#DARQ REVIEW SERIES#

This may or may not be a problem for you, depending on what you are wanting from an atmospheric horror puzzle title.įor me, I appreciated the lack of puzzle shaped barriers in Darq, it allowed me to enjoy the atmosphere and entirely mute plotline a lot more. However, as a result of being stuck on a limited 2D plane (with minimal shifts in 3D) it can sometimes feel that this is a bit too easy, as puzzles become less a test of skill or logic and instead, being more of a matter of time until the puzzles are solved. Most often, any puzzle that you’re not sure on can simply be resolved by walking further through each stage and exploring a corridor from a different direction. Some objects are also affected by this shift in gravity as a room rotates, allowing large props to fall through walls to open new pathways.įor the most part, this is a very smart and well used mechanic that doesn’t feel at all daunting to use or learn as you progress. This gameplay element opens a few possibilities that helps accentuate the fact that this is all taking place in a warped version of reality, such as a chapter that takes place in a subway station, with train obstacles running vertically, horizontally and upside down depending on which axis Lloyd is running along. After doing this, his dream self leaves his body and enters one of the seven chapters that make up the monochrome, gaunt world of Darq.Īs a self-aware dreamer, Lloyd is capable of a feat that allows him to traverse through each stage, such as being able to walk up walls to reach new areas and approach puzzles from a different elevation or viewpoint.

As Lloyd, it is immediately apparent that something is off when starting the game, as he finds himself stuck in a room with no means of exit or escape other than by sleeping on the bed.

#DARQ REVIEW SERIES#

For these, we have fewer examples to work with, things like Alice: Madness Returns and the nightmarish warped locations of Silent Hill come to mind, but even one of those takes place in a realistic locale before going to pot.ĭarq is one of the few that I can think of that takes place in a nightmare setting throughout, with the key aim of the game being to guide Lloyd along a series of puzzles and enemy encounters to escape the nightmare and finally awaken from it. This all comes from the idea that horror needs to be based in some sort of reality, with known locations being menaced by supernatural or slasher style “other” threats taking precedent over the surreal, unrecognisable places that seem unnatural to begin with.

However, when it comes to the nightmare side, there does seem to be a bit of a lack of games that are dedicated to this state. Nights Into Dreams, Kirby’s Dreamworld and Psychonauts come to mind as excellent portrayals of the whimsical, filled with surreal imagery and casts of colourful characters to meet and play with. We all have them, some are whimsically fun, some are downright horrifying and that’s what makes them such ripe territory for exploration in an interactive medium.

Of all the worlds that can be conveyed in the medium of video games, the realm of dreams is by far one of the most interesting and varied that comes to mind. Apin PS5 / Reviews tagged Complete edition / Darq / horror / PS5 / puzzle / Tim Burton by Grizz

Darq review