Anima: The Reign of Darkness

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In Anima: The Reign of Darkness, players navigate a dark fantasy world as they uncover the truth of a mysterious force threatening the land. Assemble a team of heroes, each with unique abilities, and engage in strategic battles to defeat the looming darkness. With a rich, immersive story and challenging gameplay, players must make difficult decisions that will impact the fate of the world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 173 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

The game captures the dark, gothic atmosphere reminiscent of the original Diablo series, providing an enjoyable ARPG experience.
It offers a simple yet engaging gameplay loop with a variety of classes and skill trees, allowing for diverse character builds.
For its price, the game provides a decent amount of content and replayability, making it a good option for fans of the genre.

The PC version feels like a poorly optimized port of the mobile game, lacking many features and updates present in the mobile version.
The targeting system is clunky and often leads to frustrating gameplay, as characters may miss attacks or move unexpectedly.
There are significant quality of life issues, such as limited inventory space, no loot filter, and a lack of multiplayer options, which detract from the overall experience.

graphics
26 mentions
35 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful gothic medieval aesthetics and solid performance, particularly on high-end systems, while others criticize the outdated visuals typical of a mobile port, clunky controls, and poor optimization. Overall, the graphics are described as decent but lacking in options and variety, with some players feeling nostalgic for earlier titles despite acknowledging the game's limitations. Ratings vary, with some giving scores as high as 8.5/10, while others express disappointment in the overall graphical quality.
- “The graphics convey an absolutely fantastic and faithful representation of the gothic medieval aesthetics.”
- “I get 120 fps on my i9/GTX 2060 running at 4K with everything maxed out graphically.”
- “In terms of graphics, the game is quite beautiful; it might even be started on your grandma's toaster.”
- “It is beyond obvious that this is a mobile port as the graphics are outdated, you cannot rotate or zoom the camera, and there are very few graphic options.”
- “Game has extremely poor graphics and optimization.”
- “No multiplayer, no dungeon finder, no familiars, no wings, no aspects, no training (scale as you level) gear, and graphics are the same if not worse than mobile even on high settings.”
gameplay
26 mentions
31 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its addictive nature and solid mechanics reminiscent of classic ARPGs, while others criticize it for being simplistic, repetitive, and tedious, especially during grinding phases. The mobile version is noted for offering enhanced features, such as additional gear and co-op gameplay, which improve the overall experience. However, issues like poor UI design and lack of meaningful updates detract from the enjoyment for some players.
- “Gameplay is solid!”
- “The core gameplay loop is simple but enjoyable; there's a lot of different activities, a bit of grind, but the sense of progression of your character makes for an addictive gameplay experience.”
- “Addictive gameplay, better than a Diablo 1 clone.”
- “Gameplay involves spamming the left mouse and clicking away until you die over and over again.”
- “The price is good, but considering the amount of tedium, repetition, lack of gameplay variety, grind, and massive difficulty spikes in boss fights (requiring more grinding), I cannot recommend this.”
- “Didn't play again, game is boring, little to no updates, shoddy gameplay.”
story
20 mentions
20 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as basic and disjointed, with players struggling to follow the narrative after the initial quests. While it evokes a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of classic ARPGs like Diablo, the lack of a cohesive plot and frustrating quest prompts detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers a variety of zones and quests, appealing to fans of the genre who appreciate exploration and item manipulation.
- “The story is very disjointed, and honestly, I failed to follow what was happening after the initial quest about looking into what happened to the missing soldiers.”
- “Graphics are not too bad, the story seems okay, the music and lighting make it pretty gothic and adds to the atmosphere.”
- “Many different levels to explore and quests given in town with merchants and NPCs.”
- “No story.”
- “The story is very disjointed and honestly I failed to follow what was happening after the initial quest about looking into what happened to the missing soldiers.”
- “It's just the 'story' grind.”
music
13 mentions
62 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its atmospheric quality and nostalgic ties to classic titles like Diablo 1 and 2, with many reviewers noting its ability to enhance the overall ambiance. While some find the score beautiful, it may not always be memorable, yet it effectively contributes to a gothic and immersive experience. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, earning scores as high as 9/10 from users.
- “The music score is interesting and the ambiance is well executed - this was totally unexpected for a mobile game.”
- “The graphics are solid, the UI is quite intuitive, and the music is great (also kind of nostalgic, due to heavy inspirations from the Diablo 2 soundtrack).”
- “This game is very good, it has great atmosphere, and the music reminds me a lot of Diablo 1.”
- “The ambient sound effects and soundtrack give you Diablo I vibes, but I was disconnected from the story.”
- “All set to a sufficiently gloomy soundtrack.”
- “The music seems to strive for that classic Diablo I feel without actually using the original Diablo I music.”
grinding
