Guild of Darksteel

56%
Game Brain Score Based on 39 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Guild of Darksteel Game Cover
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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.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 39 reviews
story13 positive mentions
gameplay6 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful pixel art and smooth animations, creating an engaging visual experience.
  • The story is intriguing with decent worldbuilding, keeping players invested despite the game's short length.
  • The combat system, while simple, offers a satisfying rhythm-based mechanic that allows for engaging battles once players learn enemy patterns.
  • Gameplay is repetitive and lacks variety, with only a few enemy types and combat patterns that become stale quickly.
  • Save points are infrequent, leading to frustrating backtracking and the need to replay large sections of the game.
  • The game feels incomplete, with many features that seem underdeveloped or missing, resulting in a lack of depth and exploration.
  • story36 mentions

    The story in "Guild of Darksteel" is described as stylish and engaging, with intriguing world-building and a dark, foreboding plot involving cults and sorcery. However, many reviewers noted its linearity and brevity, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and disappointment in the resolution. While some found the narrative compelling enough to keep them invested, others felt it lacked depth and unique twists, ultimately making the experience feel shallow despite its initial promise.

    • “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.”
    • “Great story, several characters you can interact with and surprisingly nice art.”
    • “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.”
    • “I wanted to quit partway through because it's boring to play after the first few fights (of many), but could tell it would be short (it was ~3 hrs) so I stuck it out for the story, which unfortunately didn't deliver, either.”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    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. While the art and music are praised, the lack of exploration and variety, along with tedious backtracking, detracts from the overall experience. Some players appreciate the unique combat mechanics and progression system, but overall, the gameplay is seen as lacking depth and polish.

    • “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.”
  • graphics14 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style and smooth animations, which many players appreciate for their aesthetic appeal. However, some users criticize the low resolution and lack of customization options, leading to difficulties in readability and detail recognition. Overall, while the graphics are seen as stylish and fitting for the game's dark fantasy theme, they may not meet the expectations of those seeking contemporary visual fidelity.

    • “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.”
  • music11 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its nostalgic quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly during battles. However, some reviewers noted a lack of variety and a limited number of tracks, which detracted from its overall memorability. While the soundtrack complements the game's art style and setting, the absence of sound settings is a drawback for some players.

    • “Stylish, with an interesting story and soundtrack.”
    • “Good short game with nice soundtrack, story, and gameplay.”
    • “The cinematic music and sound effects enhance the mood, and marry perfectly with the gorgeous, pixel-art castles and catacombs of the game.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Guild of Darksteel" is characterized by its unique dark-fantasy setting and rich worldbuilding, which effectively conveys a sense of intrigue. Despite its grim tone, the game offers surprising depth in character development, enhancing the overall immersive experience.

    • “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 that it aims for.”
    • “The environments are bland and uninspired, making it hard to feel any connection to the game's setting.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    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.

    • “The gameplay can only be described as boring and tedious.”
    • “The list of combat moves is very limited, and you'll be repeating them a lot, which might become tedious towards the end.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Reviewers indicate that the game's limited branching paths lead to tedious backtracking, significantly diminishing its replayability and making it feel lacking in value for multiple playthroughs.

    • “The few times the path branches lead to 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 rather than an enjoyable experience.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report issues with stability, noting instances where characters freeze while the game continues to run, reminiscent of older gaming experiences.

    • “I experienced frequent crashes that made it impossible to progress in the game.”
    • “The game often freezes during key moments, disrupting the flow and immersion.”
    • “There are numerous bugs that cause the game to become unresponsive, which is incredibly frustrating.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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