THE DARK DWELLERS

About

"The Dark Dwellers" is a side-scrolling action game set in a cursed underground city. As the nameless Mortali, you'll wield blood magic and various weapons to fight nightmarish enemies and bosses. Death is only a setback, as you'll also interact with a cast of voice-acted characters to uncover the city's supernatural mysteries.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews

story6 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game features excellent voice acting and a solid atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
The art and sound design are praised for their quality, creating an engaging and immersive environment.
Some players found the game enjoyable and challenging, reminiscent of other successful 2D Souls-like titles.

Controls are often unresponsive and clunky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The level design is criticized for being overly linear with minimal exploration and repetitive enemy encounters.
Many abilities, particularly the blood magic system, are deemed ineffective, detracting from the combat experience.

story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game's story is described as minimal and not particularly engaging, lacking the depth found in titles like Dark Souls, though some players appreciate the fleshed-out lore and interesting characters. While the narrative is decent and offers solid progression, it does not allow for player influence and is primarily conveyed through item descriptions. Overall, the story is considered a secondary aspect to the gameplay experience, which includes exploration and combat.
- “Good story, interesting characters, solid progression.”
- “A nice 2D Dark Devotion-like experience, combat and story are interesting and the game has a decent selection of weapons.”
- “Story and lore are somewhat fleshed out; it's the usual 'let's write some lines to each item' Dark Souls lore.”
- “The story is decent, not that rich, and the player has no influence on it.”
- “Story and lore are somewhat fleshed out, it's the usual 'let's write some lines to each item' Dark Souls lore.”
- “The story lacks depth and player agency, making it feel somewhat uninspired.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The game's retro graphics receive mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the aesthetic, they express concern that the limited color palette and lack of variety may become tiresome over extended play. Additionally, issues with control responsiveness detract from the overall experience.
- “I like the aesthetic, but I can imagine after a few hours, if there isn't some refreshing change once in a while, it will get tiresome.”
- “A solid little souls-like metroidvania (roughly a 5-7 hour romp) hampered only by controls sometimes not responding following a dodge or jump, as well as the black and red visuals that comprise most of the game.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its combination of pixel art, animations, ambient sounds, and quality voice acting, creating an immersive experience. While the setting is predominantly dark and claustrophobic, the overall ambiance is considered exceptional, making it a standout feature that many games struggle to achieve. Players are encouraged to experience this unique atmosphere for themselves.
- “When the art, sound effects, and high-quality voice acting combine, you get an unbeatable atmosphere.”
- “The fine atmosphere created by pixel art, animations, and ambient sounds, along with unexpected yet good voice acting, immerses you deeply, especially in the gloomy caves of 'the dark dwellers'.”
- “Since strong atmospheres feel like something most games fail to accomplish, I highly recommend trying this game out just for that.”
- “Be warned: 'the dark dwellers' proceeds only deep down in gloomy caves; you won't get much air.”
- “The voice acting was unexpected, felt slightly awkward but good nonetheless.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, including various bugs that affect gameplay, such as improper restarts that retain currency and weapons, unintended healing mechanics, and a specific ability that fails to function against a boss. These issues detract from the overall experience and suggest a need for further refinement.
- “Various bugs: buggy restart keeps currency and current weapon, adds heals you shouldn't have, and the blood claw ability doesn't hurt the second boss!”
- “Various bugs: buggy restart keeps currency and current weapon, adds heals you shouldn't have, and the blood claw ability doesn't hurt the second boss!”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers express disappointment that certain elements could have enhanced the gameplay and combat experience, suggesting missed opportunities for deeper engagement.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has minimal replayability, as players report that once they defeat the final boss, there is little incentive to play again, having experienced all the content.
- “Replayability is non-existent; once you fought the final boss, you've seen everything.”
- “Replayability is non-existent; once you fought the final boss, you've seen everything.”