The game successfully instils fear and sadness through its incredible art style and well-crafted levels to leave you feeling a little shaken up as the adventure ends and the final credits roll.The darq night returns. Fantastic for those of you who hate cheap jump scares. The despondent tone follows you through the levels as you feel for the character as he shows visible fear from the predicament he finds himself in, even if it is not entirely clear to you.ĭespite being based on the roots of a horror experience, the game is not scary in a traditional sense. The lack of structure to the adventure conveys a level of hopelessness.

The absence of a traditional story isn’t a complete misfortune, however. Although the game is quite enjoyable without it, the experience could have been a little longer with the help of a story to guide it along. The game has very little in terms of a story and this is a shame. The enemies in DARQ are borderline comical but in the unsettling environments present them in a far more uncomfortable way that will help fuel the feelings of darkness that the world is already giving off in abundance. These levels present some new challenges to help you spend a little more time in this peculiarly dark world. The complete edition comes with two additional levels. The game is rather short, consisting of only 7 levels which you could beat in a few hours. The thrill you get is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. The levels of suspense can go through the roof at times when you are rushing to solve a puzzle as a dark shadow in a wheelchair slowly creeks down a shadowy hallway toward you. The levels are rather small but when you consider your unique ability to change the perspective of the camera, you end up with incredibly compact levels that offer an enjoyable level of challenge that will really make you think when you get stuck.Įach of the levels will bring you to a new location, just as sombre and unhappy as the last. Gravity will also be altered, making for some interesting puzzle designs that are a lot of fun to try and work out. The trippy experience of walking up a wall is more than just a spiderman style change.

Although the camera always remains to the side, your character possesses a unique ability to rotate the camera that will allow you to walk up walls and even unlock areas of the background and foreground that would normally be inaccessible for this genre.

DARQ throws you into the fun pretty quickly but doesn’t let that be a sign that the game is easy.ĭARQ presents you with a 2.5d side scroller that puts a rather unique perspective on the genre. There is no extended tutorial, endless dialogue or boring intro puzzles that hold your hand as you get used to the controls. The most attractive element of the game outside of the visuals is how easy it is to just pick up and play. An underlying fear that even in what appears to be your safe space, you are only a moment away from something taking a turn for the worst. Your characters face will reflect the gloomy and dark surroundings evoking similar feelings as you take control of the character. DARQ is one of the latest games to take a page out of this style to produce a rather eerie and compelling puzzle experience that will catch your eye the moment you set your eyes on it.Īs soon as you get started with this game, the deep atmosphere will completely absorb you. Horror games that reflect the Tim Burton style of Expressionism are always a treat to play when done right.

Darq review