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Dark and Light is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Snail Games USA and was released on July 20, 2017. It received neutral reviews from players.

Dark and Light is a sandbox survival RPG set in the mysterious world of Gaia. Harness the power of magic and summon mythical creatures to aid you in challenging battles. Harsh environments and dynamic weather systems require players to build and customize shelters for survival, creating a living, breathing world full of wonder and peril.

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52%
Audience ScoreBased on 5,524 reviews
gameplay139 positive mentions
stability523 negative mentions

  • The game has a beautiful world with stunning graphics and a rich fantasy setting.
  • The skill and leveling system is engaging, allowing players to progress by performing related tasks.
  • Taming creatures and the variety of magical elements add a unique twist to the survival genre.
  • The game has been abandoned by the developers, with no updates or meaningful support for years.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches hinder gameplay, including issues with taming and character progression.
  • The lack of a proper map and confusing quest system can lead to frustrating experiences for players.
  • gameplay
    617 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Dark and Light" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its similarities to "ARK: Survival Evolved," particularly in mechanics like building, taming, and resource gathering. While some appreciate the unique blend of survival and fantasy elements, others criticize the game for being unpolished, buggy, and lacking depth, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements in mechanics and optimization to fully realize its promise.

    • “The game’s core concept — combining survival mechanics with fantasy elements — is genuinely unique.”
    • “Building mechanics are robust, allowing for creative structures and massive bases, especially in multiplayer.”
    • “The game's blend of survival mechanics, sandbox building, and magical elements provides a fresh and engaging experience.”
    • “Abandoned game and shitty devs who just reskinned Ark and slapped some magic gameplay on there without any care for optimization or fixing anything with the game, just pure cash grab and ran away and left this game to die.”
    • “While the premise was a great hook and it had tremendous potential at first - the game is an unfinished mess of an asset flip from Ark with no story, no direction and broken mechanics/quests everywhere.”
    • “The gameplay sucks, but it kind of feels like it could get better over time.”
  • graphics
    604 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful environments and creature designs, often noting that they are visually stunning when settings are optimized. However, numerous complaints highlight issues such as poor optimization, graphical glitches, and significant performance drops, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, while the game has potential for impressive visuals, many players feel it currently falls short of expectations set by promotional materials.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the mounts are really cool, if you like spending 24 hours to tame a small dragon.”
    • “The graphics are amazing, the creatures I’ve had attack me thus far have been incredible, scary, and high leveled.”
    • “The graphics are lush, the draw distances awesome, and the level of detail on many items and mobs makes for extremely pleasant viewing.”
    • “The graphics are dull and boring, the colors are shades of grey, and it looks like it was made in the 2000s rather than in the 2020s. I was expecting this game to be much more interesting, but I've found nothing that would keep me playing the game.”
    • “The graphics are terrible; the UI is horrendous, and it's like a really, really bad fantasy version of Ark.”
    • “The graphics look nothing like the screenshots. I was completely unable to play it on my stationary PC since I have a Radeon graphics card in it. Apparently, Radeon does not mix well with this game.”
  • stability
    544 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players describe it as an unfinished and abandoned project, often comparing it unfavorably to other early access titles like Ark: Survival Evolved. While some acknowledge the game's potential and express hope for future improvements, the overwhelming sentiment is that it remains too unstable and unpolished to recommend in its current state.

    • “Well optimized, and no glitches....”
    • “This game runs great for early access; in my opinion, it's a much fuller experience than in Ark.”
    • “The game runs great and has tons of content.”
    • “It's a buggy mess that barely has enough content for it to be worth playing, and it's abandoned!”
    • “The game is still super buggy and worse than Ark was when it started.”
    • “This game is so janky, buggy, and laggy.”
  • optimization
    517 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, long loading times, and numerous bugs. Despite being in early access, it feels unfinished and poorly optimized, often compared unfavorably to similar titles like Ark. While some users note minor improvements over time, the consensus is that substantial optimization work is still needed for a smoother gameplay experience.

