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Dark Light

80%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
grinding, optimization
80% User Score Based on 792 reviews

Platforms

PCXboxXbox Series X|SPlaystation 5Playstation 4WindowsPlayStationNintendo SwitchMac OSSteam Deck

About

"Dark Light" is a souls-like game set in a post-apocalyptic world shrouded in darkness, where you play as the last planetary defender against creatures born from the Dark Void. Equip cyberwares to augment abilities, battle challenging enemies, and join factions to unlock skills in your quest to seal the Dark Void and save humanity from eternal darkness. The game offers unique visuals and fast-paced combat with challenging bosses.

Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
Dark Light screenshot
+8

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 792 reviews
graphics210 positive mentions
grinding54 negative mentions

  • Stunning graphics and unique art style that creates a dark, immersive atmosphere.
  • Engaging combat mechanics that blend melee and ranged attacks, providing a satisfying gameplay experience.
  • Interesting world design with various enemy types and bosses that encourage exploration and skillful play.
  • Clunky controls and platforming mechanics that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • Lack of clear direction and story, making it difficult for players to understand objectives and progress.
  • Balancing issues with difficulty spikes, particularly in boss fights, which can feel unfair and punishing.
  • graphics
    310 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning art style and atmospheric design, blending elements of cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic aesthetics. Many players appreciate the unique visual presentation, with detailed environments and a captivating color palette, although some have noted issues with character models and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point of the game, contributing significantly to its immersive experience.

    • “The game's got this cool cyberpunk post-apocalyptic vibe going on, with unique graphics that'll blow your mind.”
    • “The art style is especially amazing.”
    • “Graphically this game is gorgeous, with a lot of detail seemingly put into the environments and various other added little things which you see around in each area.”
    • “For what this game has in cyberpunk theme, visuals and atmosphere, it lacks in sound effects, sound equalization, animations, UI, and level design.”
    • “Instead what I got was glitchy graphics, unwanted interactions during fights, and hard-to-read environments.”
    • “Even with that being said, however, I feel as though the current focus of this game's development is the graphics, and as a result, the gameplay actually suffers from it.”
  • gameplay
    232 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Dark Light" is generally well-received, praised for its engaging combat mechanics, movement fluidity, and stunning visuals, though it requires some time to master. However, players have noted issues with complexity, clunky controls, and a lack of clear guidance on mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience. While the game shows potential and has received updates to improve gameplay, it still needs further polish to reach its full potential.

    • “The gameplay is amazing, and the story looks to be shaping up well.”
    • “Game play is the most fantastic part of Dark Light; amazing movement mechanics mixed with interesting weapons allow for quality, high-thrill content.”
    • “The combat is amazing; melee strikes and gunshots can be interwoven with each other with instant responsiveness for some pretty sick and creative combos.”
    • “The game also does a pretty bad job of explaining its mechanics, and the path forward is unclear at times.”
    • “80% of boss fights are so easy you just hit them 5 times and they die because they have too little HP, and then the last 20% are so frustrating because they all have some really dumb one-shot mechanics or spam bullet hells that you can't possibly dodge all.”
    • “It's one of those 'I'm not really fighting baddies, I'm fighting terrible mechanics' sort of games ... thus far.”
  • story
    144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it disjointed and lacking depth, leading to confusion about objectives and plot progression. While some appreciate the intriguing lore and atmospheric setting, others criticize the poor dialogue, lack of clear direction, and overall underdevelopment of the narrative. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game has potential, it requires significant improvements in storytelling to enhance player engagement.

    • “Love the lore/graphics, cool story and unique enemies.”
    • “I immediately fell in love with the lore, the backstory that some ancient war between the celestials allied with humans vs the hellish demons from another universe.”
    • “The story is intriguing, there's tiny tidbits here and there that make me think about a realm of cosmic horror and does great with the aesthetic, but (at least before the end of the game) seems to fall short of giving enough breadcrumbs to instill that nerdy fervor in people learning about a new world and staying up all night searching it.”
    • “The story has bad dialogue and it's corny and predictable.”
    • “There's no story, and it feels like it's trying to be like Dark Souls in its limited 'direct' storytelling, but it just misses the mark entirely in the opening act by making the player wander aimlessly.”
    • “The 'storytelling' (I use the word very loosely) starts off with a massive exposition dump from a robot and then you're just left to figure out what to do and where to go.”
  • atmosphere
    126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic aesthetics, creating a dark, immersive world filled with haunting visuals and eerie soundtracks. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a sense of dread and intrigue, although some note that the storyline and level design could benefit from further development. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The atmosphere, visuals, and soundtracks are astonishing.”
    • “Sourced from various inspirations, yet attributable to none in particular, the distinct art style is breathtakingly gorgeous, with a grim and brooding atmosphere to the world that is both nightmarish yet beautifully mesmerizing at once.”
    • “The atmosphere is beautiful, as promised; the previews built up high expectations, and those have been exceeded.”
    • “For what this game has in cyberpunk theme, visuals, and atmosphere; it lacks in sound effects, sound equalization, animations, UI, and level design.”
    • “The labs and the city of flesh give off a creepy, 'you should not be here' atmosphere.”
    • “Horizontal and vertical elements give depth and scale to the environments, setting the tone for convincing immersion into the bleak and desolate atmosphere of a ruined Earth.”
  • music
    100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it atmospheric and well-suited to the game's dark, post-apocalyptic setting, while others describe it as forgettable, dull, and repetitive. Many appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance key moments, such as exploration and boss battles, but some express disappointment that it doesn't match the excitement suggested by the trailers. Overall, while the sound design and music contribute positively to the game's ambiance, there are calls for more variety and improvement in certain areas.

