Darkwood Reviews
Darkwood is a brutally atmospheric take on the top-down horror genre. Coming out of Early Access, Acid Wizard Studio's hit title is something of an amazing amalgamation of genres; blending horror with exploration, challenging combat, roguelike-world generations and roleplaying game-like character development, Darkwood is simply put, and awesome title. What shocked me most was that it seemed to be very similar to some of the best board games I have played, not in play style, but in the way it feels. For example, Mansions of Madness, easily one of the best board games ever, leaves you with this dark and foreboding feeling when you are done playing. Darkwood is that, but in video game form, and with rich gameplay and stunning sound design, Darkwood is easily the breakout title of the season.
Despite being such a common setting in horror, it feels like there aren’t that many big games that utilize the woods (The Forest is probably the best other example), especially to the level Darkwood does. Every decision is informed by the setting, from the survival mechanics to the enemy types to the tone and story. This cohesion of theme makes it stand out in the crowded indie horror market, providing scares that AAA games have trouble achieving. But just like getting lost in the woods, be prepared to spend some time fumbling around in the dark before finding the path.
Darkwood is a great little horror ID title and deserves a good reception. If you enjoy horror titles and more so survival horror games, then you`ll enjoy this.
Darkwood is not a game for everyone – and that's perfect. As a survival horror game, it's one of the tensest and scariest experiences I've encountered. There is a very European soul in here, a desperation and acceptance of death that we can only see in eastern productions, giving us a hard look at something different, but equally beautiful.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Darkwood is a masterpiece of the horror genre and at once accessible to wannabe horror gamers and harrowing to fear junkies.
Darkwood is a thrilling survival horror game that delivers a unique experience with its pixel art top-down graphics, great sound design and gameplay in mysterious woods full of danger lurking behind every tree and corner.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Survival games tend to not be for the impatient or faint at heart as it is, so when you start one up and it literally tells you that it won’t hold your hand it’s hard not to be a bit nervous...
Darkwood has an interesting world, a story that can go in different directions depending on your decisions, and a gameplay loop that's exciting at times and tedious at others.
Despite some unsatisfying gameplay systems, Darkwood can provide legitimate thrills and scares for the horror fans that miss the vibes of such classics as Silent Hill 2 and Pathologic without ever using a jump scare. Whether it is the uniquely grotesque art style or the ever-challenging design of its difficulty, Acid Wizard Studio has proven it understands what ingredients make up a good horror experience and the randomised elements of the game allow a unique narrative every time you play.
The atmosphere, the darkness, the eerie soundtrack, and the design of the monsters you encounter are what make Darkwood one of the most memorable survival horror games I've played in recent times.
Darkwood does so much with its simple top-down perspective that it matches some of the best horror games released this year. It is easy to appreciate the finer details when you methodically explore a captivating wooded area, gather resources, and fend off deadly creatures before the terrifying night arrives.
Darkwood is an immersive, atmospheric, and haunting experience I can thoroughly recommend.
Unfortunately for me Darkwood is unintelligible, and I'm genuinely sad that I wasn't able to appreciate the many merits of a game because I simply had no way of actually making sense of it.
Darkwood is a game with potential, and I certainly hope the developers take any lessons learned from it and return with the killer horror title they’ve come close to creating.
Darkwood tells the story of escaping from a mysterious and scary forest, where darkness and fear are the powers at work, and although it suffers from shortcomings here and there, the atmosphere alone is enough to keep you engaged and take your breath away.
Review in Persian | Read full review
With its many surprises, Darkwood is a title with immeasurable depth that will keep horror fans gripped until the very end. An important focus on narrative-driven gameplay kept me hooked and desperate for answers. A horrifying aesthetic with spooky soundscapes plays with our instincts and terrifies the senses. When the title boasted "a horror game without jump-scares", I initially rolled my eyes. Most titles incorporate some kind of jump-scare to get a cheap reaction out of players. Even tastefully done jump-scares feel cheap to me because I'm not actually "scared," I'm just surprised. Darkwood succeeds where many other titles fail. It's a heart-racing experience that any horror fan worth their salt should attempt to survive.
The top-down survival horror also appeared on next-gen consoles, and although it doesn't scare that much, it looks well on PS5. But it is a fun journey.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Darkwood is one of those games where it's easy to have a mixed opinion on it.
Darkwood is gritty, difficult and scary, and these are just three of the reasons why we liked it: the crafting system is good, the atmosphere is always tense and the sound design is excellent. Don't miss it if you like survival horror games.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A gorgeous top down survival horror game, Darkwood will draw you into it's world of evil.