Dungeons & Darkness

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 71 reviews
  • graphics
  • story
  • gameplay
Dungeons & Darkness Game Cover
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"Dungeons & Darkness" is a first-person dungeon crawler game that takes you through a series of procedurally generated dungeons filled with traps, puzzles, and monsters. You play as a lone adventurer, battling enemies using a real-time combat system and gathering loot to upgrade your character's abilities. The game features permadeath, so each playthrough is a nerve-wracking race against time to reach the final boss and escape the dungeon.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 71 reviews
graphics8 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game captures the nostalgic feel of old school dungeon crawlers like King's Field, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
  • Despite its flaws, the game offers a rewarding experience with character progression and the ability to decorate your inn for buffs.
  • It's a decent time killer, especially when purchased on sale, providing a simple yet engaging dungeon crawling experience.
  • Combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, with slow animations that hinder movement and make dodging difficult.
  • The graphics and overall presentation are subpar, reminiscent of low-budget indie games, which may deter some players.
  • The game suffers from poor optimization and bugs, leading to a frustrating experience in larger areas and during combat.
  • graphics26 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many reviewers describing them as outdated, reminiscent of PS2 or N64-era visuals, and poorly executed, often resembling asset-store polygons. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and find the graphics acceptable for an indie dungeon crawler, the overall consensus is that they are uninspiring and detract from the gaming experience. Despite the graphics shortcomings, a few players noted that the game still offers enjoyable gameplay and features.

    • “The graphics are good and it looks like it could be a great game for questing and exploration-- until you fight something.”
    • “Kinda janky and the graphics are at best PS2 level, but it's super fun.”
    • “Average graphics, but well put together, making for a very pleasant experience.”
    • “The assets are muddled messes of shiny asset-store looking polygons paired with wooden animation, stock music, horrid graphic design, and clearly translated text.”
    • “Yes, the game has terrible graphics and really slow, weird, clunky character animations of cringe value.”
    • “The graphics look like something from the 90's and you have no idea what to do.”
  • story26 mentions

    The game's story is criticized for being a boring and linear experience, primarily serving as a means to facilitate dungeon exploration rather than offering engaging narrative content. Players are limited to activating one quest at a time, which detracts from the overall experience, and the writing is often described as poor and uninteresting. While there are some quests and a basic storyline, the focus remains heavily on dungeon delving, leaving many feeling unimpressed and unmotivated by the narrative elements.

    • “There's actually more story than I expected going in, but the story was clearly written entirely with the intention to give you an excuse to dive into a dungeon to find treasure and kill monsters.”
    • “Regarding the story... I feel it's a bit forced when they give you the quests to enter the dungeon... but meh, the whole point of the game is exploring dungeons, so I don't really mind if it's forced or not.”
    • “The quests are cool, and from the little I experienced, obtaining furniture to decorate your room in the inn looks like it can be fun.”
    • “The entire interface and city are all about text (there's not even basic sprites for NPCs and most of the items have the same exact picture), there's no map, there's no proper quest log, there's only a few enemy types, etc. Everything looks poor and way too basic.”
    • “It's important to note that this game is not about to be winning any awards for its graphics, musical score, or story.”
    • “There's actually more story than I expected going in, but the story was clearly written entirely with the intention to give you an excuse to dive into a dungeon to find treasure and kill monsters.”
  • gameplay17 mentions

    The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring innovative mechanics and enjoyable dungeon exploration reminiscent of classic titles like King's Field, but marred by clunky movements and basic combat animations. While the room decoration and skill advancement add depth, many players find the overall experience frustrating and lacking polish, with some areas feeling empty after quests. Despite its low-budget presentation, the game offers a decent dungeon-crawling experience that could benefit from further refinement.

