![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It’s spooky in the way a haunted house is- you’ll jump but quickly laugh at yourself afterward. Verdict: DARQ is a thoughtful, stylized puzzle game that is well worth your time. With a great aesthetic and head-scratching, physics-defying puzzles that are sure to spook and delight! With that being said, the developer has already promised the free DLC is on its way! So, I can’t even really say it’s a complaint, but, really, it is just an excuse to say I wanted more.Īll in all, DARQ was a puzzling experience with the fun sense of horror associated with haunted houses. Now, it didn’t feel incomplete or like the ending was rushed, I just legitimately enjoyed it and wanted the game to continue. Personally, I read it as a child potentially struggling with the death or illness of an elder member of the family, but there’s nothing concrete to support that.Īnother small complaint is how short the game is. There are elements of a running storyline, but it seems kind of vague and very much up to personal interpretation. For those looking for a narrative-heavy experience, this might not be for you. The complaints I have about DARQ are small and trivial at best. By relying on great atmosphere, sound design, and settings, it creates a more welcoming horror experience that might attract new fans to the genre while still rewarding the tried and true veterans. However, this puzzler’s horror is smartly done. So often horror experiences rely on gruesome guts and gore. Speaking of Limbo, DARQdefinitely doesn’t share its more graphic nature. From the enemies to the environments, all of them are strange and on the darker side, but there always seems to be a sense of whimsy… Well. If you gravitate towards the dark yet whimsical style of Tim Burton or the childlike terror associated with Limboand Inside, DARQ is definitely up your alley. Each setting revolves around a dream setting, so the puzzles will tease you with odd solutions that force you to think outside of the box. The story itself seems loose and up to interpretation, and because of that, each level is almost like a small vignette that revolves around it setting whether it be the park or a train or a spooky theater. The puzzles also fit well with each level. The overall effect is pretty brilliant, and it definitely breaks up the monotony of moving back and forth in a space to solve the puzzles in order. This flipping and switching of rooms and environments also allow for exploration and discovery as you slowly piece together a level and how the puzzles work with one another. This mechanic is done incredibly well, and while it may take some time for your brain to adjust to the idea, you’ll be flipping rooms and traversing ceilings in no time to solve puzzles and gather pieces. One of the coolest aspects of this spooky puzzler is the ability to manipulate a 3D environment where the rules of physics don’t apply. There is a lot to love about DARQ, but let’s start with the basic premise: puzzles. While exploring the darkest corners of his subconscious, Lloyd learns how to survive the nightmare by bending the laws of physics and manipulating the fluid fabric of the dream world. To Lloyd’s misfortune, the dream quickly turns into a nightmare and all attempts to wake up end in failure. The story is simple, but that’s the only thing about DARQ that is:ĭARQ tells the story of Lloyd, a boy who becomes aware of the fact that he is dreaming. It can span from gory, intense experiences like Outlast or it can be sweet on the surface like Doki Doki Literature Club. But it is a rare gift to see a horror experience use the environment, the style, and mechanics cleverly enough to create a spooky experience without going overboard. ![]() One of the things that make it so great is the wide breadth of genres and motifs within the genre itself. ![]()
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