Dark and Darker

Picture this: you're creeping through a pitch-black dungeon, torch in one hand, sword in the other. Your footsteps echo off stone walls as you search for treasure. Suddenly, you hear other footsteps. Another party of adventurers is nearby, and they're probably not looking to share the loot. Welcome to Dark and Darker, the game that answers the question "What if someone turned RPGs into battle royales?"

First off, let me say this – Dark and Darker isn't for everyone. It's brutal, unforgiving, and will probably make you curse at your screen more times than you'd care to admit. But when things click? When you successfully ambush another party and make off with their epic loot, or when you barely escape a dungeon with that legendary sword you've been hunting for weeks? Pure dopamine.

Not Your Average Dungeon Crawler

If you've played Hunt: Showdown, you'll feel right at home here. Instead of hunting monsters in Louisiana swamps, you're delving into medieval dungeons with eight other parties who'd love nothing more than to send you back to the lobby. The tension is ridiculous – every creaky floorboard or distant torchlight could mean either valuable loot or an early grave.

But here's where it gets interesting. Unlike most battle royales where you're just hunting other players, Dark and Darker fills its dungeons with actual threats. More than just other players, the game gives you a shared dungeon filled with dangers that will end your trip just as fast as any other player.

Choose Your Fighter (Or Wizard… Or Rogue)

Remember how you'd always argue about who gets to play what class in D&D? Dark and Darker gives you nine different options, and they're all viable (mostly). Want to be a sneaky backstabbing rogue? Go for it. Prefer to chuck fireballs from a safe distance? Roll wizard. Each class feels distinct and brings something unique to a party. Now's your chance to put that Baldur's Gate 3 knowledge to good use.

The class system reminds me a bit of Escape from Tarkov's progression, except instead of modern military gear, you're collecting medieval weaponry and magic items. And just like Tarkov, losing your best gear to a better player (or an unfortunately placed trap) stings like hell.

Dim-lit Beauty

Dark and Darker won't win many beauty pageants, unfortunately. The game's world is rather crude most of the time, with visuals that reminded me of all the worst parts of the original Demon's Souls. Fortunately, most of it is covered in shadows.

Character models are also something to behold. And not in the good sense. Though there's a healthy enemy variety, most models look blocky or downright basic, making the world of Dark and Darker feel a bit dated.

Fortunately, the sound design is a bit stronger here. The clang of swords, the whoosh of spells, the death rattles of monsters - it all comes together to create this incredibly immersive atmosphere. You can hear someone trying to sneak up on you if you're paying attention (and haven't blown out your eardrums from the jump scares).

It all eventually comes together to create one of the most unique dungeon crawlers I've ever played.

Pros

• Nails the perfect blend of PvP and dungeon crawling
• Classes feel genuinely different and well-balanced
• Creates some of the tensest gaming moments you'll ever experience

Cons

• The learning curve is more like a learning cliff
• Some classes can feel slightly underpowered
• Better with friends, which might hinder solo players