Draft of Darkness
- July 29, 2021
- Crawly
- 30h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreDraft of Darkness is a roguelike RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world, featuring survival horror, deck building, and resource management. Choose a survivor, build your deck, and fight infected creatures, robots, and other survivors in turn-based card battles. Explore procedurally generated maps, manage resources, and make story-based decisions to progress. The unique weapon-based combat system offers a fresh take on card game mechanics.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Draft of Darkness is a unique blend of survival horror and deckbuilding mechanics, offering a dark atmosphere and engaging gameplay that keeps players hooked.
- The game features a variety of characters and customizable starter decks, allowing for diverse strategies and replayability, which is enhanced by the resource management aspect.
- The art style, sound design, and overall ambiance create a captivating experience reminiscent of classic horror games, making it a hidden gem worth exploring.
- The game can feel overwhelming due to the numerous mechanics and systems in place, which may confuse new players and lead to frustrating experiences.
- Combat can be slow and tedious, with some encounters dragging on longer than necessary, detracting from the overall pacing of the game.
- The AI of enemies in the overworld is not very threatening, which can diminish the survival horror elements and make exploration feel less risky.
- gameplay78 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Draft of Darkness" is a complex blend of survival horror and roguelike mechanics, featuring a steep learning curve that rewards players with depth and variety as they progress. While the game offers engaging deck-building and resource management elements, newcomers may find the multitude of mechanics overwhelming, leading to confusion in the early hours. Despite some pacing issues and clunky controls, the overall experience is enhanced by a captivating atmosphere, compelling narrative, and a rich array of gameplay options that promise hours of enjoyment.
“It's an outstanding roguelike that masterfully merges the best elements of risk/reward with really tight deckbuilding mechanics.”
“There is a lot of combinations you can do with the cards, companions, paths you can take, etc. All of this will give hours and hours of fun gameplay.”
“In regards to difficulty, there is a steep learning curve, but once you go through a few runs, the mechanics become insanely rewarding and addictive to master.”
“The controls, particularly the movement mechanics, can feel a bit clunky and imprecise at times, which may lead to frustrating moments during gameplay.”
“All these mechanics add to the survival feeling, but at the cost of making the first 2-4 hours leading to confusing deaths in the first area.”
“The game has like 12 different mechanics that even with my 12 hours playing, I still don't know how they work or what they do except 'they're bad because of the red border around them.'”
- story56 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in "Draft of Darkness" is rich and engaging, featuring a well-developed plot that connects unlockable characters and events in meaningful ways. Players gather clues and lore through episodic runs, enhancing replayability and immersion as they explore a creepy, atmospheric world filled with random encounters and branching paths. While some players find the story intriguing, others feel it can be overshadowed by slow gameplay pacing.
“There is an actual plot to progress through, and all of the unlockable characters connect with it in meaningful ways. The game events are densely written, weird, and engaging.”
“The story, even before part II, is cool and you learn more as you collect pieces of lore and talk to characters. The art style is unique and memorable, and the combat is satisfying, leaving you craving more.”
“Despite only being the first half of the story in early access, it has a ton of replay value with very varied characters that play very differently from each other and branching paths with random events scattered about.”
“The game's emphasis on exploration rewards thoroughness, as uncovering hidden clues and piecing together the story adds to the overall immersion and satisfaction.”
“Also, there is somewhat of a 'story'; each map has its own flowchart of events, which is unique, and you unlock.”
- atmosphere54 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, immersive qualities, featuring haunting visuals, eerie sound design, and a sense of claustrophobia that enhances the horror experience. Many players appreciate the unique blend of storytelling and atmospheric elements, which contribute to a captivating and replayable adventure. However, some find the atmosphere to be unpleasant or overwhelming at times, indicating a divide in player experience.
“Genuinely dark and creepy atmosphere with an interesting story and world, fun gameplay, lots to unlock and discover.”
“Draft of Darkness immerses players in a chilling and atmospheric horror adventure that keeps them on the edge of their seats.”
“The game's haunting visuals, eerie sound design, and atmospheric lighting contribute to a sense of dread and unease.”
