Dark Matter

About

In Dark Matter, you play as a space engineer named Enzo, who wakes up on a derelict spaceship with no memory of how he got there. As you explore the ship, you'll encounter dangerous alien creatures, avoid environmental hazards, and uncover the crew's dark secrets. With a focus on survival and exploration, Dark Matter features a variety of weapons and upgrades to help you navigate through the darkness.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

42%

Audience ScoreBased on 178 reviews

story38 positive mentions

stability18 negative mentions

The game has a great atmosphere and engaging story that draws players in.
The graphics and lighting effects are well done, creating an immersive experience.
The crafting system adds depth to gameplay, allowing players to create ammo and medkits.

The game is unfinished, with an abrupt ending that leaves many plot points unresolved.
Numerous bugs and glitches hinder gameplay, including issues with saving and enemy interactions.
Controls are clunky and unresponsive, making combat and navigation frustrating.

story
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
47%
4%
The game's story is generally regarded as interesting and engaging, with many players appreciating the AI narration and atmospheric elements that enhance the experience. However, numerous reviews highlight that the story feels incomplete, often ending abruptly and leaving players wanting more, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some found the narrative captivating enough to explore further, others criticized it for being thin or cliched, ultimately suggesting that the game may not be worth its full price due to its unfinished state.
- “I enjoyed this game; I doubt it's for everyone, but I found the AI narration to be rather captivating, and the story is a good one.”
- “The main draw of it is the story; it is a very well put together world, and I got lost in the story easily.”
- “The player must explore the spaceship alone, reading logs to reveal the interesting backstory of what happened while their character was in stasis.”
- “Dark Matter's main selling point is the ship's exploration, although the AI's narration and story are rather throwaway.”
- “The story isn't finished, and the ending is missing.”
- “It's still an interesting play and can have a little fun playing it, but it's short, and like I keep reiterating, it's not finished. From the very beginning, it starts foreshadowing an ending you will never reach, a move up through the ship toward the command section that never gets completely out of engineering, so it's part 1 of a 4 or 5 part story that barely gets started.”
gameplay
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
49%
15%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its atmosphere and some mechanics, such as light interaction, but criticizing the overall execution. Common complaints include repetitive combat, clunky controls, and a lack of depth in gameplay mechanics, leading to a feeling of stagnation after initial engagement. While some found the experience enjoyable for a short duration, others noted significant issues like bugs and an abrupt ending, leaving the game feeling incomplete.
- “Gameplay is fluid and keeps you lost inside a world space horror.”
- “Fun gameplay and an engaging storyline.”
- “The theme, most of the art, and the basic gameplay elements work pretty well together and the atmosphere does well in the dark.”
- “However, the game suffers from limited gameplay, lack of clear progression, and a half-baked crafting system that looks as if it is an abandoned feature left in the game.”
- “Clunky controls, poor animations, and repetitive gameplay make this a very hard sell.”
- “After you figure out the one layer of mechanics, that's it; they never evolve or differ much.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
33%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful lighting effects and immersive design, particularly in spaceship interiors. However, some players note issues with darkness in certain areas, graphical glitches, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally considered good and fitting for the game's atmosphere, technical problems and inconsistencies have been highlighted as significant drawbacks.
- “Graphics are excellent, the sound is good, and it runs smoothly.”
- “Lovely graphics and light-based aesthetics.”
- “The visuals are gorgeous.”
- “So to start off, I said the graphics and levels were okay, but they would be even better if the game was not so dark. I mean, some places we see are just too dark, and the flashlight didn't help that much.”
- “Graphics were glitchy enough to bluescreen my poor old NVIDIA 8800 GT.”
- “Mostly crap, overpriced, has graphics bugs on Linux.”
atmosphere
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
17%
10%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, immersive environments and effective use of lighting, which enhances exploration and storytelling. While many players appreciate the atmospheric elements, some note that it can feel diminished over time, particularly in relation to gameplay mechanics and the abrupt ending. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite its shortcomings.
- “The almost pitch black environments are atmospheric for the setting and story, but it is also a nicely utilized gameplay feature.”