    • “The game is still early access, but I have seen great strides in improvement/performance in the recent patches.”
    • “With what they are planning and the game already running smoother than an oiled egg-head, optimization of the game cannot be better!”
    • “The developers are pushing out updates constantly, adding new features, optimizations, and bug fixes every single week.”
    • “The game launched in early access and still carries that 'unfinished' feeling — janky animations, performance issues, bugs, and inconsistent optimization.”
    • “This game is outrageously unoptimized.”
    • “The game is completely unoptimized.”
  • story
    416 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting that it feels unfinished and buggy. While there are quests intended to guide players through the mechanics, they often suffer from glitches and do not provide a compelling narrative or direction, leading to frustration. Overall, the game is seen as a survival experience with potential, but it currently lacks a meaningful storyline and polished quest system.

    • “The game has an added layer adding towns and NPCs that are voiced and a quest line that explains magic and how the crafting system works.”
    • “The quest system adds depth.”
    • “The quests are an awesome touch!”
    • “Overall no story and still (probably never) will be story.”
    • “This game is not a storyline, it is not finished, it has no ending and it is very much abandoned.”
    • “The quest system is broken, quests do not advance, and you cannot disable the quest HUD so you are constantly getting pestered to complete quests which do not work.”
  • grinding
    269 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players describing it as excessively tedious and time-consuming. Even with multipliers and adjustments, players report spending countless hours gathering basic resources and leveling up, often feeling that the effort does not yield satisfactory rewards. While some enjoy the grind as part of the survival experience, the consensus is that the game is significantly more grindy than similar titles like Ark, leading to frustration and a sense of futility in progression.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “If you like PvP and not grinding, go to the unofficial servers right away.”
    • “The part that made it unplayable for me was the insane amount of grinding to get basic building supplies (i.e., straw).”
    • “The game is way too grindy; the stat upgrades don't feel very impressive, the towns/cities are extremely empty, skill progression doesn't add anything other than you learning the next tier of craftables, there's no progression, and taming is extremely much a chore to the point that there's no reason to do it.”
    • “It's a lot of farming for very little results, even after doubling the resource extraction rate.”
  • monetization
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has been overwhelmingly criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many users expressing frustration over its abandonment and lack of meaningful updates. Reviewers describe the game as a poorly executed reskin of an existing title, accusing the developers of prioritizing profit over quality and player experience. Overall, the sentiment is that the game is a scam, with players advised to avoid it due to its unfinished state and exploitative practices.

    • “Abandoned game and shady devs who just reskinned Ark and slapped some magic gameplay on there without any care for optimization or fixing anything with the game, just pure cash grab and ran away and left this game to die.”
    • “This game has been dead for years; Snail Games is always true to their motto 'dare to scam' where they will abuse the alpha system to get quick cash grabs, only to abandon it to start the next cash grab.”
    • “In its current form, it was released as a buggy, unfinished mess of a cash grab.”
  • music
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its beauty and immersive quality, while others criticize it for being repetitive and overly loud, with a broken volume slider that fails to adjust the music properly. Many users appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, but frustrations arise from the inability to disable the music entirely, leading some to resort to external audio sources. Overall, while the music has its highlights, technical issues and repetitiveness detract from the experience for many players.

    • “The music is amazing, the graphics are superb.”
    • “It is a beautiful game with a beautiful soundtrack.”
    • “The music is astounding, and the world that you spawn into feels incredibly immense and it is full of absolutely gorgeous scenery and architecture.”
    • “The music is really annoying, and you can't turn it off.”
    • “The music volume slider does nothing.”
    • “In the case of this game, the music's intensity heightened my frustration as I listened to it repeat over and over without being able to load the game properly.”
  • humor
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its bugs and glitches, which players find amusing despite their frustrating nature, such as characters being robbed by goblins or experiencing absurd animations. Many users appreciate the unintentional hilarity of the AI and gameplay mechanics, noting that these moments can enhance the overall experience, especially in the context of early access. However, opinions vary, with some players feeling the game lacks humor altogether, highlighting a mixed reception regarding its comedic elements.

