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On Dark Terms

69%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
optimization, music
69% User Score Based on 156 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows
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About

In "On Dark Terms," a 1-4 player co-op horror game, you make a pact with Bwonsombdi, Loa of the Dead, for protection in a post-apocalyptic world. Roam the open-world to gather materials, craft items, and delve into dungeons to destroy Dark Matter. Unique paranormal investigations and consumable crafting set this game apart.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot
On Dark Terms screenshot

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 156 reviews
gameplay20 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game has a unique concept of being a ghost-hunting cat, which adds a fun twist to the genre.
  • The open-world design and various dungeons provide an interesting and immersive experience, with potential for exploration and crafting.
  • The developer is responsive and actively works on updates, showing dedication to improving the game based on player feedback.
  • The game suffers from information overload, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and objectives.
  • Many players find the difficulty level excessively high, even on easy mode, leading to frustration and frequent deaths.
  • The tutorial and initial gameplay experience are poorly designed, often leaving players confused and unable to progress effectively.
  • gameplay
    78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a variety of mechanics, including flash hunts, hallucinations, and a corruption bar, which can be overwhelming for new players due to the steep learning curve and the complexity of different stages within dungeons. While some players appreciate the unique mechanics and potential for fun once understood, many find the initial experience confusing and frustrating, particularly during the tutorial phase, which fails to showcase the game's depth. Overall, despite its flaws, the game offers a distinct take on the ghost hunting genre, with potential for enjoyment as players become more familiar with its systems.

    • “The corruption, flash hunts, and embodiments add a lot to the gameplay and make it feel much more like a genuine game than the tutorial makes it out to seem.”
    • “In relation to other ghost hunting style games such as Metaphysical and Phasmophobia, I would say this game possesses fun mechanics that are different enough that it feels very different from playing Phasmo or Metaphysical.”
    • “The mechanics make the game really interesting and unique; the open world scenery is just beautiful, and it's great to see some really cool looking ghost models!”
    • “It is very confusing and I did not understand the mechanics at all.”
    • “There are 4/5 stages inside each 'dungeon' (essentially a ghost hunt, like going inside a house in Phasmophobia) but each stage has totally different gameplay mechanics, so it feels really overwhelming.”
    • “The corruption mechanic makes no sense at all; it's just to annoy you while you are running towards the boss for the 100th time because you are unlucky. The boss has 4 skills and spams all of them, usually faster than you. If not, it at least teleports. The demon is beatable, the witch is annoying, but the ghost... you actually need to be lucky with the ghost, so it's not fun at all at this stage.”
  • story
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is engaging and features a well-developed backstory and lore, although it is primarily conveyed through reading letters and item descriptions, which some players find less appealing. Players appreciate the individual quest structure during tutorials and the grim narrative revealed through research missions, which enhance the overall experience. While the main storyline and side quests offer opportunities for exploration and crafting, there is a desire for better organization of collected notes to track the unfolding narrative.

    • “The world looks nice and I was interested to know more about the backstory and lore.”
    • “There are research missions for most of every area that tell you a bit more about the events you are dealing with when completing dungeons.”
    • “The storyline is interesting and I can't wait to see more... also can't wait to play with my friends.”
    • “The story is unfortunately told in one of my least favorite methods, primarily by reading letters or reading short descriptions of items.”
    • “When one of us completed an objective, it was not completed for the others, so everyone had to do the mission individually.”
    • “I think there should be a tab of collected notes so you can keep track of the story.”
  • optimization
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is currently lacking, particularly for resolutions above 1080p, which leads to significant performance issues and inconsistent frame rates. Players have reported high GPU usage and various bugs typical of early access titles, with some expressing frustration over the developer's dismissive attitude towards performance complaints. Overall, while some users manage to run the game smoothly at lower settings, many feel that optimization needs considerable improvement.

