Darksburg
- September 23, 2020
- Shiro Games
- 9h median play time
Whilst certainly competent, Darksburg won’t offer you enough to convince you to try it and it doesn’t do enough to stand out in a market flooded with brilliant alternatives.
Get on Steam"Darksburg" is a cooperative roguelite action game for 2 players, with support for multi-player and single-player modes. You must team up to escape hordes of Infected and defeat nefarious revenants in the town of Darksburg. With procedurally generated adventures, unique perks, and diverse locales, each run offers a new challenge and replayability.
PC
Windows
Cloud
NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of gameplay elements from Left 4 Dead and Diablo, providing a fun and engaging experience.
- The art style and character designs are visually appealing, adding charm to the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The cooperative gameplay is enjoyable, especially when played with friends, making for a thrilling and dynamic experience.
- The game lacks content, with only three levels and one boss, leading to repetitive gameplay after a few runs.
- There are balancing issues among characters, with some being significantly stronger or weaker than others, affecting overall gameplay experience.
- The matchmaking system struggles with a low player base, making it difficult to find games and often resulting in reliance on AI companions.
- gameplay380 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its fun and engaging mechanics, particularly in cooperative play, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. Although the core gameplay loop is enjoyable and features interesting abilities, many users feel that the game suffers from a significant lack of content and variety, leading to a sense of stagnation after a few runs. Overall, while the gameplay is solid and has potential, it is hindered by issues such as sluggish controls, limited progression, and a need for more diverse content.
“With its dynamic gameplay and engaging multiplayer, it's a must-play for fans of cooperative gaming and intense challenges.”
“The gameplay feels incredibly good and it has huge amounts of potential to become something great, I hope both the player interest and the developers can make it happen.”
“The gameplay loop itself is super fun, with really entertaining abilities and combat and perk choices.”
“The art is great and quite polished, but when it comes to its gameplay, it feels shallow, boring, and short.”
“The gameplay itself is fine but compared to other roguelites such as Enter the Gungeon, Hades, or Risk of Rain 2, it comes across as bland and relatively boring. My wife and I played together and we didn't even last a couple of hours before growing tired of the game.”
“The gameplay is quite repetitive and has little to surprise you for more than 4-5 runs, yet for those first games it is quite fun, especially when you play it with friends.”
- graphics110 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style and high-quality visuals, with many reviewers highlighting the unique character designs and polished aesthetic. However, some players noted performance issues and a lack of variety in gameplay, suggesting that while the graphics are impressive, they may not fully compensate for other shortcomings in the game. Overall, the art direction is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The artistic direction is top notch, really high quality visuals!”
“There's amazing characters, fun playstyles, different builds you can go from the talent system, and impressive layouts to the maps you tread through, and I absolutely love everything about the art style, from the 3D to drawn art.”
“Where the game excels at is its fantastic art style and premise.”
“Some performance issues: for this type of graphics, the game should run more smoothly.”
“I find the voice acting really sub-par compared to the polish of the mechanics and visuals particularly.”
“Love the art style and overall concept, but you need to improve on a lot.”
- replayability98 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it minimal due to predictable combat and limited content, while others appreciate the potential for varied runs through skill trees and unlockable items. Many reviews highlight that while the game has enjoyable mechanics and multiplayer options, it could benefit from additional content and variety to enhance replay value. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some players finding enough depth for multiple playthroughs, while others feel it lacks sufficient engagement for long-term enjoyment.
“High replayability: the roguelite part of this game makes each run feel unique (skills, artifacts, survivors, enemy encounters, map layout, and map events can all be different from a game to another).”
“There is a lot of replayability - as the difficulty increases, it becomes increasingly important to cooperate and focus on your character's role (tank, healer, range, etc.).”
“It captures the twitchy, frenetic style gameplay that ARPG/MOBA fans crave, while adding some fun replayability to the genre.”
“While the game is very fun, and has some fun characters to play when you play with friends, the game itself has very little replayability.”
“The replayability is lousy, as there is little to no difference in the enemies you encounter.”
“Given this minimal replayability and the fact that there is no mechanical depth to speak of, it is hard to recommend this.”
- story82 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and progression, with many players noting that there is no overarching narrative or campaign to engage with. While some characters have individual backstories, the gameplay primarily revolves around repetitive missions with minimal storytelling elements, leading to a sense of confusion and boredom among players. Overall, the consensus is that the game would benefit from a more developed story and additional content to enhance player engagement.
“Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I would have given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“I'm a bit sad that there is only one major storyline and one end boss - kinda wish there were other chapters.”
“I haven't been able to play with many people sadly, but I have enjoyed the story and the gameplay reminds me of similar games from this genre, however, with more polish.”
“It seems like the game is designed for mobile, has no story whatsoever, bad optimization; while I do like the idea itself, it's just poorly done and should have stayed in early access and needs further work.”
“There is no story pushing you forward.”
“I can't say anything about the story, because there was none.”
- grinding50 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with many players noting that it feels excessive and detracts from the overall experience. While some enjoy the grind reminiscent of titles like Diablo or Path of Exile, others find the limited content and repetitive missions lead to a tedious gameplay loop. Overall, the game is seen as fun but suffers from a lack of meaningful rewards for the significant time investment required for grinding.