    • “Enjoyable mix of King's Field (core gameplay) and Wizardry (town and dungeon structure).”
    • “The gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of King's Field and Shadow Tower (games from FromSoftware made before they gained acclaim for the Souls series) in that you're simply one person in a dungeon with nothing but monsters for company.”
    • “I'm having fun with this game so far; it kinda reminds me of the old King's Field games... well, at least the dungeon sections and its combat/magic mechanics.”
    • “What kills the game for me is the strong clunky mechanics and movements.”
    • “Gameplay is less than basic, frustrating, and just plain unfun.”
    • “A simple game made with low budget, with low quality textures and unrefined gameplay.”
  • music11 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as decent but repetitive, lacking variety and memorability. While some reviewers appreciate its relaxed nature, it fails to impress overall, with many noting that it does not enhance the gameplay experience significantly. The soundtrack is considered acceptable but not award-winning, with a few standout moments like the last boss music.

    • “Awesome last boss music.”
    • “Personally, I much prefer the relaxed nature of the background music.”
    • “The music may not be memorable, but it has its charms.”
    • “Decent soundtrack but quite repetitive and doesn't have a lot of variety.”
    • “It's important to note that this game is not about to be winning any awards for its graphics, musical score, or story.”
    • “Do not buy this game if you need heart-pounding action music.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is generally well-received, with players appreciating the tense feeling during dungeon crawls and the enjoyable exploration of varied traps. However, some critiques highlight a lack of depth in level design and storytelling compared to classic titles like King's Field. Overall, the atmosphere is described as engaging, reminiscent of games like Hexen.

    • “You can only save your game in town (as in Wizardry), giving the dungeon crawl a tense atmosphere.”
    • “The game's atmosphere is good; the dungeons are fun to explore, and there's a decent variety of traps after you get through the first one.”
    • “I like the atmosphere; it feels a bit like Hexen.”
    • “A King's Field clone with none of the level design, storytelling, atmosphere, or anything else that made those games so amazing.”
    • “You can only save your game in town (as in Wizardry), giving the dungeon crawl a tense atmosphere.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to slow combat swings and lengthy recovery times, which detracts from the overall experience. The combination of grinding in visually unappealing dungeons makes this aspect less enjoyable for many.

    • “For an old school dungeon crawler, it looks good and plays well; however, the combat swings are really slow, and the recovery time from a swing is tedious.”
    • “Because RPGs often mean grinding.”
    • “For many of us, grinding in poorly designed dungeons is not the most enjoyable experience.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game's stability is generally criticized for being buggy and janky, with some users noting slow performance and various quirks. However, most players report that there are no serious or game-breaking bugs affecting gameplay.

    • “Buggy, kind of janky, slow, and has some real quirks to it.”
    • “And to make things worse – it's also pretty buggy.”
    • “Regarding the bugs... for now, I have not found any serious or game-breaking bugs/glitches.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to lag even on high-end PCs, particularly in large areas with many enemies. Players have reported needing to lower graphics settings to maintain performance, indicating a lack of efficient resource management.

    • “Badly optimized; even if you have a strong PC, you can experience lag in large rooms with a lot of enemies.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized, and for one dungeon, I had to lower the graphics settings to low.”
    • “Poorly optimized.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by the simplistic animations of enemies, particularly the skeletons, whose amusing movements stand out and add a lighthearted touch to the gameplay.

    • “The animations for enemies are rather simplistic, but the skeletons are particularly funny due to their unique movements compared to other foes.”
    • “The humor in the game shines through the quirky animations of the enemies, especially the skeletons, which move in a hilariously exaggerated way.”
    • “I love how the skeletons' movements add a comedic touch to the gameplay, making even the simplest animations entertaining.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Players find the replayability high due to the opportunity to experiment with different classes, encouraging multiple playthroughs to explore various gameplay styles.

    • “The replay value is high, as you'll want to try out different classes and see how you perform.”
    • “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making you eager to dive back in.”
    • “The variety of choices and paths keeps the game fresh, encouraging multiple runs.”
    • “The replay value is high, as you may want to try out different classes to see how you perform.”
    • “The game lacks significant replayability, as the story remains the same regardless of the choices you make.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there isn't much incentive to play through it again, as the experience feels repetitive.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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