Our Darker Purpose

About

Our Darker Purpose is a single player role playing game with a horror theme. It was developed by Avidly Wild Games and was released on January 28, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

"Our Darker Purpose" is a dark, atmospheric platformer with puzzle elements. As a child soldier in a twisted science facility, you'll need to navigate treacherous environments, avoid deadly traps, and fight nightmarish creatures to uncover the truth and escape. With its unique blend of horror and strategy, this game offers a challenging and immersive experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 382 reviews

gameplay36 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

The game features a unique gothic art style and a compelling story that draws players in.
Gameplay is challenging and rewarding, with a leveling system that allows for character customization and strategic choices.
The dodge roll mechanic adds a new layer of strategy to combat, making it feel more dynamic compared to similar games.

Hitboxes can be inconsistent, leading to frustrating moments where players feel cheated by the game's mechanics.
The game can feel overly punishing, with some rooms and bosses being excessively difficult, especially for new players.
There is a lack of variety in items and upgrades, which can make runs feel repetitive and less rewarding.

gameplay
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
69%
3%
The gameplay of "Our Darker Purpose" draws heavily from "The Binding of Isaac," featuring a similar rogue-like structure with a focus on combat and item collection, but introduces unique mechanics such as a leveling system and a dodge roll for added strategy. While the game offers a challenging and engaging experience, some players find the controls clunky and the gameplay occasionally frustrating due to slow movement and unclear mechanics. Overall, it presents a captivating atmosphere and solid mechanics, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its difficulty and design choices.
- “The gameplay is incredibly fun, and while its difficulty can be frustrating at times, like many games in the roguelike genre, it's incredibly rewarding when you finally manage to beat whatever you might have gotten stuck on before.”
- “Amazing gameplay that provides challenge and feelings of accomplishment.”
- “This game takes some aspects from Binding of Isaac (controls and general gameplay), some from Rogue Legacy (improving your character by earning credits by playing), and then adds a bit of its own spin.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay is not.”
- “Attacks are bland, enemies show little sign of taking damage when hurt and die in tiny puffs of smoke, movement is slow, items can be near-useless, leveling up isn't exciting, bosses are either boring and tedious or ridiculously difficult, traps are hard to dodge or are so easy to avoid they don't even have a purpose of being there, there's a light mechanic which seriously doesn't gel with the game mechanics, the areas blend together into monochromatic vomit and overall it's just not fun to experience.”
- “The gameplay is slow, and very different from most other ARPGs of this type.”
story
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
63%
3%
The story of "Our Darker Purpose" is a compelling and dark narrative that unfolds gradually through fragmented lore, item descriptions, and interactions within the game world, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of Tim Burton's style. Players are drawn into a mysterious setting involving rogue children in a sinister boarding school, with intriguing backstories for enemies and bosses that enhance the overall experience. While the narrative is praised for its depth and creativity, some players feel it lacks closure and refinement, leaving them wanting more from the conclusion.
- “The lore, story, aesthetic, and premise were super compelling!”
- “It tells an incredibly unique, although cryptic, story which on its own makes this game completely amazing.”
- “The story is interesting, and has me really interested to find out what will happen.”
- “The final boss fight is there and you can finish the story, but it needed a lot of refinement, and one day the developers simply vanished.”
- “I have noticed many people commenting about the game's story feeling unfinished, but I can't really comment on that due to the fact that I haven't actually finished the game yet.”
- “There is no dialogue (at least not as far as I've gotten), the story is told completely through tooltips on items and notes on the bosses you defeat, as well as the occasional conversation between two pieces of furniture.”
graphics
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique, gothic art style reminiscent of Tim Burton and "Don't Starve," creating a compelling atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. While many players appreciate the beautiful hand-drawn visuals and atmospheric soundtrack, some note that the graphics can occasionally disrupt gameplay clarity and performance. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and narrative depth.
