Depths of Fear: Knossos

About

Depths of Fear: Knossos is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by DIRIGO GAMES and was released on April 24, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In Depths of Fear: Knossos, become the Greek hero Theseus and navigate procedurally generated labyrinths filled with mythical creatures. Collect gold, build your armory, and seek out medallions to unlock the master sword. With ever-changing layouts, each stage is a unique challenge as you make your way to face the Minotaur and save Athens.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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71%

Audience ScoreBased on 293 reviews

graphics19 positive mentions

stability30 negative mentions

The atmosphere and aesthetic are fantastic, creating a unique and immersive experience.
The game features randomized levels, providing a fresh experience with each playthrough.
The incorporation of Greek mythology adds depth and intrigue to the gameplay.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including AI issues and getting stuck in the environment.
Combat mechanics are simplistic and can feel unsatisfying, with some enemies being too easy or frustratingly difficult.
The lighting is often too dark, making navigation challenging and detracting from the overall experience.

graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
66%
13%
The graphics of the game receive a mixed reception, with many users noting their low-poly, retro aesthetic reminiscent of older titles, which some find charming while others deem subpar and glitchy. Despite the dated visuals and occasional bugs, the atmosphere is often praised for its ability to create a terrifying experience that complements the gameplay. Overall, while the graphics may not meet modern standards, they contribute to a unique and immersive experience that resonates with fans of indie and retro games.
- “The atmosphere and aesthetic are fantastic and kept me coming back for more, especially to see what the next creature would be like.”
- “The visuals themselves, while not having all the newest bells and whistles, actually harken back to the high contrast, solid color Italo films before the turn of the century and really work together with the stylings and music to create something one of a kind.”
- “While some will criticize Depths of Fear: Knossos for its shortcomings such as the average combat or animations, I for one am incredibly pleased with this title as it holds some charm many other titles don’t with genuinely fun fast-paced gameplay, impressive indie visuals and a fairly solid playtime depending on player skill and luck.”
- “The graphics are not the greatest.”
- “The graphics look like the game should be running on Windows 98, and the combat consists of just clicking mouse1 until you die, or the thing you are fighting dies.”
- “For 2014, the graphics are piss poor and noticeably so.”
gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
72%
10%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a unique atmosphere and a solid progression system through gold collection and weapon upgrades, but marred by inconsistent mechanics and a reliance on random level generation that can lead to frustrating experiences. While the blend of combat, stealth, and exploration offers some engaging moments, many players find the combat floaty and the stealth mechanics lacking, resulting in a gameplay loop that can feel repetitive and janky. Overall, the game has potential with its intriguing setting and diverse bosses, but it suffers from technical issues and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience.
- “There's plenty of raw gameplay on top of that, with a hefty campaign that sees you taking on eight or so unique monsters in randomly-generated levels, plus an endless mode for when you finish that.”
- “The gameplay is satisfying, and playing the main game through to completion is a task that only takes a couple of hours.”
- “Even once you start to gain a little gold and arm yourself properly, the game will find ways to catch you off guard with various deadly traps, new bosses, or even the obstacle courses need to nab some of the keys, all of which will be a different experience each time with procedurally generated levels adding rogue-like elements along with frantic gameplay.”
- “The idea and premise of the game are cool, but the actual implementation and gameplay are terrible, which makes me sad since this could have been something pretty damn cool.”
- “The gameplay sucks, controls work but apparently only when they want to, there is no direction for the game whatsoever, and upon closer inspection, it seems like it was made on the same engine as Doom.”
- “The combat sucks, the stealth mechanics fall apart when discovered, and enemies either don't spawn, or hallways are filled with them for no reason.”
atmosphere
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
44%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of Greek mythology and horror elements, creating an immersive and eerie experience that captivates players. While many appreciate the dark, tense ambiance and effective sound design, some reviews note that technical issues and gameplay flaws can detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game's atmospheric qualities often make it a standout feature, drawing players back for more exploration and encounters.
- “The atmosphere and aesthetic are fantastic and kept me coming back for more, especially to see what the next creature would be like.”
- “The atmosphere is intense and I loved the openness of the game.”
- “Depths of Fear is a breath of fresh air with a long-forgotten mythical Greece setting and a combination of smooth textures, clever lighting, and surprisingly colorful backdrops, creating a really nice blend of atmosphere consisting of horror, fantasy, and adventure.”
- “Great mythological concept and atmosphere ruined by poor execution, unfair difficulty, bad performance, and frustrating progression.”
- “I get that this is a part of the game's atmosphere, but at times it just gets too dark that it's bothersome.”
- “While this game has a number of flaws in terms of gameplay, it scores all the more points on atmosphere.”
music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its intense synth-wave and retro 80s vibes that enhance the atmosphere and tension, reminiscent of cult horror films. While some players find the soundtrack to be catchy and immersive, others criticize it as simplistic or out of place, suggesting it clashes with the game's themes. Overall, the music is a defining feature that contributes significantly to the game's unique aesthetic, despite some technical issues and varied opinions on its quality.
- “The intense synth-wave soundtrack is also highly underrated, which you get for free with the game.”
- “It somehow manages to take the visual stylings of a movie like 'Clash of the Titans' (the original) and enhance it with an unexpected soundtrack that uses 70's/early 80's synth music to create a mood that feels both retro and fresh at the same time.”
- “The best part of the game has to be the absolutely phenomenal sound and music design.”
- “Music is terrible.”
- “The music is forgettable and probably more annoying than intense since it sounds like it belongs in a game from the PlayStation or something like it.”
