Dark Fall: Lost Souls
- April 21, 2010
- Darkling Room
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Dark Fall: Lost Souls" is a first-person horror adventure game set in a desolate and abandoned English train station. The player must uncover the mysteries of the station and its surroundings, while avoiding supernatural enemies and solving puzzles. The game features a rich and atmospheric environment, with a strong emphasis on exploration and story.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game has a spooky and creepy atmosphere that effectively immerses players in its horror elements.
- Graphics and sound design are well-executed, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
- The story is engaging and ties in with previous entries in the Dark Fall series, providing a sense of continuity.
- Gameplay is often tedious due to slow movement mechanics and a cumbersome interface, making navigation frustrating.
- Puzzles can be illogical and require frequent use of walkthroughs, detracting from the enjoyment of exploration and problem-solving.
- Voice acting is subpar, which can break immersion and detract from the overall narrative experience.
- story158 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its intriguing twists and atmospheric elements, while others criticize it for being predictable, incoherent, or lacking depth compared to previous installments. Many found the narrative engaging enough to motivate them through the gameplay, despite some feeling it was a generic horror tale or a disappointing continuation of earlier plots. Overall, while the story has its moments of creativity and connection to the series, it often struggles with pacing and logical coherence.
“Great story, great voicing (so rare), and decent animation for its day.”
“The story and atmosphere are excellent and genuinely unsettling.”
“It does a great job with the creepy factor, while telling an engaging story that just draws you in.”
“The story is cliche and forgettable.”
“The story is incoherent as well.”
“This one comes out as a generic horror game, with a generic story, generic characters, generic locations and items, and generic gameplay, with many many many flaws (way more than the other games had).”
- gameplay74 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 24 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received largely negative feedback, with many players criticizing its clunky mechanics, slow movement, and tedious navigation, which detracts from immersion and enjoyment. While some found moments of enjoyment as they progressed, the overall experience is described as frustrating, generic, and lacking the engaging qualities of previous titles in the series. The puzzles and interaction mechanics are seen as either overly simplistic or frustratingly obscure, contributing to a sense of boredom rather than excitement.
“We have different interaction mechanics that we've never seen before.”
“I wanna start out by saying I love old school point and clicks, and the first two Dark Fall games were amazing to me—story, gameplay, environments, etc. They had everything I look for in an adventure game.”
“The gameplay is very simple: point and click in order to use items, solve riddles, or do some chatting with ghosts.”
“This one comes out as a generic horror game, with a generic story, generic characters, generic locations and items, and generic gameplay, with many many many flaws (way more than the other games had).”
“The gameplay is very tedious, walking and turning around are slow actions, and you get stuck in the game without any signs of what you should do next very often, which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take you years to go from point A to point B and explore it.”
“The gameplay is rather awkward and painfully slow.”
- atmosphere70 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, enhanced by strong visuals and sound design that contribute to a genuinely unsettling experience. However, some players feel it lacks the creepiness of earlier entries, relying too heavily on jump scares and gore rather than building tension. Overall, while the atmosphere is compelling and engaging, opinions vary on its effectiveness in delivering true horror.
“The story and atmosphere are excellent and genuinely unsettling.”
“Eerie noises, great, atmospheric visuals, tons of atmosphere and a very intelligently put together story.”
“Fantastic game with great atmosphere, not shockingly scary but creepy and a few jump scares that keep you on your toes.”
“It was lacking the creepy atmosphere of previous entries, instead relying on jump scares and unnecessary gore.”
“All in all, it's a much more generic horror story, with a very different atmosphere than that of the first game (which was awesome, even Lovecraftian in nature).”
“Too hard, it's almost impossible to leave the first area, the atmosphere is terrible and the game is not creepy at all.”
- graphics68 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the detailed artwork and atmospheric visuals that enhance the overall experience, especially considering its 2009 release. However, some players noted that the older 3D graphics can feel less immersive compared to modern standards, and the lack of customizable graphic settings was a drawback. Overall, while the visuals contribute positively to the game's eerie atmosphere, they are sometimes overshadowed by issues in gameplay and design.
“Then after a blind sequence, I get to see the graphics which are really good in my opinion, really sumptuous despite the age of the game and the fact that everything is a prerendered cubemap made with DAZ or something.”
“Its strengths, meanwhile, are the detailed graphics, music, and sound effects.”
“Eerie noises, great, atmospheric visuals, tons of atmosphere and a very intelligently put together story.”
“It was nice to see the original locations rendered in up-to-date graphics, but that's the most positive thing I can say about it.”
“Only let down once you are playing the game is there are no graphic/video settings so you have what you have.”
“Game play is point and click with a god-awful user interface and cheap graphics.”
- music22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric and creepy qualities, effectively enhancing the overall horror experience. While some players found the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting for the game's dark themes, others felt it lacked the impact of previous titles. Overall, the combination of music and sound effects contributes significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding the effectiveness of jump scares.
“The game has a gripping atmosphere, with nice music and sound; the graphics are very good for this kind of game (2009).”
“Atmospheric sound and music track keeps the 'horror' in the air.”
“I should also mention the music and sound effects - in combination with the dark atmosphere, it creates a great experience.”
“Soundtrack: 4/10”
“The overall atmosphere is pretty good, but in the end the only really scary parts are just cheap scare jumps (really cheap, literally just an image appearing and the music going loud for a second).”
“Soundtrack and sounds: very creepy, although I still prefer the ones from their previous games.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with slow movement and unclear objectives leading to a lack of engagement. Many reviewers suggest that relying on walkthroughs detracts from the game's charm, making the experience feel laborious rather than enjoyable. Overall, the grinding mechanics are seen as a significant drawback, discouraging players from investing time or money into the game.
“The gameplay is very tedious; walking and turning around are slow actions, and you get stuck in the game without any signs of what you should do next very often. This wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take you years to go from point A to point B and explore it.”
“Don't buy this game; it's tedious as hell. I expected something way better.”
“And with the cumbersome method of panning up and down, it's a very tedious stumble at that.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches and bugs that hinder gameplay and progression. Players frequently encounter problems that require restarts, leading to frustration and a sense of being stuck. Overall, the game's stability is a major drawback, contributing to a dated and tedious experience.
“Littered with glitches.”
“Extremely boring, heavily dated-looking, and quite buggy as well.”
“I had to restart 3 times due to getting stuck by encountering glitches, or being unable to progress further due to missing items that I had little to no knowledge of.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is primarily delivered through the voiceover, which some players find amusing, likening it to a less polished performance by Peter Serafinowicz. However, the overall gameplay lacks comedic elements, leading to moments of boredom, despite the game's strong visuals and atmosphere.
“The voiceover is quite funny too, sounds like Peter Serafinowicz on a bad day.”
