Fear the Dark Unknown

About

Fear the Dark Unknown is a single player survival action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Dreamlight Games Studios SL and was released on December 2, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The clock is ticking and the survival game can no longer be stopped. James and Chloe have been chosen and nothing will ever be the same again after discovering the Dark Unknown.

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Single-Player

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70%

Audience ScoreBased on 87 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of classic survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with two distinct character campaigns that provide replayability.
The atmosphere and design of the mansion are well-executed, creating a creepy and engaging environment for exploration.
Some puzzles are creative and unique, adding an interesting challenge to the gameplay.

The voice acting and character animations are poorly executed, detracting from the overall immersion of the game.
The game suffers from numerous bugs, glitches, and frustrating camera angles that can make navigation and combat difficult.
The story is convoluted and poorly translated, leading to confusion and a lack of emotional engagement with the characters.

story
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
72%
8%
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and rich, particularly through the exploration of two distinct character campaigns, while others criticize it for being messy and poorly executed, especially in its ending. Many reviews highlight the need for careful attention to fully grasp the narrative, as well as the presence of intriguing elements that can get lost in translation. Overall, while the atmosphere and gameplay are praised, the storytelling quality varies significantly among players.
- “The story is very rich and you really have to pay attention to understand it.”
- “It has unique challenging puzzles, an engaging story that wants you to know more about what's going on, fun gameplay, & characters well developed.”
- “20-30 hours of classic, survival horror gameplay with a quality story and a really nice and spooky atmosphere is what you get when you buy this little indie gem.”
- “The story isn't interesting because there are wooden blocks instead of characters and wooden blocks instead of scenarists.”
- “But in the middle of the story, I came across a game-breaking mistake by the game designer.”
- “- messy story with a lot of nonsensical scenes.”
gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
The gameplay is characterized by a nostalgic old-school survival horror style, featuring fixed camera angles and satisfying enemy encounters, though some players may find the mechanics outdated. While the game offers a stable experience with adjustable combat and puzzle difficulties, it suffers from technical issues like buggy sound and poor voice acting. Overall, it provides 20-30 hours of engaging gameplay with unique puzzles and a compelling story, appealing particularly to fans of classic horror games.
- “For one, I did enjoy most of the gameplay; taking down enemies is satisfying, and until the ending of this game, I really was interested in the story.”
- “With the new updates, it is quite stable (only got stuck one time and had two crashes in 6 hours of gameplay so far), and being able to select combat and puzzle difficulty lets you fine-tune your experience.”
- “20-30 hours of classic survival horror gameplay with a quality story and a really nice and spooky atmosphere is what you get when you buy this little indie gem.”
- “Characters are like mindless puppets - completely devoid of emotion, and all the drama here is artificial and mechanical, like parts in a car engine.”
- “This is evident by gameplay mechanics, fixed camera angles, and story elements.”
- “Younger gamers will probably not like these mechanics, as seen in some of the negative reviews, but that's not the developers' or the game's fault; that's how it was before everything became dumbed down for the masses.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the atmospheric detail and gore effects, while others criticize the faded, grainy textures and subpar character models. Players note that achieving high resolutions like 4K can lead to low frame rates, suggesting that a decent graphics card is necessary for optimal performance. Overall, while the style and atmosphere are appreciated, many feel the graphics could be significantly improved.
- “The graphics are good with some very nice detail, especially with the gore.”
- “The graphics are great, the atmosphere is incredible, so many creepy moments; this game can be quite scary.”
- “Background artwork and lighting were good.”
- “The graphics are faded and grainy with muddy textures.”
- “I also could not play in 4K resolution no matter what graphical setting because the frame rate was in the low 40s with an RTX 2080 and i9 processor.”
- “Character and enemy graphics are terrible.”
atmosphere
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
82%
13%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and eerie design, particularly within the expansive mansion setting, which is filled with smart puzzles and a compelling psychological plot. The music enhances the experience, evoking a range of emotions from unease to calmness, while the distinct character development and creepy moments contribute to a consistently tense and engaging environment. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be a standout feature, reminiscent of classic survival horror titles like Silent Hill.
