Guild of Darksteel

Guild of Darksteel is impressive because it is a game created by one man but the game does not have any staying power and its mechanics are not fully developed, presumably because everything is the creation of one man. The rhythm-based combat is a nice surprise at first, with plenty of potential, but it becomes just strings of button presses because there’s nothing in the game to add depth to it. The world has detail but the narrative itself is never engaging enough to make it worth moving through yet another set of battles. The developer clearly is a fan of some classic experiences and knows how to take their spirit and bring it to the present. The challenge is to update the core mechanics interestingly and choose the right concepts for the world he is building. Guild of Darksteel is ultimately a shallow experience that does not offer much more than its demo but I am curious what Sandman can create in the future.

58%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

gameplay, replayability

63% User Score Based on 41 reviews

Critic Score 60%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

Guild of Darksteel is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Igor Sandman and was released on July 15, 2021. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

In Guild of Darksteel, play as the immortal Sellsword and join the Guild of Darksteel to investigate mysterious tunnels beneath Ravenrock city in this side-scrolling, story-driven adventure. Engage in strategic combat with combos, level up attacks, and explore a rich, dark fantasy world filled with intricate details and intriguing characters.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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63%

Audience ScoreBased on 41 reviews

story15 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The pixel art and animations are visually appealing, contributing to a unique atmosphere.
The combat system, while simple, offers engaging timing and combo mechanics that can be satisfying once mastered.
The story and worldbuilding, although short, are intriguing and keep players invested in the narrative.

Gameplay is repetitive and lacks variety, with limited enemy types and combat mechanics that become monotonous over time.
Save points are infrequent, leading to frustrating backtracking and loss of progress after dying.
The game feels incomplete, with several bugs, including broken achievements and clunky controls that hinder the overall experience.

story
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
53%
10%
The story aspect of the games reviewed is a mixed bag, with some titles featuring engaging narratives and intriguing world-building, while others suffer from linearity and lack of depth. Many players appreciate the initial intrigue and stylistic presentation, but express disappointment with shallow conclusions or repetitive gameplay that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while some stories are compelling and well-integrated with gameplay, others fall short, leaving players wanting more depth and satisfaction.
- “Great story, several characters you can interact with and surprisingly nice art.”
- “The graphics are superb and very stylish, the story is simple but engaging, and it weaves a pretty neat world in the short time you're in it.”
- “Tasked with investigating the mysterious tunnels of under the city of Ravenrook, you unearth a sinister plot involving cult sacrifices, sorcerers, and a mysterious gateway to another realm.”
- “The story is linear.”
- “Instead, the story turns into a shallow collision of medieval Christian and Cthulhu tentacle cult themes, but the references are generic and there aren't any compellingly unique spins on the standard tropes of either.”
- “The level design is dull and bland, the combat is pointlessly redundant, and the story often seems silly and aimless.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
42%
29%
The gameplay in "Guild of Darksteel" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and shallow, primarily consisting of one-on-one battles and simple combat mechanics that lack depth and variety. While the game features beautiful pixel art and an engaging soundtrack, the overall experience is marred by tedious backtracking and a lack of polish, leading to a perception that the gameplay does not fully capitalize on its potential. Some players appreciate the unique combat mechanics and the game's short, dark narrative, but overall, the gameplay is seen as lacking staying power and complexity.
- “Good short game with nice soundtrack, story, and gameplay.”
- “The gameplay reminds me of Faxanadu for NES, but with more depth because of the combo system.”
- “Guild of Darksteel is a super dark tale of power & corruption with cool, unique combat mechanics that make for an overall fantastic experience.”
- “Mechanically, there's no real exploration of the map and no platforming: the game is a series of one-on-one battles with enemies.”
- “But the gameplay is just repetitive, multiple screens of caves filled with bats and bandits, where you have to defend, then counterattack by inputting strings of attacks, using two buttons.”
- “Unfortunately, there is a lot of boring backtracking, the combat mechanic is mind-numbingly simple and barely evolves at all, and the lack of information about which order the options at a juncture should be tried in is just disrespectful of your time.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The graphics of the game feature a charming pixel art style with smooth animations, which some players appreciate for its nostalgic appeal. However, the low resolution and lack of customization options detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about the visual quality. While the art style is often praised for its aesthetic, it can sometimes hinder clarity and detail, impacting gameplay.
- “It has a very nice pixel art style and smooth animations for both the character and the enemies.”
- “The graphics are superb and very stylish, the story is simple but engaging, and it weaves a pretty neat world in the short time you're in it.”
- “I really enjoy the artwork and dark fantasy setting a lot.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
- “There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its nostalgic quality and fitting tone, particularly during battles. However, the soundtrack lacks variety and is limited in tracks, which detracts from its memorability. Overall, while the sound design enhances the atmosphere, players express a desire for more musical content.
- “Stylish, with an interesting story and soundtrack.”
- “The cinematic music and sound effects enhance the mood, and marry perfectly with the gorgeous, pixel-art castles and catacombs of the game.”
- “I actually liked the music, it took me back to my Game Boy Advance JRPG days, and it's a shame there just wasn't more of that.”
- “I think there were maybe 2 music tracks in the entire game?”
- “However, the soundtrack lacks a lot of variety and drags too much to be memorable.”
- “There is no option to change sound settings or lower the music volume.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game's replayability lacking due to limited branching paths that lead to tedious backtracking and potential loss of achievements, resulting in a generally uninviting experience for revisiting the game.
- “The few times the path branches mean more boring backtracking and may cost you achievements - tragically so, because the replay value of the game is nonexistent.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back. The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
- “The game offers no real variation in gameplay on subsequent playthroughs, making it feel like a chore to replay.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The atmosphere of "Guild of Darksteel" is characterized by its unique dark-fantasy setting and rich worldbuilding, which effectively creates a compelling and immersive experience. Despite its grim tone, the game offers surprising depth in character development, enhancing the overall ambiance.
- “Guild of Darksteel is a short dark-fantasy adventure by a solo developer with a unique atmosphere and intriguing worldbuilding.”
- “It shows a great amount of character depth that you wouldn't expect from such a grim atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere feels lifeless and fails to immerse you in the game world.”
- “Despite the dark themes, the atmosphere lacks the tension and suspense needed to engage players.”
- “The environments are bland and uninspired, making it hard to feel any connection to the game's setting.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report issues with stability, noting instances where characters freeze while the game continues to run, reminiscent of older gaming experiences. This suggests that the game may have significant stability problems that affect gameplay.
- “I experienced a frustrating freeze where my character became unresponsive, but the game continued to run in the background.”
- “The game often crashes unexpectedly, making it difficult to enjoy the experience.”
- “There are frequent stability issues that disrupt gameplay, leading to a lot of frustration.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with a limited set of combat moves that contribute to a monotonous gameplay experience, especially as the game progresses.
- “Then we get to the gameplay, which I can only describe as boring and tedious.”
- “The list of combat moves is very limited, and you’ll be repeating them a lot; it might even get tedious towards the end.”

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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Guild of Darksteel is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

Guild of Darksteel is available on Nintendo Switch, PC and Windows.

Guild of Darksteel was released on July 15, 2021.

Guild of Darksteel was developed by Igor Sandman.

Guild of Darksteel has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Guild of Darksteel is a single player game.

Similar games include Jack Move, Gloom, Aurion, Sands of Aura, Mortal Shell and others.

Guild of Darksteel

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