The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics doesn’t do much to stand out from other turn-based tactics games, but it treats both the genre and the show—and therefore the fans of each—with the respect they deserve.

70%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, replayability

78% User Score Based on 73 reviews

Critic Score 61%Based on 26 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $19.99

Buy NowGet on Steam$19.99

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About

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is a turn-based strategy game set in the vibrant world of Thra. Players lead the Gelfling clans in their fight against the Skeksis, unlocking new abilities and characters as they progress through the campaign. With multiple ways to approach combat and a variety of environments, this game offers a deep and engaging strategy experience for fans of the Dark Crystal franchise and newcomers alike.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics screenshot

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 99 reviews

story8 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The game offers a solid tactical RPG experience with a variety of character classes and skills, allowing for interesting team compositions and strategies.
Fans of The Dark Crystal will appreciate the game's faithful representation of the show's storyline and characters, providing a nostalgic experience.
The combat mechanics are engaging and can be challenging, especially on higher difficulty settings, making it enjoyable for fans of turn-based strategy games.

The game suffers from a lack of depth and complexity, making it feel simplistic and repetitive, especially for seasoned tactics game players.
Presentation issues, such as the absence of voice acting and low-quality graphics, detract from the overall experience and immersion in the Dark Crystal universe.
The grinding required for character leveling and resource management can become tedious, leading to a less enjoyable gameplay experience over time.