- “Smart puzzles, beautiful atmosphere, and an intriguing psychological plot.”
- “The atmosphere and the little cut scenes are great; the mansion is huge and interesting to explore, and the characters are very distinct with real development through the documents and notes you find.”
- “The game has a great atmosphere that does a good job keeping you on edge as you explore the mansion and its grounds.”
- “I loved the style of this game and the creepy atmosphere that's reminiscent of Silent Hill, but I want to warn you that you should have at least a Radeon RX 590 graphics card before even playing to get the most out of the game's offerings. But again, it's up to you if you don't mind bad graphics.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The music in the game is generally praised for its ability to create a fitting atmosphere, evoking feelings of unease, calmness, and dread, reminiscent of classic titles like Resident Evil. However, some players noted that while the background music enhances the ambiance, it is overshadowed by other gameplay issues, such as poor voice acting and combat mechanics. Overall, the music stands out as a highlight amidst a mixed reception of the game's other audio elements.
- “The music is also a decent highlight that provided a good atmosphere and managed to evoke feelings of unease, calmness, or dread.”
- “The music for the game was very good and had a nice Resident Evil feeling.”
- “Background music created a nice ambience.”
- “Started out fine for the first hour or so, but it's just a bit too broken to be really enjoyable. I got killed because I didn't realize the music in a room meant an enemy was sneaking in, which would instantly kill me when it got there!”
- “Even if I could forgive the awful voice acting, the awful combat, the awful puzzle design, the bland sound and music, the inventory system (bullets not stacking is just idiotic), and the amount of bugs that range from stupid glitches to game-breaking... it's not at all scary or even interesting.”
- “Aside from the background music and scenery, the sound and animations are terrible.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of game-ending glitches, crashes, and instant deaths, particularly problematic given the limited save options. Players express frustration over the frequency and severity of bugs, which detract significantly from the overall experience and enjoyment of the game. Despite some redeeming qualities, the overwhelming instability leads many to recommend against playing it.
- “And there are game-ending glitches, which are terrible in a game with limited saves!”
- “I'll try the game a bit more and see if it improves, but glitches, crashes, instant deaths, and limited saves don't give me high hopes for an enjoyable experience going forward, when there are so many games out there.”
- “As such, I can't recommend this buggy mess filled with developer logic puzzles and enemies that will get up and start attacking you in the middle of a puzzle and take away half your health while trying to get the game to stop glitching out.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game offers strong replayability through the option to play as two distinct characters, encouraging players to experience the story from different perspectives. This dual character playthrough feature enhances the overall gameplay experience and invites multiple runs.
- “The game offers two playable characters, enhancing replayability.”
- “With two character playthroughs, the game provides excellent replayability.”
- “The option to play as both characters significantly boosts the game's replayability.”
- “The game offers only two character playthroughs, which limits its replayability.”
- “With just two playable characters, the replayability feels quite restricted.”
- “Having only two characters to choose from significantly diminishes the replay value.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a highlight for players, often turning potentially frustrating experiences into enjoyable moments filled with laughter. This lightheartedness helps mitigate negative feelings, making the overall experience more enjoyable.
- “The stream was a blast because we were laughing the whole time, which made me forget about not being able to refund it.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is frequently criticized, with many users noting that it is hindered by bugs and performance issues.
- “What holds the game back is the optimization and the bugs.”
- “What holds the game back is the optimization and the bugs.”

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6h Median play time

6h Average play time

6-6h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Fear the Dark Unknown is a survival action adventure game with horror theme.

Fear the Dark Unknown is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Fear the Dark Unknown.

Fear the Dark Unknown was released on December 2, 2019.

Fear the Dark Unknown was developed by Dreamlight Games Studios SL.

Fear the Dark Unknown has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Fear the Dark Unknown is a single player game.

Similar games include Them and Us, Tormented Souls, The Evil Within, Daymare: 1998, The Forgotten Ones and others.

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