    • “The atmosphere, visuals, and soundtracks are astonishing.”
    • “The music in turn complements the art very well, and backs the intensity of the action and goes hard for the boss battles while maintaining a brooding ambiance when exploring the ruined and mutated landscapes.”
    • “No complaints here, the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard all year.”
    • “Music is dull, depressing, and repetitive loops.”
    • “The trailers suggested excitement and action, the in-game music instead gives you dreary and tiresome.”
    • “I like this game, but something makes me hate it also, and I think it's the soundtrack; the vibe is depressing.”
  • grinding
    58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and cumbersome due to a poorly designed user interface and the necessity of extensive farming for upgrades and materials. While some players appreciate the challenge and see grinding as a means to progress, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, making the game feel longer and less rewarding. Overall, the balance of grinding versus gameplay enjoyment remains a contentious point among players.

    • “The pros are that it's amazing once you get the hang of it, guns and melee mesh very well, exploration is thorough but not tedious, and the art is amazing!”
    • “This game is not tough, it's tedious.”
    • “My main issue with the game is that fairly early on, your ability to improve your character is locked not just behind farming currency, but upgrades start to require rare materials.”
    • “The upgrade system demands extensive farming and there is no fixed place where you can reliably get the gems necessary for the more advanced one.”
  • optimization
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing performance issues such as stuttering, bugs, and slow menu navigation. While some users report that the game runs smoothly for the majority of the time, others have encountered significant technical problems, particularly during transitions. Recent patches have addressed some of these issues, but overall, the game's optimization remains a concern, affecting the overall experience.

    • “Still, for 98% of the time, it runs smoothly and it's fun in a simple way.”
    • “Each gem type will tell you what performance increase it will add to your weapons; some will give more power than others, but it’s up to you how you would like to upgrade your weapons.”
    • “The game had an ~1GB patch today that contained fixes for the performance issues and the controls, both displaying the correct buttons in the UI and saving remappings.”
    • “Pretty bad technical executions, with bugs, inconsistent collision boxes, and performance problems.”
    • “Has performance issues and a whole boatload of other problems as well.”
    • “The controls are a clunky mess, and there are performance issues in some areas, especially during transitions.”
  • stability
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is mixed, with users reporting occasional bugs such as platforming issues and initial HUD and audio failures. While some glitches can be resolved by restarting the game, the overall performance is praised for being smooth, with no significant stutters or freezes. Despite these minor issues, players find the game enjoyable and appreciate its ongoing updates.

    • “There is a laser platforming puzzle right before the boss where you have to wait for platforms to spawn in, but it's buggy. Sometimes they don't spawn in at all or spawn right when you jump, causing you to fall through.”
    • “I had to make the game even playable with a recent patch, and all they did was lie to more people about the game regarding things that don't exist or are buggy and misleading.”
    • “Really great game, but a little buggy at times. For example, the first time I booted up the game, the HUD did not show and there was no audio. If you can get over some minor bugs, it's a great game to pass the time and is still getting updated.”
  • humor
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as dark and grim, appealing to those with a similar sense of humor, though it lacks the wit found in comparable titles like 'Dead Cells.' Players noted instances of unintentional comedy, such as amusing bugs and the absurdity of gameplay mechanics, which contribute to a lighthearted experience despite the game's serious tone. Overall, while the writing is criticized as "hilariously bad," it adds a quirky charm that some players find enjoyable.

    • “But hey, if you enjoy a challenge and have a dark sense of humor, this game might just be your cup of radioactive tea.”
    • “It's a 2D souls-like, with hilariously bad writing, no world building to speak of, and toddler-level challenges.”
    • “But I did run into a funny bug; I think I was in the Cult of Flesh III where I tried to convert the temporary currency to the permanent currency, but my temporary currency didn’t go away. So after 2 hours into the game, I made millions just by converting currency. Cool.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers some replayability with over eight endings, encouraging players to complete multiple playthroughs to achieve 100%. However, the randomized maps do not significantly enhance this aspect, leading some users to question whether the game justifies the effort required for repeated runs.

    • “It sports upwards of 8 endings according to the achievements, so there is replayability there for those who want to try to 100% as it does require multiple playthroughs to get them all.”
    • “As far as replay value goes, the randomized maps also don't add much to it.”
    • “If you want all of them, you need to beat the game at least 8 times because there are 8 endings. I'm not sure the game has the replayability for that.”
    • “It sports upwards of 8 endings according to the achievements, so there is replayability there for those who want to try to 100% it, as it does require multiple playthroughs to get them all.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be exceptionally well-executed, highlighting its wholesome and spectacular gameplay that fosters a positive and uplifting experience.

  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has generated interest, as users have encountered persistent advertisements on social media for over a year, leading to anticipation for the early access version.

Buy Dark Light

12h Median play time
10h Average play time
5-14h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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