Dark Places

About

Dark Places is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Madbox Entertainment and was released on April 9, 2019. It received neutral reviews from players.

Dark Places is a horror-themed shooter game that transports players to a variety of eerie environments. The game is a source port of the classic title "Doom 3," featuring improved graphics, physics, and AI. Players must navigate through darkened corridors and confront hostile creatures, using a range of weapons and strategic tactics to survive.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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58%

Audience ScoreBased on 84 reviews

atmosphere12 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game has a charming grungy aesthetic and good sound effects that contribute to its atmosphere.
Some players found the puzzles and gameplay mechanics interesting, providing a nostalgic feel reminiscent of older horror FPS games.
Despite its flaws, many appreciate the effort put into the game and consider it a decent experience for its price.

The level design is often nonsensical and maze-like, making it easy to get lost and frustrating to navigate.
The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to a poor experience.
Many players found the combat mechanics and enemy AI to be poorly executed, with enemies often hitting from unrealistic distances.

atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its rich sound design, creative level design, and immersive horror elements, evoking comparisons to classics like "Cry of Fear" and "Silent Hill." Many players find the atmosphere to be both captivating and suffocating, contributing significantly to the overall experience, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics and visibility. Overall, the game's atmosphere stands out as a highlight, enhancing the tension and emotional depth of the narrative.
- “But personally, this does not prevent me from immersing myself in this beautiful atmosphere of horror.”
- “The sound and music department is rich in adding atmosphere, especially in the levels where you have to find keys to unlock memories that you have caged up.”
- “The atmosphere in this game is top notch!”
- “After seeing the trailer, this seemed right up my alley, a game brimming with lots of atmosphere. Don't get me wrong, it has fantastic character designs, but unfortunately, that's where my praise ends.”
- “It's not scary, but it does have this atmosphere to it.”
- “But the atmosphere, by the gods, the atmosphere is suffocating.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
67%
20%
The story in the game is widely criticized for being unclear and lacking context, leaving players confused about the plot and character backgrounds. Many reviewers feel that the narrative feels like an afterthought, with insufficient details and guidance, resulting in a disjointed experience that fails to engage. While some elements evoke a Silent Hill-like atmosphere, the overall execution of the storyline is deemed unsatisfactory and in need of significant improvement.
- “Liked the first half the most and it seemed like a Silent Hill type of story at the beginning.”
- “The storyline needs more work, because all I got from the first few hours playing the game was that the unseen entity known as 'dad' played a huge part in the protagonist's sanity (or lack of).”
- “The storyline is difficult to understand initially, but more details unfold about the current events as you progress.”
- “The story is a bit of a letdown for me personally, as in all honesty I’m no more informed after playing this game than I was before I even started.”
- “First off, there's no context to the story, which is kind of lame. I don't even know who my character is or where he came from or what events led up to the beginning of this game.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the atmospheric and hypnotic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, others find it repetitive and lacking in variety. The sound design effectively complements the dark levels, creating a creepy ambiance, but some users feel that the music can overshadow other sound elements, leading to a somewhat empty auditory experience. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its quality, but opinions vary on its effectiveness in maintaining engagement throughout the gameplay.
- “The sound and music department is rich in adding atmosphere, especially in the levels where you have to find keys to unlock memories that you have caged up.”
- “Despite all the limitations of the engine, the game has a great atmosphere, unusual puzzles, and a hypnotic soundtrack.”
- “The levels are dark, maybe a bit too dark in some places, and the music/audio fit great!”
- “The music is so repetitive and makes your brain pulse after a while.”
- “So, in the end, a formidable amount of work went into this; the original musical score dresses this up way more than it should for an FPS game, like putting a tuxedo on a corpse.”
- “The monsters are mostly the same as in Crimson Metal, and this time the soundtrack just sucks.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The gameplay is criticized for its simplicity, poor mechanics, and numerous technical issues, including bugs, bad controls, and long loading times. Players find the levels to be maze-like and overly dark, detracting from the intended horror experience, while the trial-and-error nature of certain mechanics leads to frustration rather than engagement. Overall, the gameplay lacks depth and polish, making it a disappointing aspect of the game.
- “Tension, story, scares, game mechanics, atmosphere, etc.”
- “While this is a basic explanation to explain the common push button or collect key mechanic, we often get in indie games, it’s a reasonable explanation regardless of its basic premise.”
- “+great gameplay”
- “Although the game is simple in its mechanics and style, there are a few bugs or glitches you will encounter.”
- “All these games have horrible FOVs, long loading screens, and really bad controls and mechanics, with no options menu to edit any settings whatsoever.”
- “It's fatiguing, irritating, and creates the kind of trial-and-error gameplay that promotes the sort of dying, reloading, and guessing again that horror games learned to avoid decades ago.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The graphics of the game evoke a charming, nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of early 2000s titles, appealing to fans of that era despite being outdated by modern standards. While some players appreciate the unique style and atmosphere it creates, others note weaknesses such as a dated engine, unadjustable controls, and occasional bugs. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag, with a blend of admiration for their nostalgic value and criticism for their technical limitations.
- “The graphics are prestigious in terms of nostalgia for early 2000s games.”
- “For what it is, I actually loved the early-2000 graphics and sound effects; they go so well with the overall feel of the game.”
- “Amazing! This FPS has maze levels and great graphics. I really like it a lot; it's about psychological horror and has a great main menu. I highly recommend it.”
- “The graphics are nostalgic, reminiscent of early 2000s games.”
- “It's a very old-school engine and won't impress in an era of advanced graphics and responsive controls, but considering the limitations, it's understandable.”
- “Weaknesses include the game engine (fpsc), unadjustable controls, dated visuals, weak gunplay, and various bugs and crashes.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game's humor to be a highlight, describing it as "so funny" despite the challenging gameplay and technical issues. The combination of difficulty and comedic elements creates a unique experience, though some feel the game requires significant skill to progress. Overall, the humor adds an enjoyable layer to the otherwise tough gameplay.
- “This game is hilarious! The humor is spot on and keeps you entertained even during the tough levels.”
- “I love the witty dialogue and funny character interactions. It adds a whole new layer of enjoyment to the gameplay.”
- “The comedic elements are fantastic! I found myself laughing out loud at some of the absurd situations.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express concerns about the game's replayability, noting that with only 9 levels available in the early stages, the content feels limited and may not encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “I tried this game with optimism, but I found that only 9 levels were playable in the early stages.”
- “After completing the game once, I realized there was little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of variety in gameplay makes it hard to justify replaying the game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from notable stability issues, with players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that detract from the overall experience. Despite its simple mechanics, these technical problems have led to a frustrating gameplay experience for many users.
- “Although the game is simple in its mechanics and style, there are a few bugs and glitches you will encounter.”
- “It's a horror game... this buggy, boring, and crash-prone 'game', I mean.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that the emotional impact of the game is heightened by the presence of monsters that can inflict harm simply by their gaze and pursuit, creating a sense of vulnerability and tension without direct confrontation. This mechanic effectively amplifies the fear and anxiety, contributing to a deeply immersive experience.
- “Some monsters don't have to be touching you or shooting something at you to attack; some just hurt you by pretty much seeing and following you.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for poor performance, despite its unattractive visuals. Users report that the technical execution does not meet expectations, leading to a subpar gaming experience.
- “It's ugly, and the performance is still bad.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game features impressive atmosphere and character designs, reviewers express disappointment in the lack of meaningful character development, suggesting that it falls short in delivering depth and growth for its characters.