The Darkest Tales

We all had that fairytale that our parents read to us before bed. The one that would see us drift off to the land of nod each night. However, what if that story was tweaked and twisted to tell a dark and gruesome tale where hideous creatures chase you at every turn and your cute heroic protagonist must brave these brutal environments in order to survive. Well, in a nutshell that is what The Darkest Tales is all about.

This game plays like other open world 2D adventures such as Hollow Knight, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Metroid, Castlevania, Inside, Limbo and Little Nightmares. This is another cute meets horror title, a subgenre that is all the rage. However, does this game hold its own amongst the greats of the era? We find out in our review of The Darkest Tale.

A Dark Tale Indeed

So, let’s begin with the overall visual offering. The Darkest Tale in terms of visual splendour is right up there with comparable title, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. However, in terms of thematic design such as the grotesque world and enemies, it is much more like Hollow Knight and Little Nightmares. The game blends realistic and vibrant environments with a storybook art style to immerse players in the adventure and truly make them feel as though their favourite childhood tale has been invaded by a dark plague.

Then as for the gameplay. This one is pretty predictable in terms of its format. Its a metroidvania world where you explore, fight enemies with a flurry of powerups and melee attacks. You solve puzzles, fight bosses, backtrack to earlier areas and so on. However, that’s exactly what you want from a game of this nature, its handled competently, the mechanics are refined and the progression system is fun and rewarding. Plus, the game is rather challenging too. So overall, a great effort in this department too.

So this leaves the overall narrative of this game. The game’s story is mostly told through its world and through the limited encounters with the NPC’s you come across and your enjoyment of the story will ultimately depend on how much you delve into and explore this world. However, for the inquisitive among you, this story has more than enough to excite you, we promise.

The Verdict

Overall, we believe that The Darkest Tale has all the potential to be on the same level with many peoples indie game of the year, Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

Pros:

• Outstanding fairytale meets horror story visuals
• Combat and progression are great
• Story is riveting

Cons:

• Some story aspects can be missed by less invested players