- “The art style is gorgeous, the writing is top-notch, and the gameplay is a loop that had me always saying 'I can make it - just one more run.' It isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I would still argue that this is an overlooked and underappreciated gem in the roguelike genre.”
- “A gorgeous art style, absolutely no toilet humor, and a dark and captivating storyline revealed one tantalizing scrap at a time.”
- “The first thing I noticed about the game was the atmosphere: the dark, gothic visuals juxtaposed with the brooding, orchestral soundtrack and the cynical humor parceled throughout the game made for a wonderfully melancholy environment that I just loved.”
- “It's the graphic style which, whilst very coherent and atmospheric, sometimes disrupts the clarity of the gameplay.”
- “Now, after mentioning that the graphics look really basic, how was this game optimized, if at all?”
- “Why does a game so basic looking give my graphic card a run for its money?”
music
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience. Many players describe the soundtrack as beautiful, memorable, and fitting for the game's dark themes, with standout tracks that elevate both exploration and boss encounters. While some reviews mention that certain pieces may be forgettable, the majority highlight the music as a key element that contributes significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere and emotional depth.
- “The soundtrack is both haunting and enjoyable in rhythm; it's awesome and adds to the overall experience of the game.”
- “Sad, eerie, epic, powerful, mournful, this is stunning work, one of my favorite soundtracks in all of gaming.”
- “The music is gorgeous; I adore the soundtrack to this and honestly, despite not liking the game, I would buy the soundtrack.”
- “While the art is a little rough looking and the music is mostly forgettable, this game provides an intensely interesting lore along with a solid gameplay experience.”
- “And the in-game music doesn't match the gameplay; it's more appropriate for a walking simulator genre.”
- “The soundtrack is a mixed bag; many of the themes are quite memorable in my opinion, including but not limited to: welcome to edgewood (level 1 theme) to madness theme, a later stage boss's theme.”
atmosphere
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
39%
7%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, gothic style, captivating art design, and atmospheric soundtrack, which together create a compelling and immersive experience. Many reviewers highlight the unique blend of Tim Burton-esque visuals and a moody ambiance that enhances the storytelling and gameplay. However, some note that while the atmosphere is strong, it can occasionally disrupt gameplay clarity, and a few mechanics feel rough around the edges.
- “The game has an amazing, dark atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere feels great and the difficulty rising while progressing upwards feels natural and doesn't spike too much.”
- “All in all it looks like a 13-year-old A Series of Unfortunate Events fan's failed DeviantArt page, with very little that's truly original in design, not to mention the framerate for pretty much all character animations are stiff and awful, and not in an intentional way designed to add to the atmosphere.”
- “I seriously had to push myself to play it, saying to myself that I probably just didn't get far enough into it for it to grab me, but that's pretty poor reasoning. As a roguelike, it should be most grabbing on the first run since it's your first time stepping into the game's atmosphere and mechanics; it should fill you with excitement for a new experience, not make you catatonic within three hours of playing.”
- “The first thing I noticed about the game was the atmosphere: the dark, gothic visuals juxtaposed with the brooding, orchestral soundtrack and the cynical humor parceled throughout the game made for a wonderfully melancholy environment that I just loved.”
humor
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a sharp, dry wit that complements its dark themes, avoiding crude or toilet humor while delivering clever and charming dialogue. Players appreciate the juxtaposition of the game's gothic atmosphere with its light-hearted yet unsettling humor, which enhances the storytelling and overall experience. The writing, including item descriptions and character interactions, is noted for being both creepy and funny, contributing to a memorable and engaging gameplay experience.
- “The creepy school and insane children enemies are compelling in the feel of the execution, and the writing is sometimes very sharp and dryly humorous.”
- “The writing is humorous and dark.”
- “Its concepts are gruesome, but presented in a humorous, light-hearted manner.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The game boasts significant replayability due to its high difficulty, diverse characters, numerous items, and randomized elements, ensuring that each playthrough feels unique and rewarding. Players appreciate the challenge and variety, which encourages repeated runs, making it particularly appealing for fans of roguelike games. Overall, the combination of engaging mechanics and a rich atmosphere contributes to its strong replay value.