“Leveling isn't tedious, meaning it only takes around one mission for one level, which you can complete in 5 minutes or less if you are speeding through.”
“I can't recommend the game because you will finish it in like 1-2 hours and there will be nothing to do but farming the same map with higher difficulty.”
“In practice, it requires an enormous amount of grinding to get the necessary currency.”
“The gameplay is quite short at the current moment whilst the grinding part is exceptionally long compared to the duration of existing content.”
- optimization34 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including frequent stuttering, lag during critical moments, and unresponsive controls, particularly affecting ranged characters and multiplayer experiences. Players have reported problems with visual effects causing performance drops, as well as gameplay interruptions due to freezing and unresponsive enemy behavior. Overall, many reviewers express hope for future optimizations to improve the game's performance and playability.
“For its actual price, I can really recommend this game and I'm looking forward to more content and optimizations.”
“I can't detect any lags or lack of performance with DirectX or OpenGL.”
“I think in the future this game will be something I'll enjoy, but I'll need to wait until there's more optimizations so that I'm not standing there hitting a zombie and it only registers damage to them after 10 successful hits.”
“Unfortunately, Darksburg is plagued with performance issues.”
“It was bad enough where I ended up requesting refunds, and will have to look at the game again once more optimizations are completed. Hopefully soon it'll be in a state I can run.”
“I think in the future this game will be something I'll enjoy, but I'll need to wait until there's more optimizations so that I'm not standing there hitting a zombie and it only registers damage to them after 10 successful hits, and I take 5-6 seconds of damage I wasn't aware anyone was around to do to me because they all stopped moving.”
- music28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the ambient soundtrack and its ability to create a relaxing atmosphere, while others criticize the lack of music during key events, leading to a feeling of emptiness. Additionally, there are comments about the music not fitting the game's style and a desire for more variation in the soundtrack. Overall, while the core mechanics and artwork are praised, the sound design is seen as an area needing improvement.
“I love the ambience, the concept art, the characters, and the music.”
“Grab some buddies and put on some chill music and it's a great vibe.”
“Core mechanics, soundtrack, and artwork are great.”
“Lack of music during certain events makes the world seem empty.”
“Lacking sound design makes the game feel much less polished than it really is, and the gameplay can feel underwhelming because of it. It could use a bit more music variation too.”
“Music doesn't fit the game at all, in my humble and honest opinion.”
- stability16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, visual glitches, and lag, making it nearly unplayable for some users. While players appreciate the gameplay and features, the persistent bugs and performance problems detract from the overall experience, especially in multiplayer settings. Despite being in early access, the lack of developer response to these issues has left many frustrated.
“As far as I know, it is bug-free despite being in early access.”
“The gameplay is good, but the game is buggy to the point it's unplayable, and the developers do nothing about it although their forums are flooded with 'my game keeps crashing, please help.'”
“The game cannot run smoothly on every kind of server; I've tried everything but gameplay is still laggy, with issues like ranged characters having invisible walls blocking skill shots, characters unable to interact with chests properly, and the game freezing occasionally.”
“It keeps having 2-second freezes when playing multiplayer with friends, which is distinguishable from occasional ping/lags that would only cause pauses with models running but not moving.”
- character development14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by impressive character designs and artwork, which many reviewers praise as some of the best seen in years. However, despite the aesthetic appeal and a well-structured leveling system, players feel a lack of personal connection to the characters, as none distinctly resonate as "their" character. Overall, while the visuals and design are strong, the emotional depth and individuality of the characters fall short.
“Great character designs and artwork, voice acted, and lots of perks, power runes, and curiosities to mess with during runs.”
“The character designs are some of the best I've seen in years.”
“I love the character designs and setup of the missions and how the leveling system is set.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it genuinely funny, especially when enjoyed with friends, enhancing the overall fun experience.
“It is a funny game and with friends a lot of fun.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The developers are committed to the game and its community, opting against microtransactions, which has been positively received by players. However, there are concerns about potential future changes in development, ownership, or monetization models that could impact the game's longevity.
“The developers seem genuinely interested in the game and in the community, and they don't believe in microtransactions.”
“A game such as this has a chance to undergo massive changes; development could stagnate, the IP could change hands, the monetization model could change, or unfortunately, the studio could decide to sunset the project and power down the game servers.”
“A game such as this has a chance to undergo massive changes; development could stagnate, the IP could change hands, the monetization model could change, or unfortunately the studio could decide to sunset the project and power down the game servers.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its fitting design and innovative use of vision mechanics, creating an engaging experience where players can hear but not see elements, enhancing the thrill of discovery. However, some players feel that the maps have become less distinctive and quirky over time, suggesting a dilution of their original charm. Overall, while the atmosphere effectively supports the game's setting, there are concerns about the balance and uniqueness of the environments.
“The atmosphere is perfect for the setting; the use of vision mechanics in towns and wheat fields is done to a point that you can hear them but you can't see them, making guessing where things are all the more satisfying when you land on them!”
“Whereas I enjoy roguelite level progression and the open atmosphere of the 1.0 maps, some ability upgrades are too essential to balancing certain characters, and the maps have lost a lot of their quirks, like they've been watered down.”
