DarkMaus

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 274 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • atmosphere
DarkMaus Game Cover
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DarkMaus is a single-player platformer game with a good plot, exceptional gameplay, and dense atmosphere. Armed with a variety of weapons, players control a lone wanderer in the corrupted world of Hazath, battling enemies in thoughtful, skill-based combat. Each death summons an ally ghost that retraces your steps, adding an extra layer of strategy to this challenging and rewarding game.

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Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 274 reviews
gameplay25 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • Dark Maus offers a unique top-down perspective on the Souls-like genre, providing a fresh take on familiar mechanics.
  • The combat is challenging yet rewarding, requiring players to learn enemy patterns and adapt their strategies.
  • The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its minimalist art style and effective use of light and shadow, creating a tense and immersive experience.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and performance drops, which can disrupt gameplay.
  • The inventory management is cumbersome, making it difficult to quickly access healing items during combat.
  • Some players may find the difficulty spikes frustrating, particularly in later levels where enemy encounters become overwhelming.
  • gameplay105 mentions

    The gameplay of Darkmaus is heavily inspired by the Souls series, featuring challenging, skill-based combat and unique mechanics like the ghost system that aids players during difficult encounters. While the game offers a variety of character customization options and atmospheric design, some players find the lack of reliable healing and occasional clunky controls detract from the experience. Overall, it presents a rewarding yet punishing gameplay loop that appeals to fans of the genre, despite some inconsistencies and difficulty spikes.

    • “I personally love all of the options for kitting out your character and the built-in assist mechanic with the ghost rats.”
    • “The core elements of gameplay (skill-based combat, soft-capped stat-raising, equipment load, risk-vs-reward) are all center-stage and all feel great.”
    • “The combat does a great job of providing a challenge for the player, and the gameplay is precise enough to reward smart and tactical movement by the player.”
    • “Sadly, there is no 'estus-flask' mechanic, only farmable consumables for healing which may be off-putting for some.”
    • “The PC is extremely fragile compared to enemies and has infrequent access to healing items; even Dark Souls gave players automatically restoring healing items at every bonfire, and because of this, the gameplay suffers a little.”
    • “The gameplay itself is clunky and quite hard to master, but is fun if you can ignore its flaws.”
  • graphics57 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist and stylish art style that many players find appealing, effectively creating a dark and atmospheric world. However, some users report performance issues, including frame rate drops and graphical glitches, which can detract from the experience. Overall, while the aesthetic is praised for its beauty and creativity, there are calls for more detailed environments and better graphics options to enhance gameplay.

    • “Aesthetically and musically, the game is truly gorgeous, and I even plan on grabbing the OST in a sale.”
    • “The dark, atmospheric world is achieved with very minimal graphics, the music is fitting, and while obviously very heavily influenced by the Dark Souls series, Darkmaus is not crippled with being too derivative by adding a couple of its own elements.”
    • “The art style is well used and implemented, and manages to give a good deal of detail and serve the gameplay with a good use of shadows and line of sights, while still remaining simple.”
    • “I'd especially appreciate any graphics and performance options since the game has some moments where it chugs on my computer or the game is interrupted with a blank white screen for just a split second.”
    • “Besides the gameplay, there is a pretty glaring issue with the graphics, specifically the framerate.”
    • “There are no graphics settings to fix this other than playing in a tiny window, which basically means you die over and over because you click out of the game.”
  • atmosphere34 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its dense, dark, and oppressive qualities, effectively immersing players in a haunting world reminiscent of the Soulsborne series. The combination of minimal graphics, eerie music, and clever lighting mechanics enhances the sense of claustrophobia and tension, making exploration both challenging and engaging. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal and experience.

    • “The atmosphere is dense, and the combat - while feeling heavy at first - is enjoyable once you get the hang of it.”
    • “Lighting is important, and torches factor into staving off the complete darkness. The color scheme, along with the general setting depicted, really creates a dark and oppressive atmosphere that will keep you on edge.”
    • “The dark, atmospheric world is achieved with very minimal graphics. The music is fitting, and while obviously very heavily influenced by the Dark Souls series, Darkmaus is not crippled by being too derivative, adding a couple of its own elements.”
    • “What this two-dimensional adaptation has to offer to players is a sepia-toned, dark atmosphere together with the theme of rodents (or 'gnawers' if you will).”
    • “Lighting is important and torches factor into staving off the complete darkness; the color scheme along with the general setting depicted really create a dark and oppressive atmosphere that will keep you on edge.”
    • “Transferring a spooky atmosphere onto mouse protagonists and animal scenery/feral wildlife probably was a tough job, but from the start, the player feels some sort of claustrophobia in their torchlit circle, because you might never know what is around the next corner.”
  • story31 mentions

    The story in the game is generally perceived as simplistic and minimalistic, revolving around a mad king/necromancer that players must confront, with an abrupt and anticlimactic ending. While some players appreciate the dark atmosphere and character moments, many feel the narrative lacks depth and detail, leaving key plot points underdeveloped. Despite its shortcomings, the gameplay experience compensates for the sparse storytelling, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.

    • “The story is dark and vague, and you feel overwhelmed at every turn, but never cheated.”
    • “There are a couple of plot twists, and the game has all the basic needed souls lore, like why you keep reviving after death.”
    • “Really one of the most interesting things about the game is how you feel like it's just a normal type of game where you just need to get to the end, but the thing that kind of threw me for a loop was meeting another character who I was to escort to a village, and once I got her there, I was told more of the backstory of the game.”
    • “The story abruptly ends; you fight someone that looks just like another boss or mini-boss, and as soon as you defeat it, the credits start rolling. No fanfare, no explanation, no nothing—it just... ends.”
    • “The story in particular feels bare, although the overall atmosphere is intimate and oppressive enough to compensate for that.”
    • “There are no item descriptions nor a whole lot of environmental storytelling, so the narrative feels minimalistic for a souls game, even if the lore is something you find enjoyable to piece together in these types of games.”
  • music31 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and moody qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a sparse yet impactful soundtrack that aligns well with specific events and the game's dark aesthetic. While some users noted the music's minimal presence, they appreciated its orchestration and ability to evoke emotions, particularly during tense moments. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset to the game's immersive environment, despite some minor implementation issues.

