Dead of Darkness

About

In Dead of Darkness, players step into the shoes of private investigator Miles Windham as he delves into the mysterious death of his daughter, leading him to the ominous Velvet Island. The game offers a survival-horror experience with cosmic horror influences, featuring a complex narrative and challenging resource management. As players encounter enemies, their mental state deteriorates, leading to intense hallucinations, adding an extra layer of psychological terror to the game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews

story11 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game successfully captures the essence of classic survival horror with engaging gameplay, including inventory management, puzzles, and exploration.
The voice acting is of high quality, adding depth to the characters and enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
The story is intriguing and well-presented, with a rich lore that keeps players invested throughout the experience.

The combat system is limited, with only three weapons available, which can lead to repetitive gameplay and a lack of variety in combat strategies.
Some sections of the game, particularly the maze-like areas, can feel frustrating and padded, detracting from the overall pacing and enjoyment.
The inventory management can be cumbersome, as the game does not pause when accessing the inventory, leading to potential frustration during tense moments.

story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
55%
10%
The story of *Dead of Darkness* follows Miles Windham, a private investigator unraveling the dark secrets behind his daughter's death on Velvet Island. While the narrative features familiar horror tropes and some predictable twists, it is generally well-presented with strong voice acting and engaging character development, particularly in the latter half of the game. Overall, players find the story compelling and atmospheric, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some mixed opinions on its originality.
- “I was positively surprised by the story presentation with good voice acting and nice character portraits.”
- “The story behind *Dead of Darkness* is that you start out as Miles Windham, a tortured PI who receives an odd recording claiming that the secret behind the death of his daughter lies on Velvet Island.”
- “Atmospheric & gory pixel-puzzle-exploration-survival-horror-game with great voice acting (sound design in general) and a deeper plot than most of the genre.”
- “The story was too intrusive and generally uninteresting, and this game doesn't do much to set itself apart from your Resident Evil or Silent Hill.”
- “The story has some twists and turns and again, while they're well done, they're nothing original.”
- “And like Resident Evil, the story won't be the strong point there.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
52%
14%
The gameplay of *Dead of Darkness* is a blend of classic survival horror elements, featuring a well-executed loop of item collection, puzzle-solving, and combat against various enemies. While it draws heavily from its inspirations, it introduces some original mechanics, such as item combination, which adds a unique twist. However, the repetitive nature of certain gameplay sections and lack of variety in combat detract from the overall experience, despite the solid atmosphere and engaging story.
- “You can even combine the clues with some items to alter them in a mechanic that I thought was brilliant and probably one of the few original ideas in this game.”
- “Gameplay loop is classic and well executed, voice acting is surprisingly there and solid, combat feels good.”
- “Couldn't stop playing until I got to the end, great gameplay, exploration, puzzles, story, it's everything you want from classic survival horror.”
- “I've mentioned that 'Dead of Darkness' is a slave to its inspirations, and this is no more apparent than in the gameplay systems.”
- “The padding kills the flow in certain sections, the voice acting is so bad that it can't be taken seriously, and the lack of variety in the combat or gameplay holds this game back a lot.”
- “The challenge from those sections mainly comes from how the gameplay is; for this type of game, I felt it didn't pair so well with this 2D style.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
17%
The game's 2D pixel art style is well-executed and typical of indie titles, featuring high-definition character portraits during dialogue that enhance the atmosphere. While the graphics are polished and effectively contribute to the horror experience, they lack originality and memorability, with some reviewers noting that the pixel artwork feels basic despite its gruesome themes. Overall, the visuals complement the game's strong narrative and survival horror gameplay, appealing to fans of the genre.
- “The game's 2D pixel art style is very much the norm now for indie titles and is extremely well done.”
- “The graphics are rounded out with some nice lighting effects which enhance the atmosphere and give a nice depth to the scenery.”
- “I love the graphic style and it really suited the game; even with the pixel style, the game is extremely gruesome and gory and is not recommended for sensitive players.”
- “If there is one main criticism of the artwork, I'd have to say that while it is done to a high level of quality, none of it is particularly original or memorable, in what will be a recurring theme in this review.”
- “The pixel artwork though feels pretty basic - it’s about at the level you can see in the trailer throughout.”
- “If it had better graphics, I’d put it on the same level as Resident Evil.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The music and sound design in the game are highly praised for enhancing the atmosphere, effectively building tension during key moments without being intrusive. Players appreciate the immersive quality of the soundtrack, which evokes classic horror vibes reminiscent of the Resident Evil series, although some have noted that the music can be too low in certain cutscenes. Overall, the sound effects and music are well-crafted and contribute significantly to the game's immersive experience.
- “The sound and music are on par with the high-quality artwork.”
- “The music nicely sets the tension of each scene and never intrudes upon the action or distracts from any scene.”
- “The music is spot on for those old Resident Evil vibes; I wouldn't mind getting my hands on that soundtrack.”
- “The music can be very low; I couldn't hear it in some cutscenes, and some cutscenes could probably use music.”
- “The music can be very low; I couldn't hear it in some cutscenes, and some cutscenes could probably use music.”
- “Music is also very 'Resident Evil', very creepy and sits in the background as you run around the many areas, trying to find your next clue or key for a door to unlock.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its effective use of lighting effects, dark pixel art, and immersive sound design, including strong voice acting that enhances the overall experience. It successfully captures the essence of survival horror, creating a nightmarish and engaging environment reminiscent of classic titles like the original Resident Evil. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements contributes to a deeply atmospheric and gory gameplay experience.
- “The graphics are rounded out with some nice lighting effects which enhance the atmosphere and give a nice depth to the scenery.”
- “Everything was given to recreate the once-great experience: great pixel art, a dark atmosphere, and a nightmare-like scenario in a survival horror adventure.”
- “Atmospheric and gory pixel-puzzle-exploration-survival-horror game with great voice acting and a deeper plot than most of the genre.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Overall, players note that the game offers great replay value, particularly with the New Game Plus feature. However, some express concerns about the lack of significant new content or challenges upon replaying, as maxed-out weapons do not drastically change the experience, and certain enemies can still pose a threat even on easier modes.
- “This game has great replay value.”
- “The New Game Plus mode adds a fresh layer of challenge, allowing players to experience the game with maxed-out weapons while facing tougher enemies.”
- “I'm not sure about the replay value. Yes, there is a New Game Plus mode, but besides having my maxed-out weapons, nothing really unlocked for me. Even on the very easy mode, I didn't see much of a difference with maxing out my weapon upgrades. Beware, there are several enemies in the game that can one-hit KO you, so be cautious about who you challenge with a knife.”
- “The replayability is lacking. After finishing the game once, I found little incentive to go back. The story doesn't change significantly, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
- “I was disappointed with the replay value. The game offers a New Game Plus, but it doesn't add enough new content or challenges to make it worthwhile.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding in "Tower of Faith" to be tedious due to the numerous traps, particularly spikes, which can make navigation frustrating, though they are generally not overly challenging to overcome.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players are drawn to the game for its survival horror elements but find themselves engaged and invested in the plot and character development, indicating a strong narrative that enhances the overall experience.
- “At the start, I came to the game for the survival horror gameplay, but I stayed for its plot and character development.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with only a few minor issues reported, including some misspellings in dialogue, a single instance of dialogue not triggering, and a couple of glitches.
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced multiple bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
- “There were several instances where the game froze, forcing me to restart.”