- “The theme, most of the art, and the basic gameplay elements work pretty well together and the atmosphere does well in the dark.”
- “It's very atmospheric (ok, not Alien: Isolation atmospheric, but for a budget indie game it does a pretty good job).”
- “If you buy this game, buy it on sale. I love the atmosphere, but the gameplay mechanics are not well done.”
- “The theme, most of the art, and the basic gameplay elements work pretty well together, and the atmosphere does well in the dark.”
- “Ensign just stays blocked while doing such actions, a little atmosphere killer!”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous players reporting a wide range of glitches and bugs that significantly hinder gameplay, making it unwinnable for some. Many reviews highlight the lack of polish and the frustrating experience caused by these technical issues, leading to an overall perception of the game as unfinished and amateurish. While some players found it enjoyable despite the bugs, the consensus is that the stability problems detract from the overall experience.
- “Unfortunately, the game quickly falls apart with a host of glitches and bugs.”
- “The first parts of the game were awesome, but it quickly became buggy in rather unforgivable ways.”
- “First off, it's very buggy, so that makes the awful counterintuitive puzzle elements even more annoying; then you add the frustrating uninspired combat system and you end up with one of the worst games I've played in a long time... really amateurish in the worst possible way.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the minimal soundtrack that effectively captures the mood, while others feel that the absence of a more dynamic score detracts from the overall experience. While some find the music enjoyable and fitting, others suggest that additional suspenseful tracks could enhance the game's atmosphere. Overall, the music is seen as a notable aspect, but there is a consensus that it could be improved for a more immersive experience.
- “I really wanted to like this game; the setup is there for a great space survival horror: dark and spooky environments, genuinely horrifying enemy creatures, and immersive music and sound effects.”
- “The addition of some suspenseful music might help; at this point, I wouldn't recommend buying it.”
- “Interesting story idea, good visuals, good music... it feels like Shadow Complex (X360) meets Alien Breed (the new version).”
- “The addition of some suspenseful music might help, but at this point, I wouldn't recommend buying it.”
- “In an age where most popular art forms seem to have run their course, movies and music need to step up!”
- “No music (or at least none that is memorable).”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious and unfulfilling, with clunky combat mechanics that require excessive repetition and resource expenditure to progress. While the story offers some engagement, the need to explore extensively to uncover it adds to the overall sense of monotony and frustration.
- “Game is incomplete, tedious, and very underwhelming.”
- “While it has some good design aesthetics, the actual gameplay is basically a try/die/repeat cycle that is more tedious than fun.”
- “The story is what makes this game playable, but you need to explore the whole map to get all the story, which is just tedious.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, while the game boasts excellent graphics and sound, users report that it suffers from technical shortcomings and lacks proper optimization, leading to issues with offscreen animations and gameplay execution. Despite running smoothly without performance issues, the game's optimization feels incomplete.
- “Graphics are excellent, the sound is good, and it runs smoothly.”
- “Ran without any performance issues.”
- “But it's not what it ought to have been gameplay-wise, and is obviously a bit crooked technically (despite decent graphics, performance, and stability).”
- “Neither feel at all optimized or even fully executed.”
- “Obviously the game isn't designed to stop offscreen animations, resulting in poor overall performance.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the quirky elements like the amusing door squishing of enemies, others find the overall experience lacking due to the game's incomplete state. The comedic aspects are overshadowed by frustration over the game's shortcomings, leading to a divide between those who enjoy the humor and those who feel misled by the game's release.
- “The atmosphere, exploration, and funny door squishing of enemies are holding my interest where the combat doesn't.”
- “I find it hilarious that all the people pointing out the game is incomplete and criticizing the devs bought this game for something like 2.50 euros and still come whining as if they had spent 60 bucks on it.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that it offers little incentive to play again after completing it once, resulting in a low replay value rating of 1/5.
- “The game really doesn't possess much replayability once it has been played through in its entirety.”
- “Lacks any replayability.”
- “1/5 replay value.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, indicating that players feel the developers prioritize profit over player experience.
- “Sorry devs, hope you enjoy your cash grab party.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and takes away from the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”