Dark Fear

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 205 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Dark Fear Game Cover
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.
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"Dark Fear" is a retro-style RPG with turn-based combat. The game features a gloomy atmosphere and a storyline focused on horror and mystery. Players must explore different areas, fight enemies, and uncover the truth behind their character's amnesia. Pixel art graphics and a chiptune soundtrack enhance the overall nostalgic experience.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 205 reviews
story52 positive mentions
grinding78 negative mentions
  • Dark Fear successfully combines elements of classic point-and-click adventure games with RPG mechanics, creating an engaging and nostalgic experience.
  • The game features a well-crafted atmosphere, impressive pixel art, and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the horror elements.
  • Players appreciate the straightforward puzzles and the balance between challenge and accessibility, making it enjoyable for both seasoned gamers and newcomers.
  • The game suffers from grinding mechanics, particularly in hunting and fishing for resources, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • Some players find the combat system simplistic and lacking depth, leading to repetitive gameplay.
  • The story, while engaging, is criticized for being predictable and relying on cliches, which may leave some players wanting more originality.
  • story150 mentions

    The game's story is a blend of classic horror and adventure elements, drawing inspiration from titles like King's Quest, and features a dark, engaging narrative filled with occult themes and puzzles. While some players appreciate its well-crafted atmosphere and suspenseful moments, others criticize the plot for being clichéd and predictable, with a lack of meaningful choices and character development. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a highlight, though opinions vary on its originality and depth.

    • “Also, as far as the story of Dark Fear itself is concerned, it is definitely well-told and keeps you in suspense as you make your adventures across Diablo in increasingly higher stakes, adding in the sudden spooky moments or even outright jump scares, making for quite the engrossing horror game to play and immerse yourself into.”
    • “The story is richly intriguing and well told, and the combat is simple but oddly tactical and tense.”
    • “This game caught me by surprise; it's very story-rich.”
    • “The story is unoriginal, uninspired, and introduces several characters that go nowhere, as if having the time-wasting hunting grind segments wasn't enough. This game then has you going to some 'icy fortress' to meet this 'ice queen' who exists for no other reason than to give you an excuse to fight some other random monster and collect a few token items to move the plot along.”
    • “No differences between playthroughs; the story is always the same and your choices make no difference.”
    • “While the presentation and the atmosphere worked out, the story became so lame and anti-climactic that I was close to giving up before the game's end - the game had nothing to offer anymore... no interesting mechanics, no interesting plot, no nothing.”
  • music108 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its high quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, effectively setting the mood for various scenarios, from intense action to eerie moments. However, concerns have been raised regarding its copyrighted nature, which poses potential issues for content creators on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, as well as the lack of customizable sound settings. Despite these drawbacks, many players find the soundtrack to be a standout feature that significantly elevates the gaming experience.

    • “The soundtrack is incredible, and absolutely elevates the game.”
    • “The music is really high quality and sets the tone for the whole game.”
    • “The music is bone chilling and the atmosphere is perfect, great job devs.”
    • “Also, it is impossible to mute the sound in the game outside of just muting your PC, which I feel is a tad unusual as most games with basic settings tend to let you control the volume of the music and sounds or, at the very least, turn them on and off separately.”
    • “The sound design is the only positive, with tracks that can be soothing or eerie; unfortunately, they aren't matched by the environments and game design, and the music comes off as being discordant with the rest of the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “Really, my only problems with the game are its cheap pop-scares that don't really add much to the atmosphere, the somewhat inappropriate music, and the fact that the game goes from exorcising ghosts and hunting deer to fighting giant crabs and running errands for an ice queen.”
  • gameplay94 mentions

    The gameplay of "Dark Fear" is a mixed bag, with many players noting that it prioritizes plot over mechanics, leading to a grind-heavy experience that can feel repetitive. While the game draws inspiration from classic point-and-click and RPG elements, its combat and resource management systems are often described as bare-bones and lacking depth. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the nostalgic atmosphere and engaging story, suggesting that the game is enjoyable for those willing to overlook its gameplay shortcomings.

    • “Drawing lots of inspiration from the old Sierra point-and-click adventure games, with a little dash of Oregon Trail and some basic old-school RPG mechanics, Dark Fear succeeds at crossing all three of these and adds a healthy dose of creepy atmosphere and some good scares.”
    • “Combining simple resource gathering, point-and-click adventuring, and JRPG combat with some strange but intuitive 'golf game' controls, this somewhat short but strangely addictive recipe makes for quite a fun 7-10 hours of gameplay.”
    • “Overall though, I'd say Dark Fear is well worth the price, even not being a fan of the genre itself for the most part, as I quite enjoyed its dark story and the themes surrounding its more disturbing elements alongside generally the gameplay being well-paced and not having any frustrating moments, save for a puzzle or two that took me a while to figure out the solution to!”
    • “The gameplay is boring and filled with grind, the story is generic, cliched nonsense, the soundtrack is alright, the atmosphere is stereotypical at best, and the whole experience made me wish I could just take it all back and spend my time doing something of more value.”
    • “The problem is the RPG mechanics are incredibly bare-bones; you attack, eventually you get a crossbow that requires specific kinds of ammo, there's a special attack, there's a flat armor upgrade, there's healing potions, and then there's tattoos which are designed for specific enemies in mind so will only be used once or twice.”
    • “The gameplay can be described quite simply as 'fucking annoying.'”
  • grinding78 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players noting that while it is present, it is not excessively burdensome. Some find the hunting and fishing mechanics for currency to be tedious and time-consuming, especially if mistakes are made, while others appreciate that grinding is manageable and necessary for upgrades. Overall, the grinding is seen as a minor drawback in an otherwise enjoyable experience, with suggestions for improvement in future iterations.

