Dark and Darker is a dungeon escape game. And there is a problem with that – or there should be. Dungeons are so common in fantasy games that it’s hard to pay much attention to them. We’ve seen them all before, we know what they do. But when was the last time we really reconsidered what it would actually be like to be in one? Dark and Darker does that, and does it brilliantly.
It’s technically a PvPvE extraction game, meaning you enter a dungeon with – and against – other people, as well as monsters, and have to find a way out. If you die, you walk away with nothing but the experience points you’ve earned. If you take too long, you’ll be rushed and eventually killed by an earthquake, or by a deadly storm blowing in. The issue is pressure. You know, even before you start, you’ll never be sure. You will need to move, but where?
It is dark. So dark you won’t even see the chests next to you unless you shine a torch. You won’t even see platforms or missing parts of platforms. You won’t see traps on the floor or piles of bones forming into skeletons when you’re close. In terms of setting, Dark and Darker lives up to its name. Therefore, the light in the game is valuable. But torches also tell you about anyone nearby, and they take up the arm of the sword you hold them with. They are a danger.
And so quiet. There is no atmospheric music to complete the experience; it’s just you and whatever sounds surround you. And because you can’t see very far or very clearly, what you hear matters more. It will tell you what is around you and what dangers you may face. Can you hear a flapping of wings or a goblin’s grunt? Can you hear the bone crunch of a skeleton? With sound, you will build a picture of what is nearby. Even silence speaks volumes because there is probably an enemy lurking nearby. And if you hear footsteps on the other side of a door and knock! of a weapon or fluff! of a spell: it could be what you’ve been afraid of all along – another player. Sound is important.
Dark and Darker makes you painfully aware of sounds you are doing as well. I don’t think I’ve played an RPG before where my footsteps sounded so loud. I don’t think I’ve ever played an RPG where I ducked at the sound of a broken vase or crate. I have never paid so much attention to the sounds I make. In turn, this creates a kind of natural theft. Not stealth in the sense of a coded mechanic where you become transparent and jump around. Stealth in the sense of staying in the shadows and crouching down to muffle footsteps. Stealth in the sense that armor choices are important because heavier armor makes more noise. Monsters may not notice, but other players will. Their threat is always there.
Supporting and reinforcing these systems is the game’s inherent sense of difficulty. Those screeching skeletons and grunting goblins are just as capable of killing you as the other players. They are not fodder as they often are in other games. Of course to begin with, monsters will be more of a hindrance than other players, so you’ll want to know where they are. But this is a game of careful exploration and looking for every advantage you can get. Rushing forward almost always ends in death.
I swear a lot in Dark and Darker, but it reminds me of a Souls game in the way it values persistence. It feels very unfair at first, but every time you push back, there are small moments of progress. You die, but now you know how a certain enemy attacks. You die, but now you know how to cast spells – with so little information you start (the tutorial is in progress; it’s an Early Access version). Little by little, you build understanding. It’s satisfying, it’s a symbol of pride and it prepares you for what will inevitably come: playing with other people.
There is a feature in the game where you can ask for the help of a ‘knight’ and when you press it, it sends you all the way to Dark and Dark Discord. There your request is registered with experienced community members who have taken on the role of ‘knight’ in the game – community knight, indeed. They group with you and teach you how to play. There is a queue, so I haven’t experienced it myself, but I did group with someone who had and shared their knowledge of it. It helped a lot. This developer-driven attitude seems to have spread to the wider community as well, because as soon as I shared my frustrations about my lack of progress, people were immediately there in the chat to encourage me. It is as if an example has been set that everyone wants to emulate. It’s good.
Because there is no matchmaking in the game, or a multiplayer lobby, Discord serves this function as well. You have to search for a group – it’s not automatic – but in my experience it’s quick and easy to find one. People seem willing to feel the game out together – there’s a sense of support in the air. Maybe it’s there because it’s needed and is missing from the game itself. I do not know. What I do know is that played together, Dark and Darker transform. Alone, I fought. With someone else I progressed. I had my first breathless escape from a dungeon. I had my first taste of fighting with other players, with purpose and to win. I felt the magic of Dark and Darker, and I loved it. There is nothing else like it.