Speaking of which, even the warriors who make up your team lean into the gothic feel of the game. There are unlockable lore documents you’ll be itching to read before long and a graveyard you can visit to read the woeful tales of your previous heroes when they die. Nothing gets my blood pumping like hearing an exultant “executed with impunity!” or a sinister “so… it bleeds”.Īs the game goes on you’ll get further sucked into the devilishly macabre story and get spooked by the ever increasing madness. Every time he speaks it’s a shudder inducing sensation, especially when you score a critical hit. I can only tell you to watch the trailer or the game’s intro and listen. So much of what makes Darkest Dungeon such a smashing success comes down to raw presentation and style.Īs I already noted, the music is fantastic, the art style even better, and the narration of Wayne June borders on indescribably good. Ultimately, the supremely psychological nature of Darkest Dungeon makes for literally killer gameplay and tons of decisions that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Seemingly safer activities like prayer and meditation aren’t without their own dangers as your characters might develop religious delusions or guilt complexes that could cripple them in a moment of crisis.
De-stressing activities like Drinking or Gambling might result in a loss of coin or reputation, hitting the brothel without care can result in the contraction of a disease or the development of certain fancies that get your character banned. If left unchecked, these conditions can worsen into forms of serious madness that will make your own best assets into hazardous liabilities.Įven relieving the Affliction system’s effects can be risky. If a character’s stress meter maxes out for a second time they will suffer a heart attack and die.īeyond the stress meter, there are diseases like Cholera and mental conditions like Cleptomania or specific phobias that can beleaguer your adventurers. Perhaps instead they will become masochistic and allow the enemies to hit them on purpose. If they do, they might become paranoid of betrayal and refuse to help their teammates. If a character’s stress meter hits maximum their resolve will be tested and they will either surmount their fears or succumb. You’ll only make the mistake of not bringing enough torches once. The exact same level, even devoid of monsters, will be far more stressful for your heroes without light. This can come from getting vomited on by a raving lunatic or something seemingly innocuous like walking in the dark for a little too long.
When sanity stripping experiences befall your characters, their stress meters go up. First, in addition to a health bar, characters are given a stress meter. The Affliction System is a set of mechanics in Darkest Dungeon that makes simple things like walking through empty hallways a serious threat.
The Affliction SystemĪs scary as the monsters are, the Affliction System is really what gives this game it’s horror aspect. There are even freaky minibosses that can randomly appear like the grisly Collector. Regardless of the threat level you run up against, each enemy is beautifully crafted and super unique. The game has hordes of lesser enemies to wear you down on the way to bigger fights and you’ll quickly develop grudges against the ones you hate the most. Yet others are traditional horror staples like vampires, zombies, and knife-licking cultists all with a thoroughly medieval aesthetic. Some are gore-festering nightmares of Lovecraftian ilk whilst others are twisted versions of typically benign creatures. Each are terrifying for different reasons. Throughout the game’s surprisingly varied stages you’ll encounter bosses uniquely themed around the game’s internal lore and environments. Beyond that, the game packs a host of boss monsters with blood chilling designs like the Swine God pictured above. You’ll certainly do both before long.ĭarkest Dungeon features some of the most hair raising boss fights in any game I’ve played for challenge alone. What work of horror is complete without some kind of monster? Darkest Dungeon boasts dozens of unique and horrifying enemies to test your mettle against…or run away screaming from. But enough of my raving! let’s descend into the nitty gritty of what makes Darkest Dungeon such a frightening and brutally medieval game.
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