10 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews on grinding in the game are mixed; while some players appreciate the streamlined process with permanent buffs and shared storage that enhance efficiency, others criticize it for being tedious and poorly optimized, leading to repetitive gameplay and significant difficulty spikes. Overall, the experience can vary greatly depending on individual preferences for grinding mechanics and game design.
- “Tedious, grindy, poorly optimized for PC.”
- “The price is good, but considering the amount of tedium, repetition, lack of gameplay variety, grind, and massive difficulty spikes in boss fights (requiring more grinding), I cannot recommend this.”
- “Loot grinding is a pain; from what I know of the 2017/18 anima players, we are back to the starting anima which has known major updates since.”
optimization
7 mentions
0 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
57 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering and high resource usage despite having capable hardware. Many feel it appears to be a rushed port to PC, lacking necessary stabilization and optimization efforts, resulting in a subpar experience overall.
- “Well, 8 years ago I decided to give a try to this new game called 'Path of Exile'. While at the end of the open beta the game was full of bugs and performance issues, the overall experience was something unique and oh boy, it was promising.”
- “Be advised though that for now, the game is badly optimized (i7-10700K + 32GB RAM + 2080 Super), and with Unity being Unity, I got 60% CPU and 40% RAM usage because of that background music.”
- “The game runs pretty poorly as it was just a quick port to PC with no optimization or stabilization done.”
- “The game has extremely poor graphics and optimization.”
- “Be advised that for now, the game is badly optimized (i7 10700K + 32GB RAM + 2080 Super) and, Unity being Unity, I got 60% CPU + 40% RAM usage because of that background music.”
atmosphere
6 mentions
17 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its classic gothic and grimdark elements, reminiscent of the original Diablo, with effective use of music and lighting to enhance the experience. While some reviewers note its low-budget status and occasional lack of clarity in features, the overall ambiance is considered engaging and immersive, surpassing that of similar titles like Torchlight.
- “A classic gothic grimdark atmosphere, much like the original Diablo game.”
- “Graphics are not too bad, the story seems okay, the music and lighting make it pretty gothic and add to the atmosphere.”
- “This game is very good; it has great atmosphere, and the music reminds me a lot of Diablo 1.”
- “Yes, it's 'only' a low-budget game that doesn't come close to Diablo in terms of atmosphere.”
- “A classic gothic grimdark atmosphere, much like the original Diablo game.”
- “Graphics are not too bad, the story seems okay, the music and lighting make it pretty gothic and adds to the atmosphere.”
monetization
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has drawn mixed reactions, with some players viewing it as a cash grab, particularly given its mobile origins. However, there are no microtransactions or in-app purchases planned for the Steam version, which has been positively noted by some users who appreciate the straightforward pricing. Overall, while concerns about potential future monetization exist, the current model is seen as fair by those who value the game's content.
- “Completing this challenge will reward you with legendary equipment and a special currency called oboli for in-game purchases.”
- “No microtransactions.”
- “There are no in-app purchases, as is common in mobile versions, and none are planned for future updates. At 10€, which is the price of a pack of cigarettes, I don't understand why people complain or say 'the game isn't worth 10€'. Prioritize your spending.”
- “This is a mobile game that made a cash grab on Steam.”
- “It feels like whoever made this game did the bare minimum they could get away with and slapped a cash grab price tag on it.”
- “I'm very excited for the new content to come over from the mobile version, and I'm hopeful the developers won't ruin the game by adding microtransactions as it gets popular.”
replayability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability, with players motivated to return due to the presence of new quests, loot, and enemies, ensuring a fresh experience with each playthrough.
- “The replayability of Anima is a feature that motivates me a lot to keep playing even after the initial playthrough, with new quests, new loot, new enemies, and more.”
- “Absolutely, there is a lot of replay value.”
- “Yes, the replay value is definitely present.”
- “The replayability of Anima is a feature that motivates me a lot to keep playing even after the initial playthrough, with new quests, new loot, new enemies, etc.”
- “Also, there is a lot of replay value.”
- “Replay value: yes, absolutely.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as unintentional and clumsy, with characters and sound effects eliciting laughter rather than fear. Players note that the attempt to create a dark atmosphere often backfires, resulting in comedic moments, particularly in the poorly translated German version, which adds to the humor.
- “It's clunky; my character holds his staff like it's a radioactive piece of dookey. The sounds are funny, and it feels like they're trying way too hard to make it dark and scary, but it just ends up sounding funny.”
- “For German players, I highly recommend avoiding the German version with subtitles, as it was translated very poorly and sometimes even hilariously.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game experiences frequent glitches, particularly during skill usage and after leveling up, which negatively impacts overall stability.
- “The game glitches often, especially when using skills or after leveling up.”
- “I frequently encounter crashes that disrupt my gameplay experience.”
- “The stability issues make it hard to enjoy the game, as it freezes at critical moments.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of gameplay, noting that the mana skill's shooting mechanics can feel disconnected, as it sometimes passes through enemies without making contact. This inconsistency can detract from the overall emotional engagement and immersion in the game.