story
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
83%
6%
The story of "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics" closely follows the Netflix series, but many players feel it lacks depth and coherence, often requiring prior knowledge of the show to fully understand the plot. While the game features beloved characters and maintains the series' aesthetic, its storytelling is criticized for being shallow, rushed, and poorly presented, with minimal voice acting and reliance on comic-style cutscenes. Overall, while fans of the series may enjoy the nostalgic elements, newcomers might find the narrative disjointed and confusing.
- “I am glad there was a story behind the game and not only tactical fighting.”
- “As a big fan of The Dark Crystal, it's a very interactive way to tell the story that we came to love on Netflix.”
- “Considering that it's a low-budget game from a small studio, the story is surprisingly well recreated.”
- “The story was very shallow; if you were going to understand what was going on, you would need to watch the Netflix show.”
- “However, if you haven't seen the show, the story won't make much sense as it plays out assuming you have the knowledge of the show.”
- “The gameplay and the story are two disjointed things; one pauses to give way to the other for a bit and so forth; they never intertwine or work together to form a fulfilling experience.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
70%
9%
The gameplay of "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its solid turn-based mechanics and character customization, while others criticize it for being clunky, dull, and lacking depth. Although the game offers a smooth experience and decent tutorials, many feel it fails to effectively integrate gameplay with storytelling, leading to a disjointed experience. Overall, it appeals to fans of the tactics genre, especially on higher difficulty settings, but may not satisfy those seeking a more engaging or innovative gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is great - the further you progress into the game, the more fun it becomes, with combining different classes and skills.”
- “I absolutely love the gameplay, tactical strategy, and character customization in this.”
- “The mechanics are simple enough to not get hung up but complex enough to provide a challenge.”
- “Clunky and boring gameplay.”
- “The gameplay itself is fine, but the game is dull; this genre isn't a good conduit for this story (which is presented terribly and paced even worse), you aren't exposed to the world or characters in any meaningful way.”
- “The gameplay and the story are two disjointed things; one pauses to give way to the other for a bit and so forth, they never intertwine or work together to form a fulfilling experience.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting that they do not fully capture the charm of the original film or series, often feeling simplistic and reminiscent of mobile games. While some appreciate the cute art style and its faithfulness to the source material, others criticize the overall quality as subpar, lacking detail and variety. Despite these criticisms, a few players find the visuals adequate for gameplay, with comic-book cutscenes adding a unique touch to the storytelling.
- “The graphics are cute, and the score is nice too, keeping the overall feel of the story and world of Dark Crystal, and it's fun.”
- “Good graphics, easy to play, and the feel of the Netflix series has been faithfully reproduced.”
- “The aesthetic is lovely, the art in the cutscenes is delightful; ultimately, I feel pretty happy about this purchase.”
- “The graphics don't really capture the endearing visuals of the film or TV series, but clearly the budget wasn't there.”
- “Everything about this game screams 'mobile game'... from the oversized chunky GUI and radial menus, to the hardly-there graphical options, to the tight FOV and simplistic graphics.”
- “I personally do not care about game graphics that much, but I know other people do, and even I have to admit the graphics in this game belong to a phone app.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is heavily grind-focused, reminiscent of old-school tactical RPGs, requiring significant time investment for leveling and gear acquisition. While some players find enjoyment in the grind as they unlock classes and customize characters, others criticize it for being tedious and lacking engaging content, with repetitive maps and a clunky interface. Overall, if grinding is not appealing to you, this game may not be worth your time.
- “This game is pretty grindy, so be warned.”
- “The truth is the game isn't too short, rather the opposite, but it doesn't use the 20 hours I spent grinding levels to get to where I needed to be in my first playthrough at all well.”
- “Where it delivers on tactical combat, it falls down in being overly grindy for resources, and a direct-from-mobile interface.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitiveness and limited variety, often leading them to turn it off in favor of other soundtracks. While some appreciate the quality of the music and its integration with gameplay, others criticize the overall audio experience as lacking depth and creativity, with minimal voice acting and a sparse soundtrack. Overall, the music is seen as a weak point in an otherwise solid game.
- “The music is great and the animation during the tactical rounds is amazing.”
- “[challenging, vertical platforming and combat, beautiful music, affordable, creative class customization, interesting and diverse campaign levels].”
- “[flexible jobs, whimsical music].”
- “The audio budget was certainly very low, too, as there isn't much music.”
- “Music is repetitive; I ended up turning it off and listening to the soundtrack of both the original and new games.”
- “[lack of voice acting, strange pacing for music, clunky movement/skill wheel, vague story for newcomers to series, can be a bit grindy]”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game lacks significant replayability, with many players noting that it can be completed quickly and offers limited map variety for grinding. Compared to other tactical JRPGs available on Steam, it falls short in terms of skill requirements and memorable content, leading to a generally unremarkable replay experience.
- “Therefore, I don't see much replayability in the game, which is usually a strength of any tactical game.”
- “I beat it in a few days; I don't think it has a lot of replayability, but I may play it one more time.”
- “There are very few replayable maps for grinding, so that got boring fast.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game appears to evoke strong and intense feelings, particularly in relation to intimate and personal experiences. Users express a deep connection to the characters and scenarios, highlighting the game's ability to elicit pleasure and excitement.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is praised for its monetization model, as it features no microtransactions or intrusive prompts to spend additional money, contributing to a more enjoyable gaming experience.
- “I'm happy to say there are no microtransactions and no annoying pop-ups urging you to spend more money in the online store.”
- “The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
- “I appreciate that the developers have chosen to focus on a premium experience without the distraction of in-game purchases.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, with players finding genuine amusement in poorly implemented scenarios, such as a character needing to brawl with library staff to retrieve a book. This blend of silliness and unexpected situations contributes to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “At some points, some aspects are so poorly implemented or silly that it's genuinely funny. For example, Brea needing to get a book and the game making you brawl with the library staff to get it—are you kidding me?”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
Overall, users feel that the game requires additional polish and resolution of performance issues before it can be confidently recommended for purchase.
- “The optimization in this game really enhances the overall experience, making it smooth and enjoyable.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have focused on optimizing the gameplay, resulting in a seamless performance.”
- “With more polish and some performance issues ironed out, I would say yes, buy it right then.”
- “The game suffers from significant optimization problems that hinder the overall experience.”
- “Frequent frame drops and long loading times make it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”