- “+power-ups, passive skills, leveling system with choice on perks (usually 2), randomized maps, bosses, and mobs = replayability supreme”
- “The difficulty cap is ultimately set quite high, thus making it replayable as much as it is rewarding for reaching ever further, while, quite admittedly, it may be off-putting at times.”
- “The multiple pathways and plethora of items to collect guarantee replayability, and each playthrough will provide more details and more background to why Edgewood is the way it is.”
- “A little more effort in the character design would go a long way and makes a huge difference both in first impressions and the replayability, but I'll look past that.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, with slow combat and unexciting item progression contributing to a frustrating experience. Boss fights are often described as either excessively difficult or boringly drawn out, leading to a sense of slog rather than enjoyment. While some players appreciate the lore, it does little to alleviate the overall grind-heavy nature of the gameplay.
- “I beat the game once, and don't really feel the need to continue grinding to find more items with how monotone they've all been so far.”
- “Many rooms require far more patience than actual skill, at times making the game a tedious slog.”
- “The combat is so incredibly tedious and slow it's insane.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is generally described as inconsistent, with users reporting occasional freezes lasting 5-15 seconds and some bugs, though not everyone experiences significant issues. While it may feel unpolished compared to other titles in the genre, frequent updates suggest ongoing improvements. Despite these stability concerns, players still find enjoyment in the game's lore and mechanics.
- “I am not sure what issue this is causing on my machine, but every so often the game freezes, waits to load graphically, then continues.”
- “Sometimes the game freezes for 5-15 seconds, which is kind of weird and annoying, but that might just be my PC.”
- “Overall, this game is fun with some glitches, like being randomly teleported away from a boss room into a black room.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development in the game is highlighted through its impressive character designs and engaging lore, which players find captivating despite the game's difficulty. While some reviewers feel that more effort could enhance character depth and replayability, the overall atmosphere and interactions contribute positively to the experience.
- “The atmosphere is awesome, the soundtrack is perfect, the character designs are flawless.”
- “We can hunt down the bits of lore, delight in our achievements (because, to us, they really are achievements), giggle/sigh at the conversations between inanimate objects, wonder at the art and the music, raise a very pointed eyebrow at some of the character design, and then get back to business because we are going to beat chapter 1 tonight, d@mmit!”
- “A little more effort in the character design would go a long way and makes a huge difference both in first impressions and the replayability but I'll look past that.”
- “A little more effort in the character design would go a long way and makes a huge difference both in first impressions and the replayability, but I'll look past that.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game "Our Darker Purpose" features well-optimized keyboard controls that enhance the gameplay experience, making it efficient and comfortable for players, despite the inability to customize them. However, the graphics are described as basic, raising questions about the overall optimization of the game.
- “Our darker purpose is a very entertaining entry in the controller-optimized action roguelite; it's more like Isaac with directional keys for shooting than Enter the Gungeon or Nuclear Throne with mouse aiming.”
- “However, the keyboard controls are optimized to be an efficient and comfortable system, which is a good thing because you cannot change them, and getting the achievements truly rewards you well.”
- “- Now, after mentioning that the graphics look really basic, how was this game optimized, if at all?”
- “The game suffers from severe performance issues, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Optimization seems to be an afterthought, as the game frequently lags and crashes.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, often feeling heartbroken after losing a run due to challenging boss fights or unfortunate mistakes. The complexity of hitboxes adds to the frustration, as players grapple with the unpredictability of encounters, heightening the emotional stakes of each decision made during gameplay.
- “It's heart-breaking to lose because of an unlucky boss fight; perhaps you picked a few things that were bad against that one specific boss, or you just made a mistake (some bosses can hit hard, so one mistake is enough), and lost a run that had potential.”