Endless Dark

“Gameplay is built around turn-based decision-making, with each turn representing a cycle of activity aboard the ship.”

“The mechanics, the sound design, the HUD, the diegetic error messages and security protocols, the constant cascade of failing machinery, it all makes for a very tangible feeling of playing doctor for a wheezing, exhausted, sickly animal of a spaceship that has been pushed far too hard for far too long to the point where it can barely do what should by all accounts be the fairly trivial task of 'fly in a relatively straight line through empty space without falling apart.'”

“The systems design is fundamentally pretty simple mechanically — you have a handful of resources, bars, and things to budget them on — but tuned well enough that they do a great job of subtly encouraging you to play in-character.”

“And although it doesn’t mesh the best with the more fun parts of Endless Dark’s gameplay, I have to say the atmosphere is certainly pretty great when it really is just you on that ship hurtling through space, truly no one there but yourself.”

“The absence of direct interaction with other characters reinforces the atmosphere, as the player is left alone with their duties and the growing uncertainty surrounding the ship’s condition.”

“Endless Dark is heavily atmospheric; the music, ambience, and general perspective bring the player in close enough to the character to feel the tension and somewhat cramped and isolated nature of the ship, while giving just enough of a view to allow the player hints at corners filled with darkness or the very edge of rooms and interiors.”

“The somewhat cute art style of this game provides a rather unsettling contrast to its main overall story, but the developers have put a lot of effort into the art style to make sure just about anyone can play it without too much visual confusion, including those with degrees of color-blindness -- which is something I can really respect.”

“Graphics are fairly simple but on point.”

“It adds a layer of immersion, and every so often they line up with the absolutely wonderful music in this game to make it as beautiful as any symphony I've ever heard.”

“The audio design plays a more significant role, using subtle ambient sounds and restrained music to create a quiet, uneasy environment that enhances the feeling of being alone in a vast, silent space.”

“The writing delivers on its themes and tone fantastically and the use of sound and music do an excellent job with the atmospheric horror elements.”

“There’s a good bit of humor sprinkled throughout, usually based on the custodian’s various insanities, which is always fun to see.”

“There's a long list of potential insanities that can affect you as the journey progresses, ranging from the funny (seeing yourself as a door, being followed by a door, seeing illusory doors everywhere), to annoying (scrambled HUD), to potentially devastating effects.”

“In the span of 10 seconds you'll go from laughing at your little robot's woeful misunderstanding of basic human biology to lamenting its situation and cursing those who put it there.”

“I figured this would be a wild ride just based on the trailers, but nothing could have prepared me for the actual secrets this game was hiding, or the emotional rollercoaster that it would take me on.”

“I don't think a game has ever made me feel such intense emotions as this game.”

“Made me cry after finishing the whole story.”

“Replayability is central to the design.”

“The insanities and random events keep the replayability up, and there are multiple chapters for the story.”

“There is definitely lots of replay value, especially since you can increase the difficulty and choose how to approach situations.”