A Dark Room
- March 8, 2022
- Amir Rajan
"A Dark Room" is a text-based survival game that begins in a cold, dark room with minimalistic gameplay. The player must gather resources, make decisions for survival, and manage a growing community while uncovering the mysterious story behind the dark world. With challenging choices and permadeath, each playthrough is unique and provides a different experience.
Reviews
- The game features engaging storytelling and character development, enhancing the overall experience compared to the original web version.
- It offers a fun and unique gameplay loop with resource management mechanics that keep players invested.
- The port is a solid upgrade from the web version, providing more explicit narrative elements and improved pacing.
- Some players find the narrative to be rudimentary and the plot points disappointing compared to the latest online version.
- The user interface and quality of life features are seen as a downgrade from the original browser version, lacking some recent improvements.
- Certain gameplay mechanics, like fire management, can be annoying and detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- story12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its depth and engaging storytelling, with players experiencing shocking moments and intricate plot developments. While some aspects, such as the protagonist's role and certain plot twists, received mixed reactions, the overall narrative is considered compelling and enhances replayability. Players appreciate the gradual unfolding of the world and the additional content that expands the story beyond the original version.
“Really nice storytelling and development.”
“From the simplest of beginnings, the world expands and expands as you start to piece together the larger story and discover what your end goal is.”
“There is a great story in this game, and it's further expanded upon in the ensign.”
“It's really in depth and has a ton of cool resource management mechanics, but I never really figured out the story, even though I can tell it has a lot of depth.”
“Also, I'm not really a fan of the protagonist being the villain in the plot points.”
“Story-wise, it did the builder so dirty.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as in-depth and engaging, featuring complex resource management mechanics that enhance the experience, although some players may find the fire mechanic off-putting. The transition from mobile to PC has resulted in an increase in tabs, but overall, the mechanics are solid and the gameplay loop is enjoyable, making it a great option for multiplayer sessions.
“It's really in-depth and has a ton of cool resource management mechanics. I never really figured out the story, but I can tell it also has a lot of depth.”
“I love the gameplay loop, and this is something I will definitely be playing a lot while talking to friends.”
“Aside from these specifics, mechanically it's pretty solid.”
“Some people will be turned off by the fire mechanic (you can ignore it; after a while, you're just playing the game in dark mode), and it feels like the number of tabs is increased, which makes sense since this is a PC version of a mobile port.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its evocative portrayal of solitude and survival, with players fondly recalling the intimate moments shared between the two main characters around a fire. Many express a desire to relive the initial magic of their first experience, noting that the atmosphere remains impactful and is enhanced by new elements.
“I really love the original's atmosphere of our two lonely figures huddled around a fire, dragging in sticks to keep it alight, drawing my own conclusions about the gradually expanding world.”
“I wish I could have gone in blind again to re-experience the magic of my first playthrough, but everything still held up exactly as I remembered it, plus some new atmospheric touches.”
“The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion I was hoping for.”
“Despite the beautiful graphics, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real emotion or connection to the world.”
“The game’s atmosphere is flat and unengaging, making it hard to feel invested in the story or characters.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's enhanced replayability due to its varied gameplay and additional story content, which encourages multiple playthroughs.
“The game plays a bit differently, but the fact that there is more story and more replayability more than makes up for it.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have noted that the stability of the game is generally good, but there are minor issues, such as a slightly buggy resource collection button.
“My only complaint is that the resource collection button is slightly buggy.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
“I've encountered several glitches that disrupt gameplay and affect stability.”