup for 2DARK holds intrigue, with a grim plot, and suitably creepy settings, but so much of how it actually plays out quickly diminishes the horror aspect of it. Respectable enough as a game, a failure as a horror.
Despite the pedigree of the developer, and some unusually disturbing subject matter, the main enemies in this survival horror are frustration and boredom.
The game became repetitive, frustrating, and uninteresting all too quickly, and each level takes less than an hour to complete unless you run into a bug or a figurative wall when it comes to progression.
2Dark is a frustrating mess of a game that shows plenty of promise as a concept, but fails to deliver on every single one of them.
2Dark bravely portrays themes that most developers lack the guts to touch, but unfortunately, AI, UI, and Level Design problems make this game feel largely unfinished.
If 2Dark’s tone was in line with its subject matter, it might have been something worthy of recommendation. But its story is almost nonexistent and nothing quite works as intended.
I got from the game what you wanted, and it's a grim story with all the consequences. The game, which is struggling with the gameplay, Yes, the basic mechanics do not work, except perhaps stealth, stealth and story only because of what I went through the game to the end, to take her, I certainly do not suggest, for the same amount, but for 500 rubles is quite.
Review in Russian | Read full review
2Dark is a breath of 90s style horror for the modern era.
I commend 2Dark for tackling a tough premise, but it's one I could have just as well left alone, too. The gameplay combined with the presentation just click with me, and it made this one a chore to play.
The reliance on trial and error gameplay does a disservice to the disturbing setting that 2Dark creates. The lack of checkpoints is frustrating, and I fail to see how having them would have harmed the game’s tension. Simply having to replay large sections of levels or stopping to manual save after every room just isn’t fun. The combat could be improved if bonuses were provided if you were able to sneak up behind someone, but as it stands, melee attacks are too weak to be effective.
2Dark is a mildly interesting stealth-horror fusion sadly dragged down by some bizarre narrative and visual decisions. It struggles to find a genre to call home, vacillating between a casual point-and-click adventure, a classic survival horror and a tactical stealth puzzler.
2Dark offers exciting moments for each mission, just don’t let it frustrate you. I recommend that if you get the game, complete and finish it. A very compelling and weird sick story for a 2.5D game despite all the bugs, sound glitches, and frustration we encountered, we were still able to finish the game and enjoy it through the end.
2Dark has a lot of potential, and the premise is exciting. The developers dared to delve into a dark plot, and that bravery should be applauded. The title doesn't fail in any particular way, but it also doesn't meet its full potential. The gameplay felt overly complicated and could've benefited from a "less is more" approach. Some improvements to the inventory system also could've made gamers feel more in control of the protagonist. It would've been amazing if the game had managed to remain focused on some quick and tense action sequences, rather than spending so much time on tedious tasks, which interrupted the sense of immersion.
2Dark is the latest creation from the mind of Frederick Raynal, the creator of Alone in The Dark, and his new studio, Gloomywood. It’s a stealth-horror-adventure game with survival elements.
Despite these imperfections, however, this can be considered the new launch pad for Frédérick Raynald that we want to see finally return to full load.
Review in Italian | Read full review
So 2Dark is really a story with two sides; it’s either excelling from its attention to detail, or failing because of its heavy-handedness. I’d love to say that this is a nuanced story that explores the depths and complexities of its subject matter. But really it’s a calloused story surrounded by nuanced and sophisticated gameplay. All in all, 2Dark is a rewarding experience, so long as your leave your sensitivities behind.