    • “Aesthetically and musically, the game is truly gorgeous, and I even plan on grabbing the OST in a sale.”
    • “The music and atmosphere matched really well.”
    • “The music itself is orchestrated, mostly somber, and perfect as an enhancement.”
    • “The music is sparse but very potent, and it's maybe just over the length it needed to be.”
    • “Music will cut out and restart randomly, there's no real title screen, and there are a number of bugs (most of them harmless, but some frustrating) that I've run into.”
    • “Its only real shortcomings are its lack of story and its fairly plain (albeit spoopy) soundtrack.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    The game offers a decent level of replayability, primarily through its New Game+ mode, which allows players to revisit the experience with new weapons and items, as well as explore different build variations. While some players note the game is relatively short, the inclusion of challenging mechanics reminiscent of "souls" games enhances its replay value, making it worthwhile for those seeking to improve their skills or try different strategies. Overall, players feel that the game's replayability justifies its price, despite its brevity.

    • “The game is short, but wholesome, and there is replay value with New Game+ to try to grab the weapons and items you missed the first time around.”
    • “Excellent little game, had a 'souls' game experience for 5-7 hours, which I plan to finish again since the game has so much replayability like a true souls game. New Game+ adds some new weapons and items; I just wish this game had achievements and at least one attribute respec per new game. 9/10 game.”
    • “In consequence of using souls' mechanics, the game offers plenty of replay value through its weapon variety, self-handicaps, and how you take care of enemies.”
    • “Plenty challenging but fairly short with little replay value.”
    • “Not very long sadly (took me 8 hours to complete), but it has some replayability with ng+ and different build variations.”
    • “Excellent little game, had a 'souls' game experience for 5-7 hours, which I plan to finish again since the game has so much replayability like a true souls game, ng+ adds some new weapons and items, just wished this game had achievements and at least 1 attribute respec per new game.”
  • optimization5 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, such as frame drops and brief screen interruptions, which detract from the overall experience. Conversely, others report smooth gameplay, indicating that optimization may vary depending on individual setups. Overall, many users feel that substantial improvements are needed to enhance performance and make the game more recommendable.

    • “Great game, runs smoothly.”
    • “I'd especially appreciate any graphics and performance options since the game has some moments where it chugs on my computer or the game is interrupted with a blank white screen for just a split second.”
    • “Unfortunately, performance issues are holding it back quite a bit.”
    • “Overall, I can't recommend this game unless they fix the performance issues; they're just too hindering.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, as it often feels unfair and tedious, particularly due to the presence of challenging enemies that can waste resources. The combat lacks reward, and managing inventory becomes cumbersome in the late game, leading to a sense of unreliability in leveling up.

    • “This aspect of grinding to earn back the ability to make up for a mistake is also made worse by the 'entities' of the DM which appear designed to unfairly kill you and waste any rations that you use.”
    • “It's like Dark Souls, except the combat is incredibly unrewarding and the game just feels tedious to replay.”
    • “Navigating the items menu can become cumbersome and tedious late game when you have lots of stuff.”
  • stability3 mentions

    Users report significant stability issues, including severe freezing and screen flashing during gameplay, which can render the game unplayable. While some minor graphical glitches were noted, they did not impact overall gameplay experience. Frame drops were also mentioned, contributing to a less stable gaming experience.

    • “Before my laptop broke, I had gotten pretty far into the game. It was a little slow; I assume it's my computer's fault. However, after trying to replay on my new desktop, I have an issue where whenever I attack an enemy, the screen flashes white for 5 seconds and everything freezes. It basically made the game unplayable.”
    • “I also noticed a few fairly severe and random frame drops and freezes.”
    • “Small graphical glitches: I only encountered one of these, and it's not really anything big. It's just there, like every game has them, and has no impact on gameplay.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from its absurdly challenging mechanics and the often comical ways players can meet their demise, reminiscent of the "I Wanna Be The Guy" style. Players find amusement in the contrast between skilled gameplay and the frustratingly unfair situations that arise, highlighting a blend of dark humor and slapstick moments. However, some feel the game missed opportunities for additional comedic elements, such as a "mauslock" option.

    • “Also a crime against humor for missing the opportunity to add a 'mauslock' option in the settings menu.”
    • “Funny to see how people on YouTube use top armor for all game and beat it extra easily, without any dodging, but when you got 0 cheese, and Ann also died at the end (raging kill), and you got only 70% of health because you died by hunters, it becomes hell on earth.”
    • “And, because it's like I Wanna Be The Guy, you get to die a lot in a lot of hilariously unfair ways.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is highlighted by fascinating and novel designs that enhance the game's overall setting, though some users note a minimalist approach. The combination of unique character aesthetics and well-executed environments contributes positively to the immersive experience.

    • “Fascinating character designs full of novelty.”
    • “The actual set and character designs are flawless and really enhance the overall setting of the game.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players find the game to be a brief yet heartwarming experience, with emotional depth that encourages replayability through new game+ features, allowing them to revisit and collect missed items and weapons.

    • “The game is short, but wholesome, and there is replay value with New Game+ to try to grab the weapons and items you missed the first time around.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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