    • “Anything above 1080p will suffer performance issues, giving you inconsistent FPS and constant FPS drops. It ran around 30-45 FPS on high settings. I can run COD MW2 2022 in high settings and get over 60 FPS, and that game is much more intensive than this game in 4K.”
    • “When I brought it down to medium graphics, it helped a bit and I was getting over 60 FPS, but it was still a bit laggy on the camera side of things. It did help by turning off motion blur, but this game still feels as if the performance is being affected by something else out of my control.”
    • “Optimization is still something that needs work, but it's not surprising given the early access.”
    • “Performance above 1080p is hot garbage. I'm assuming this is the dev's native monitor resolution because this is where it's optimized the most. However, he included resolutions up to 8k, but my setup is a single 4k HDR 60Hz monitor, and the majority of my games run perfectly fine.”
    • “Anything above 1080p will suffer performance issues, giving you inconsistent FPS and constant FPS drops. It ran around 30-45 FPS on high settings. I can run Call of Duty: MW2 (2022) in high settings and get over 60 FPS, and that game is much more intensive than this game in 4k.”
    • “The developer is not acknowledging his mistakes and is not assisting in gathering enough information from customers to make improvements to the game regarding performance issues over 1080p. He even bans people who leave bad reviews and argues over their experiences, disregarding the concerns of his customers.”
  • atmosphere
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its stunning visual design and effective environmental storytelling, particularly in the dungeons and overworld, which create a sense of tension and excitement. However, some areas, like the train station map, are criticized for being small and lacking atmosphere. Overall, the atmospheric elements contribute significantly to the gameplay experience, enhancing both exploration and tension.

    • “The atmosphere is perfect; the environmental design in the dungeons and overworld is exceptional, and the clue gathering and everything else is on point.”
    • “The world is atmospheric and stunning visually; the dungeons are fun and exciting, even on repeat playthroughs after some unfortunate deaths.”
    • “Some of the locations have a great atmosphere, creating a strong sense of tension while trying to find your objectives as the corruption level creeps ever upwards.”
    • “The train station map near the starting apartment is very small and lacks any sort of atmosphere.”
  • graphics
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their visual appeal, with levels described as "awesome" and "pretty." However, players have reported issues with optimization, including high GPU usage and performance lag, particularly in early access. Adjusting settings can improve frame rates, but some users still experience camera lag and other performance-related concerns.

    • “The levels look awesome and the graphics are pretty.”
    • “When I brought it down to medium graphics, it helped a bit and I was getting over 60fps, but it was still a bit laggy on the camera side of things. It did help by turning off motion blur, but this game still feels as if the performance is being affected by something else out of my control.”
  • music
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with players finding the simultaneous Christmas music and normal soundtrack to be annoying. Additionally, the ice cream vans and scarecrows contribute to a jump-scare atmosphere, enhancing the game's tension but also leading to frustration. Overall, the music elements seem to be a divisive aspect of the gameplay experience.

    • “The game launches with an annoying Christmas update that plays festive music simultaneously with the normal soundtrack, which is quite distracting.”
    • “Ice cream vans in the game play music that jump scares you, adding an unsettling element to the experience.”
    • “The combination of Christmas music and the normal soundtrack creates a confusing and irritating audio environment.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the humor in the game primarily through the amusing animations and the playful antics of the cats, which create a lighthearted and entertaining experience. The silly interactions and whimsical scenarios contribute to the overall comedic appeal.

    • “It was funny making the cats and doing silly things, running around as cats and seeing the animations.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players highlight the game's unique ideas and strong community, emphasizing its high replayability that keeps them engaged and satisfied with each playthrough.

    • “An amazing game with such unique ideas and replayability every time. It won't let you down, and it has a great community.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express frustration with misleading hardware specifications advertised on the game's Steam page, suggesting that the information does not accurately reflect the game's performance capabilities at various resolutions. This has raised concerns about transparency in monetization practices related to hardware requirements.

  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability is generally good, especially considering it was developed by a single individual; however, users have reported occasional bugs, notably texture glitches that occur upon loading.

    • “There are still some bugs that pop up from time to time; for me, the biggest one would be texture glitches randomly when the game is loaded. But for a single developer, I am surprised there aren't more bugs.”

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