D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die Reviews
Forget David Cage's Heavy Rain and Rockstar's L.A. Noire. If you want to experience murder mysteries like no other, look for Swery and his latest lovably weird masterpiece, D4.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die is far from perfect. Like Deadly Premonition before it D4 suffers from awkward controls, and some frustrating nonsensical mechanics.
Swery's trippy, time-traveling tale of love and murder is one of the best point-and-click adventure games on PC. If you like strong stories, humor, and memorable characters, get this game.
D4 is a darkly weird game, and one that boasts a fair amount of polish as it experiments with genres and controls. It's not for everyone, but the solid Kinect input and trademark Japanese madness make for one deep dive that you won't soon forget.
Swery does Telltale, by way of an obsessed, time-travelling detective and lots of references to Boston. D4 is as unique and strange as you'd hope; and (unlike Deadly Premonition,) a decent enough PC version.
D4 is ridiculous. It's weird, and silly, and makes very little sense. It's also hilarious, and packed with some of the most engaging motion-controlled sequences I've ever played. Coming from someone who generally doesn't like the Kinect, that's a damn big achievement!
D4 stands as compelling proof of how Kinect 2.0 still isn't and likely never will be ready for prime time.
It is not at all easy to be able to appreciate D4 in its entirety, above all because the Japanese surrealism is one of those ways of narrating that not everyone is able to fully accept. And the same goes for the acceptance of an expanded story in an episodic videogame series. Once you have passed these rocks, what you will find in front of you is a work with very particular and refined features, an ode to the author's video game not sung out loud, which adopts its own register to communicate with the user.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you're willing to give decent motion controls a shot, and like the idea of a bizarre private eye anime, I would say that D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die - Season One is well worth the investment.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die might make you want to smash stamina mechanics, but its strange aura is packed with character, unorthodox plot and is very much made from love from its director and team, and while it's not the best game ever, it's one that should be given the chance to live on and continue bringing something different to video games, because you can never have enough variety in one medium.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die is definitely not a game for everyone. Whether the theme, processing, content, control or even graphically.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Dark Dreams Don't Die is a good serial title that can entertain you for a few hours and bring you the experience of a hearty edone. A game that allows you to thoroughly search its environment and test your detectiveness.
Review in Persian | Read full review
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die may be a short game, but it takes strides to be memorable. The presentation is a little rough in parts, but it's still miles better than what the developers had come up with before. The gameplay mechanics are varied enough to keep from being monotonous, but they're also streamlined so those who dislike the tediousness of most adventure games can get into this title. The story, which is equal parts odd and compelling, will draw you into the game. Fans will love this title, and those who want to know what a good Kinect game looks like will enjoy this experience.
Minor issues and short playtime aside, D4 is well worth a look, and one of the few times the "better with Kinect" slogan is appropriate.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die is such an unsatisfying adventure game due to it ending way before it even truly begins. All of the elements were in the right place for a worthy successor to one of the greatest cult surprises from last gen, thanks to Swery's ambitious creative choices and boldness to have stat management in an otherwise non-skill oriented genre. Sadly, all of these flourishes are painfully undermined because of the story's abrupt cliff-hanger that is not built up to. The way D4 leaves so many plot threads unresolved and with no proper climax is guaranteed to frustrate anybody who plays this. The future of D4 is very unclear if it will ever get resolution, and while there has been an announcement of a second season, there is no indication that it will conclude the story of David Young. This game is very hard to recommend because, while it is interesting and is not like anything else available, it is also a massive tease with no promise of satisfaction.
Dedicated fans of Japanese absurdity may find something worthwhile in D4. Everyone else will be stuck with an unfinished story and unsatisfying gameplay, for a price that seems too high for just two episodes.
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die will likely be the most unique title you’ll play this year. Playing on the serialized format of episodic games, it weaves a tale that hits all the right notes while still being its own unique beast. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, you most certainly have found it.
'D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die' is an odd, quirky little game. It is not for everyone, and its cornucopia of bugs and stutters does not help its case. And yet, it does have a certain charm that started to grow on me during the second episode. Fans of SWERY's previous outings will find a lot to like. It doesn't have the legs of a full gaming "meal," but it could serve as a light snack.
D4 is a wacky and weird adventure game that takes a familiar core premise and spices it up with quirky characters, trippy plot developments, and time travel. Motion controls have been integrated in an intuitive way, which helps to invest the player in their role, but occasional recognition issues and arm fatigue might have you reaching for a controller instead. Either way you play, D4 is a solid start to the series, and it offers up enough offbeat humor and intrigue to satisfy the Deadly Premonition fans. There are gameplay elements that miss their mark, and the pacing isn't perfect, but it's not enough to kill these dark dreams dead. Someone tell SWERY that we're ready for more.
Once again, SWERY injects a detective story with his patented brand of weirdness, though this time he's finally free of the technical limitations that hampered his past work. D4 isn't a flawless experience, but, as with Deadly Premonition, it offers a world and set of characters you won't want to leave behind.