Endless Dark

About

Endless Dark is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Little Light Studios, LLC and was released on December 18, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Endless Dark is a narrative-driven, space exploration game where you manage a crew of survivors on a mysterious derelict ship. Uncover the ship's dark secrets and past through detailed interactions, while balancing resources and repairing critical systems to ensure your crew's survival. With a focus on character development, player choice, and atmospheric tension, Endless Dark offers a unique and immersive sci-fi experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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99%

Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews

story15 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Endless Dark features superb writing that immerses players in a relatable and emotionally charged narrative, exploring themes of existential dread and mental health.
The game mechanics are simple yet engaging, allowing players to focus on resource management and character development while navigating the challenges of maintaining a decaying spaceship.
The atmosphere is enhanced by effective sound design and a unique art style, creating a compelling sense of isolation and tension as players manage their custodian's sanity.

Gameplay can become monotonous and repetitive, leading to moments of frustration as players deal with random events and the consequences of their decisions.
Some players have reported issues with balance, where certain runs can feel overwhelmingly easy or difficult due to the randomness of events and resource availability.
The game may not appeal to those who prefer fast-paced action or dislike text-heavy narratives, as much of the story is conveyed through written dialogue and event descriptions.

story
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
5%
The story in "Endless Dark" is praised for its depth, emotional resonance, and engaging writing, with players becoming deeply invested in the narrative and characters. While some continuity errors and gameplay monotony are noted, the overall storytelling, which includes multiple arcs and endings, is described as compelling and immersive, enhancing the game's replayability. The blend of a cute art style with darker themes adds to the unique atmosphere, making the narrative experience a highlight for many players.
- “The story is definitely what kept me playing the game as I learned more and more about the custodians, the ship, and its crew.”
- “Incredible story told in an incredible way!”
- “The writing is stellar, the themes and story arcs (which serve to offer new challenges and equipment to use) are fantastic with their conclusions.”
- “The gameplay and story felt very detached and I wasn't invested in what actually happened to the ship, custodian, or passengers.”
- “The game doesn't *force* you to engage with the story, but if you don't care about it then there isn't much reason to play.”
- “There are a few issues, like with some of the turns post-story arc can be...a little slow or tedious with how you'll have to go from one end of the ship to the other, however it does certainly add to the feeling of insanity the game seems to be aiming for, which can be a good or bad depending on your stance.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
64%
11%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity, allowing players to immerse themselves in the narrative while managing resources and navigating a decaying spaceship. While some find the mechanics repetitive and occasionally frustrating, others appreciate the unique roguelike elements and the way the gameplay intertwines with the story, creating a compelling experience. Overall, the game offers a blend of straightforward mechanics and rich storytelling, appealing to those who prioritize narrative over complex gameplay.
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “The gameplay and the story complement each other very well.”
- “Sometimes I felt like I was abusing the game's mechanics, that I found a strategy that made me as efficient as possible with ship maintenance while keeping my little custodian tireless, stress-free, and (relatively) sane.”
- “While I found the gameplay to be pretty boring and repetitive, basically only involving you spending most of your time walking to the places you should go, the story was actually pretty great (at least by my standards) and worth going through gameplay the likes of watching paint dry.”
- “I do have one complaint, that I hope the dev sees, which is that the 'teleport home randomly' effect is more annoying than dangerous: in real-time mode I'm sure it's probably a legitimate concern, but I'm not playing that yet, and with it being random, it means that rather than being an obstacle to doing things, it just makes doing things take longer for no real gameplay reason.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, effectively blending elements of horror and humor. Players appreciate the strong writing, sound design, and thematic depth that enhance the overall experience, creating a sense of tension and isolation. Despite its simplistic graphics, the game successfully captivates players with its atmospheric storytelling and emotional weight.
- “Endless Dark is an excellently written game that uses its atmosphere to great effect, and I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of its themes.”
- “The writing delivers on its themes and tone fantastically, and the use of sound and music does an excellent job with the atmospheric horror elements.”
- “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.”
- “An simultaneously oddly relaxing and oddly stressful experience that doesn't need much in the way of graphics to express its atmosphere.”
- “This is truly a game of hard choices and an atmosphere which will drive you towards decisions you never would've otherwise made.”
- “There are no jump scares, just atmosphere.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The graphics of the game feature a simple yet effective art style that combines cute visuals with a dark and unsettling atmosphere, enhancing the overall narrative. While some may find the art style off-putting, it is designed to be accessible, including considerations for color-blind players. The visuals contribute to a unique experience that balances nostalgia with complexity, effectively supporting the game's themes.
- “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.”
- “Endless Dark has finally entered its 1.0 state and has added the final story arc for us to enjoy, and as always from the devs, it is fantastically written with very unique visuals to boot as well; please play the game as it is one of the best written in its category.”
- “Don't let the cute visuals fool you; the overall vibe is dark and unsettling.”
- “Don't be fooled by the classic and cutesy graphics giving a nostalgic nod to games of the past, as this little gem has a quiet complexity and rogue-like characteristics that will challenge you and your grasp of sanity as you ponder the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.”
- “The art style can be a turn-off for some people, but I think it lends well to the nature of the game and its themes.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a blend of absurdity and dark comedy, with players experiencing a range of comedic insanities that can lead to both laughter and frustration. The juxtaposition of funny scenarios, such as a robot's misunderstanding of human biology, against a backdrop of existential dread creates a unique and engaging experience. Overall, the game successfully balances humor with serious themes, keeping players entertained while navigating its challenges.
- “Despite the depressing atmosphere, this game is still very funny.”
- “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 the bastards who put it there.”
- “It makes me love the existential dread of doing one job over and over again for my little funny robots.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
50%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the horror elements, creating a tense and immersive experience. While some players find it slightly repetitive after extended play, it remains engaging enough to keep the sound on. Overall, the soundtrack is described as laid back and effective in contributing to the game's ambiance.
- “The writing delivers on its themes and tone fantastically, and the use of sound and music does an excellent job with the atmospheric horror elements.”
- “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 music is on point, and I started cracking up when I began to hear songs being played instead of the normal ship sounds.”
- “The music is forgettable and fails to leave a lasting impression.”
- “The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While the ambience is intended to create tension, the music often feels out of place and detracts from the overall experience.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Players find the game highly replayable due to its random events, multiple story chapters, and the ability to adjust difficulty levels and make varied choices throughout gameplay. While some users are still assessing their personal replay experience, the overall consensus is that the game offers significant replay value.
- “There is definitely a lot of replay value, especially since you can increase the difficulty and choose how to approach different situations.”
- “The insanities and random events keep the replayability high, and there are multiple chapters for the story.”
- “I have yet to see how replayable it is for me, but it looks very promising.”
- “There is definitely a lot of replay value, especially since you can increase the difficulty and choose how to approach different situations (or not choose when events force you to go in the opposite direction for 4 turns).”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding in the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly during post-story segments where traversing the ship can feel slow. However, this aspect may enhance the intended atmosphere of insanity, which can be perceived positively or negatively depending on individual preferences.
- “The grinding in this game feels excessively tedious, especially when you have to traverse the same areas repeatedly just to progress.”
- “After the main story, the game turns into a monotonous grind that detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding in this game can be frustrating, making it hard to stay engaged with the content.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report that the game evokes profound emotional responses, with many expressing that it has made them cry and feel intense emotions unlike any other game.
- “This game made me cry.”
- “I don't think a game has ever made me feel such intense emotions as this game.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is effectively tied to its horror theme, reflecting the relatable struggle of sacrificing personal health for job performance, which enhances the overall immersive experience.