    • “You play it for the plot, not for the gameplay (combat is in need of improvement and you spend way too much time grinding hunting and fishing).”
    • “It's a mind-numbing grinding experience that requires neither effort, skill, or intelligence; it only requires patience.”
    • “The game does get a little grindy, which keeps it from being truly great.”
  • atmosphere68 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its creepy and unnerving qualities, effectively blending horror elements with engaging visuals and sound design. While some players appreciate the well-timed jump scares and the overall sense of dread, others find the atmosphere occasionally undermined by discordant music and a shift in thematic focus. Overall, the game's atmospheric presentation is considered one of its strongest aspects, enhancing the horror experience despite some criticisms regarding gameplay and story.

    • “The game's dark, chilling atmosphere evokes a sense of dread, and it delivers each scare at an appropriate time.”
    • “Genuinely startling moments and creepy atmosphere, with an intriguing storyline and cast of weird creatures to keep you occupied.”
    • “The atmosphere of mountain horror folklore is good, the jump scares are few (and thanks for that since everyone goes overboard with them) but effective and well-integrated, the tale of dark magic compelling and with a couple disturbing moments, the puzzles are simple without being insulting, the graphics quite nice in their clean pixelated glory, the final twist is neat and everything in general simply works.”
    • “The sound design is the only positive, with tracks that can be soothing or eerie; unfortunately, they aren't matched by the environments and game design, and the music comes off as being discordant with the rest of the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “While the presentation and the atmosphere worked out, the story became so lame and anti-climactic that I was close to giving up before the game's end - the game had nothing to offer anymore... no interesting mechanics, no interesting plot, no nothing.”
    • “Really, my only problems with the game are its cheap pop-scares that don't really add much to the atmosphere, the somewhat inappropriate music, and the fact that the game goes from exorcising ghosts and hunting deer to fighting giant crabs and running errands for an ice queen.”
  • graphics54 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming retro aesthetic, reminiscent of late-80s to early-90s pixel art, which effectively creates a dark and foreboding atmosphere. While some players may find the 16-bit style off-putting compared to more realistic horror games, many appreciate the nostalgic and clean pixelated visuals that enhance the overall experience. The combination of well-executed graphics and atmospheric music contributes to a genuinely creepy and engaging gameplay experience.

    • “A Commodore-64 adventure style game with a well-written horror/mystery plot and an endearing pixel aesthetic.”
    • “The graphics are very late-80s to early-90s pixel art, all of which are very well done and work to keep the environment creepy without feeling like they're trying too hard.”
    • “The atmosphere of mountain horror folklore is good, the jump scares are few but effective and well-integrated, the graphics quite nice in their clean pixelated glory.”
    • “16-bit graphics may prove to be off-putting for those looking for a more realistic horror game.”
    • “The game is rendered in a semi-8-bit graphical style with mouse-click based controls.”
    • “Tl;dr very enjoyable, creepy and genuinely scary, despite low-res graphics.”
  • replayability14 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with most players noting that there is little incentive to replay after completing the main story, aside from reliving specific moments or pursuing achievements. While some aspects, like speedrunning, may offer limited replay value, many reviewers suggest that the game could benefit from additional features to enhance replayability.

    • “As no doubt a game's worth is largely dependent on its fun and what makes it stand out from the crowd, as well as, to a lesser degree, its replayability and overall length.”
    • “The artwork is more pixel-based, but given how limited that is, they make phenomenal work of it to create a great game that has some replayability.”
    • “Otherwise, do more to encourage replayability instead of just making it grindy.”
    • “There is little replayability once the game has been completed outside of reliving certain scary moments and potentially speedrunning it.”
    • “[replayability]: low.”
    • “Though it has zero replayability, apart from getting all the achievements, it's definitely worth a playthrough and to be added to your collection.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The game features no in-game purchases, which contributes to a positive reception, as players appreciate the nostalgic art and sound without feeling exploited by monetization tactics. Overall, the absence of microtransactions is seen as a refreshing change from the prevalent cash grab strategies in many other titles.

    • “The art and sound are perfect for grabbing at that nostalgia but in a way that feels fresh and inventive rather than a cheap cash grab like so many others.”
    • “I looked at it and honestly, sometimes I believe games that are being sold really need better advertising... sometimes, not all.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a light-hearted tone, with players finding the ending amusing and jump scares more comical than frightening. However, some feel that the overall presentation, particularly the battle interface, could benefit from more flair to enhance the comedic experience.

    • “The story is pretty simple, though I found the ending funny.”
    • “The whole battle interface could do with a little more pizzazz in general, and the jump scares were more funny than scary, lol.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, players report a stable experience with no bugs or errors during their playthroughs, contributing to an effective storytelling experience.

    • “My playthroughs were bug-free; there were no spelling or grammar errors as far as I could tell, and the storytelling, while simple, was plenty effective.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

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Play time

5hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
5-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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