- “Objectively speaking, this is not a good game: graphical presentation is bad, sound and music are minimalistic, combat system is floaty and imprecise and platforming sequences are annoying.”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and mechanical issues that can disrupt gameplay. While many find the unique concept and gameplay enjoyable, the overall experience is marred by a lack of polish, including bad animations and clunky mechanics. Players suggest that those willing to overlook these flaws may still find value in the game, but it remains a rough and often frustrating experience.
- “Game play is a buggy mess.”
- “In order to 100% the game, you must complete a long arduous journey, which is only prolonged by irritating and game-ending glitches.”
- “I want to love this game; it's like Amnesia with combat and based in my absolute favorite setting, but it's completely marred with glitches, clipping issues, horrible AI, and horrible combat.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The story of the game centers around Theseus, who must navigate a labyrinth to rescue Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, echoing the classic Greek myth. While some players appreciate the strong lore and immersive atmosphere, many criticize the narrative for being simplistic, lacking depth, and relying on repetitive procedural generation rather than a compelling plot. Overall, the storytelling is seen as minimal and not particularly engaging, with mixed opinions on its execution.
- “You take on the role of Theseus, a name many may recognize from the Greek story, Theseus and the Minotaur.”
- “Engage in the story of Theseus as he tries to escape the labyrinth to gain the hand of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, the dirtbag who threw you into this dump in the first place!”
- “With an original story and some nice RPG elements to it, Dof delivers a great experience hard pressed to find and at a price (I got it on sale as well) you get a bang for your buck.”
- “The developer was unable to come up with decent level design or game/story flow/plot, so they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation as a substitute for adding content to the game.”
- “The story is nothing special because it basically does not exist.”
- “There is no voice acting, the models are not as good as they could be, and there is little of a plot (granted, the source material does not have much either!).”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues such as frequent frame drops and bugs, even on low settings. While the mythological concept and atmosphere are praised, the lack of effective graphic options and control problems detract from the overall experience, making it feel frustrating and poorly executed.
- “Great concept, but performance and control problems keep it from being fun.”
- “The graphic options don't make a significant change in performance or quality, and the resolution choices are very limited. Additionally, the music doesn't blend well with the game's atmosphere, and the volume option resets to 0 at every startup, requiring manual adjustment each time.”
- “It's also poorly optimized; even with everything on low, I still get frame drops at times, anywhere from 20 fps to 4 fps.”
- “The optimization is horrible; there are a lot of bugs and the options are few.”
- “Very good game but not optimized as well as it could be.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the infinite dungeon mode and procedurally generated environments that enhance replay value, others find it limited after completing the main content. Ratings vary, with some giving it a score of 7/10 for replayability, while others describe it as having "very little" once the game is finished.
- “The best part of the game is that it's very replayable.”
- “Not only is this a great take on the monsters of Greek mythology, but the procedurally generated environments (as is a staple of rogue-like games) greatly increase replayability.”
- “Depths of Fear takes about 5 hours to finish (it does have an infinite dungeon mode which adds to its replayability).”
- “Low replayability.”
- “Overall, it's a nice game to wind down to if you're up to nothing, but it has very little replay value once you beat it.”
- “Depths of Fear takes about 5 hours to finish; it does have an infinite dungeon mode which adds to its replayability.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while grinding is a necessary aspect of gameplay for acquiring better gear, it often feels tedious and unrewarding, especially since players can lose their progress. The money system is generally viewed as not overly grindy, but the reliance on luck and repetitive tasks to obtain essential items detracts from the overall experience. Players appreciate the diversity of bosses and stealth mechanics, but many find the grinding process frustrating and lacking in meaningful rewards.
- “Grinding by sneaking the map collecting maybe 5 gold max per level.”
- “The main reason one would stay in a lab and explore rooms is to find gold, so you can get better gear... but you eventually lose everything while grinding, so what's the point?”
- “Too much reliance on grinding and luck to get the good weapons needed to actually kill the stage bosses.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of unexpected and absurd elements, such as funky music accompanying intense chases and comically exaggerated monster designs. While some players find amusement in the game's quirky moments and the humorous ways they meet their demise, this novelty can wear off, leading to frustration with the overall gameplay experience. Overall, the humor seems to be a double-edged sword, providing laughs but also highlighting the game's shortcomings.
- “I also love that even if some area bosses are relentless with their chase, the music is quite funky and doesn't fit, which makes it hilarious.”
- “Terrifying and sometimes funny.”
- “(The monster looked funny by the way).”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, citing its dark atmosphere and nostalgic aesthetic as impactful elements. The unsettling nature of the game evokes intense feelings, while the music enhances the overall experience, contributing to a sense of immersion reminiscent of late 90s gaming.
- “I actually love this game for purely emotional reasons.”
- “The game's pitch-black nature, even in the hub with a lit torch, made me feel a deep sense of unease and discomfort.”
- “I liked the music; it went well with the game, and the texture style really made me feel like I was experiencing a true late 90s game.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game lacks significant character development, which some players find disappointing, especially in a rogue-like context where such growth is often expected. While the existing system serves its purpose, there is a desire for better representation of collectible items to enhance the experience.
- “Given that the game does not have any character development throughout, this system does fulfill its purpose, but it would still be nice to see a representation of the items you can find and collect.”
- “Regarding the character development as a 'rogue-like'.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Depths of Fear: Knossos is a action adventure game with horror theme.

Depths of Fear: Knossos is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

Depths of Fear: Knossos was released on April 24, 2014.

Depths of Fear: Knossos was developed by DIRIGO GAMES.

Depths of Fear: Knossos has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its stability.

Depths of Fear: Knossos is a single player game.

Similar games include Eldritch, Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi, The Forgotten Ones, DreadOut, Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi and others.

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