    • “I was still laughing by the time I respawned to find my body looted by other players.”
    • “In the very first few minutes of play, I was assaulted and robbed by a group of villainous goblins... now mind you they did not kill me, nearly knocked me unconscious and stole all my belongings... I was astounded and laughing all at the same time.”
    • “I thought the biggest threat of this game was the players looking to kill you and take your loot... but man was I wrong. I was fighting a unicorn, no issue, it was a bit dark so I couldn't see very far, suddenly I had some goblins come and attack me. I found out that their attacks actually will knock you unconscious after a few hits... I honestly couldn't stop laughing, was so surprised, never expected to be robbed of all my items by a couple of tiny goblins.”
    • “It is not funny.”
    • “The graphics are shockingly poor, and there are so many animation glitches and graphical bugs it's not funny.”
  • atmosphere
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and beautiful design, effectively blending elements of magic and survival in a sandbox world. While the graphics and sound contribute positively to the experience, some players noted that bugs and clunky gameplay can detract from the overall ambiance. Overall, the game successfully captures a unique atmosphere that feels distinct yet reminiscent of other titles in the genre.

    • “The world is beautiful and atmospheric, and there is a very high level of immersion.”
    • “What this game does right is create atmosphere, and I found myself saying 'wow' a lot more times than I have in the past with these types of games.”
    • “It has a wonderful atmosphere, solid graphics for an early access game, good movement scheme, and more.”
    • “The atmosphere, setting... magic and swords... this could've been something fantastic.”
    • “More could be done to make the nights scary or build some atmosphere around the concept.”
    • “The game has a very threatening atmosphere and you will get killed by reapers, panthers, and other grizzly creatures.”
  • replayability
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The replayability of the game is generally viewed as decent, with a large open world and various progression elements that encourage exploration and base building. However, many players note that the world feels limited, leading to only a few weeks of engaging content for most. While some find enjoyment in single-player or less populated servers, issues like bugs and performance hinder the overall experience.

    • “Dark and Light has a lot of replay value, with a lot of progression and a large open world to explore. There's always something to do; you can try to upgrade your base or gear, tame a stronger creature, or go out and explore the world.”
    • “Bugs galore, but for its price and replayability, it's definitely a nice game and worth it, even if you end up in a PvE or non-PvP official server. There's always hope.”
    • “The replayability is decent.”
    • “Replayability: a lot of grinding and dying.”
    • “Replayability: most survival games actually have replayability, but unfortunately the world is not big enough to really provide more than a few weeks of adventuring to most players.”
    • “Just missing a lot of polish and a few things to make it more playable which many others have mentioned several times over the years.”
  • emotional
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express deep emotional frustration and disappointment with the game, describing it as heartbreaking and challenging due to persistent bugs and gameplay issues. Many feel a sense of loss and anguish over in-game events, such as losing beloved characters or items, which amplifies their emotional investment. Overall, the game's lack of polish and unresolved core mechanics lead to a feeling of abandonment and disillusionment among players.

    • “You look at it and just want to cry.”
    • “It's challenging, frustrating, heartbreaking, encouraging.”
    • “I watched as he battled the treemen, tearing into them as they knocked over the nearby trees, but finally with a crash one stomped grunt into the ground as I cried out in anguish... my pig was gone.”
  • character development
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers highlight that the character development in the game is a standout feature, emphasizing its depth and customization options compared to similar titles like Ark. Players appreciate the focus on character-based quests and the complexity of crafting and gearsets, which enhance the overall progression and uniqueness of their characters.

    • “The best part is character development; all quests are character-based, no running to NPCs for quests. I really hated that.”
    • “It's an 'ark-like' RPG focused more on character development and less on taming armies of creatures.”
    • “The complexity of the crafting, the snap together building, and the character development make it stand out.”
    • “Additionally, there is much more utility and gear sets than Ark and other games, which create an opportunity for diverse character development.”
    • “The aspect of the game that rises above Ark is your character development.”
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18h Median play time
212h Average play time
6-100h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 150 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dark and Light is a open world role playing game with fantasy theme.

Dark and Light is available on PC, Windows, Cloud and NVIDIA GeForce NOW.

On average players spend around 212 hours playing Dark and Light.

Dark and Light was released on July 20, 2017.

Dark and Light was developed by Snail Games USA.

Dark and Light has received neutral reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Dark and Light is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Citadel: Forged with Fire, Conan Exiles, Heat, The Black Death, PixArk and others.