Dark Throne
- March 2, 2017
- Marcin Mikołajczyk
- 3h median play time
Get on SteamIn Dark Throne, play as a knight on a mission to lift a curse from the kingdom of Trimont, plunged into eternal night by a mad king. This 2D sidescrolling RPG features nine skills to develop and nine teachers to free, each offering new abilities. Battle various enemies and five bosses, using key combinations for fluid movement. Skills include damage, vitality, and energy expansion for archer, and unique abilities for spy and sorceress.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic NES platformer feel combined with mild RPG elements, making it enjoyable for fans of retro gaming.
- At a low price, it provides a decent amount of gameplay and a chance to unlock many achievements quickly, appealing to completionists.
- Despite its flaws, the game shows effort in its design and can be entertaining for those who appreciate old-school gaming mechanics.
- The controls are unintuitive and clunky, making gameplay frustrating and difficult to enjoy.
- The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including crashes, poor animations, and unclear hitboxes, detracting from the overall experience.
- It has a very short lifespan and lacks depth, leaving players wanting more content and a more polished experience.
- music16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it repetitive and overly familiar, often recalling tracks from other media like South Park. While some pieces are deemed enjoyable and fitting, others are criticized for being out of place or too loud, and there are requests for adjustable music levels. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as passable, featuring a mix of free music sources, including compositions by Kevin MacLeod.
“Well, I read the pros and cons on this game and I have to agree with what people are saying about this game is true, but it still has excellent entertainment value and the music is good as you play along.”
“While the soundtrack for the most part is passable, featuring your standard piano and baroque ensembles, some are completely out of place.”
“The music is fine, some better than others; however, I find it too loud.”
“On the audible side, the music in particular seems to have been collected from a range of free music sources, including every YouTuber's favorite composer, Kevin MacLeod.”
“While the soundtrack for the most part is passable, featuring your standard piano and baroque ensembles, some tracks are completely out of place.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a steep learning curve, with combat mechanics initially challenging but becoming enjoyable after training. However, many players feel that success often relies on exploiting game mechanics rather than skill, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. Despite potential hidden depth, the lack of engaging content may deter players from fully exploring the gameplay.
“The mechanics of the fight are difficult at first, but after the training, the fight becomes fun.”
“I feel like the only way to win in this game is to exploit the mechanics.”
“The mechanics of the fight are difficult at first, but after training, the combat becomes enjoyable.”
“Massive 2-3 hours of gameplay.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are highly praised, with reviewers noting that the developer put significant effort into creating visually appealing visuals, especially considering the game's low price point. While some acknowledge that graphics aren't everything, they generally agree that the visuals are a strong aspect of the game.
“Not sure about the price, the graphics look like the developer put in serious effort to make it look as great as it does.”
“Little and cheap game with very nice graphics.”
“The graphics are nice.”
“I'm slowly starting to learn that visuals aren't everything, but they're usually a good indicator.”
“Not sure about the prize, the graphics look like the developer did some serious effort for it to make it look as great as it does.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of clever wordplay and absurdity, with players finding amusement in the fast-paced animations contrasted with slower gameplay. While some appreciate the comedic elements, others feel that the humor can be overshadowed by the game's difficulty. Overall, the humor is described as both entertaining and occasionally frustrating.
“Except for the souls, there are no souls... hehe... funny aspect...”
“All of the animations are hilariously fast, yet the gameplay isn't, so I'm pretty sure it's not because my computer's running the game mega-quick.”
“Hilariously bad.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and rough, particularly criticizing the cumbersome controls for item management during battles. Despite these frustrations, the game successfully blends NES platformer elements with mild RPG mechanics.
“Using Q and E to move your active selected item at the bottom is extremely tedious in the heat of battle, and using the 'right arrow' to actually use the item is just downright confusing.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Reviewers feel that the atmosphere in the game is lacking, particularly due to an ill-fitting soundtrack and a lack of ambient effects. They suggest that incorporating more varied audio elements, such as different enemy sounds, would significantly enhance the overall atmosphere and prevent monotony during gameplay.
“Ambient effects would have added a ton of atmosphere to the game, and variation in enemy grunts is almost needed if you don't want to grow tired of fighting the same enemies over and over again.”
“The song that plays in Kerbal Space Program when entering the upper atmosphere has for some reason found its way into Dark Throne, which does not fit at all.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users express confusion regarding the story, indicating that it may be poorly conveyed or difficult to understand, potentially reflecting a lack of clarity from the creators.
“I didn't understand the story. My English isn't the best, but it seems like I can say the same about the creators.”
“I didn't understand the story. My English isn't the best, but it seems like I can say the same about the creators.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally reliable, with only a few minor glitches reported. Players appreciate the effective save feature, which allows them to quickly resume gameplay from their last bonfire after encountering issues.
“The game is plagued by frequent crashes that disrupt the experience.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that made it difficult to progress.”
“The stability issues are frustrating, as I lost progress multiple times due to unexpected errors.”