“The atmosphere can be choking at times, and very dark, along with how packed tight the spaces in the game are; it is also very claustrophobic, like that in Resident Evil.”
“The graphics are awesome and the music provides a very dreary atmosphere.”
“The game's narrative, atmosphere, and puzzles work together to create an immersive and chilling adventure.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a gritty, pixelated art style that evokes a sense of nostalgia for PS1-era survival horror, effectively creating a dark and brooding atmosphere. Players appreciate the unique charm of the visuals, which complement the game's themes and mechanics, while the option to disable certain filters allows for customization. Overall, the graphics are praised for their immersive quality and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, making them well-suited for the game's aesthetic.
“The graphics feel and look gritty and harsh, absolutely perfect.”
“The 'vhs' horror vibe graphics work perfectly for what the game is going for.”
“The graphics are dark and broody.”
“The game's haunting visuals, eerie sound design, and atmospheric lighting contribute to a sense of dread and unease.”
“It finds very clever ways to integrate deck building, party building, and resource management, all while using a minimalist art style to convey a creepy, if not downright scary vibe.”
- music24 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to create a haunting and immersive atmosphere, reminiscent of low-res horror titles like Silent Hill. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's effectiveness in enhancing gameplay, with a mix of thudding sound effects and a retro aesthetic that complements the overall experience. The combination of well-executed sound design and atmospheric music contributes significantly to the game's tension and player engagement.
“The haunting soundtrack and well-executed sound effects enhance the tension and unease, effectively setting the tone for the game.”
“The sounds, music, card artwork, levels, events, textures, writing, everything seems to fit perfectly in the game, all of this makes the player feel immersed, and to me it makes each new run a pleasure.”
“Though not sure if the music is synth.”
“You know it is coming via statics going on the screen, the music distorting and warping, and the heavy sounds of movement and chains going on in the distance.”
“The music and sound design are also top-notch, with thudding and satisfying shotgun blasts, bloody knife slashes, and plenty of sub-bass hits.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its customizable starting cards, varied characters, and branching paths with random events, allowing players to experiment with different card combinations and strategies. Even in early access, it offers a rich and engaging story that encourages multiple playthroughs, making it a standout in the deckbuilding genre. Overall, players appreciate the depth and variety that enhance the game's replay value.
“Draft of Darkness is a wonderful, super replayable turn-based deckbuilder with survival-horror themes.”
“Despite only being the first half of the story in early access, it has a ton of replay value with very varied characters that play very differently from each other and branching paths with random events scattered about.”
“So basically think of Slay the Spire, but horror mixed in, along with randomly generated seeds upon first starting the game, making the game replayable and allowing the player to experiment with new card decks and builds.”
“That's not to say I don't like classic deckbuilding games; I do, but I really appreciate the replayability that comes with being able to customize your starting cards.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unbalanced, often requiring repetitive gameplay to achieve success. The complexity and lack of intuitive design contribute to a sense of boredom, making the combat feel luck-based and overly grindy. Overall, the experience is described as frustrating and lacking in engaging variety.
“You just replay it seven or so times until you win, which is tedious.”
“It is extremely unbalanced now and very boring, after you realize how tedious and unintuitive it is.”
“Combat, in the long run, is extremely tedious and luck-based.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by absurd and darkly comedic scenarios, such as the ability to feed a companion to a flesh TV for random rewards, which players find both hilarious and memorable. This quirky mechanic has garnered enthusiastic praise, with players expressing a willingness to engage in the act repeatedly for the comedic value it provides.
“There's something hilarious about one specific event that stands out: you can put a companion of yours inside a flesh TV, and the TV will literally eat your companion. As a reward, you gain random resources. 10/10 'would feed the TV again.'”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has been positively received, with users reassuring that it does not involve microtransactions.
“Don't worry, they're not microtransactions.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report no significant performance issues with the game, noting only minor bugs such as typos and GUI errors, which are typical for early access titles.
“So far, I've not had any performance issues, just small bugs in the form of typos or GUI errors, which I would expect from any early access game.”
