The Dark Room
- September 19, 2018
- Developers At Large
Get on Steam"The Dark Room" is a text-based interactive fiction game where players wake up in a dark room, with only their wits to escape. The game features permadeath, meaning any wrong move can lead to a game over. Players must explore their surroundings, solve puzzles, and make choices that could lead to freedom or a grim demise. With its unique blend of humor, suspense, and challenge, "The Dark Room" provides an engaging and immersive experience for fans of the genre.
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Reviews
- The game perfectly captures the humor and experience of the live show, making it a great choice for fans.
- It's a fun and addictive game with a variety of ways to die, providing hours of entertainment, especially in a group setting.
- The motion capture and animation are impressive, enhancing the comedic delivery of the narrator and making the gameplay engaging.
- The game is currently short and repetitive, with limited content and some bugs that can disrupt the experience.
- Many players have reported crashes and technical issues, which can be frustrating and detract from the overall enjoyment.
- As it is still in early access, some features and updates are lacking, leading to a feeling of incompleteness.
- humor28 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its hilarious, absurdist, and often darkly comedic elements, with many players enjoying the witty interactions with the narrator and the amusingly brutal ways to die. While the initial gameplay is entertaining and filled with clever one-liners, some players note that it can become repetitive after a short time. Overall, the game is celebrated for its unique blend of challenge and humor, making it a memorable experience for fans of cheeky and macabre comedy.
“I love the interaction with the narrator, and all the funny ways there are to die!”
“Less of a video game, more of an exercise in masochistic self-loathing, the dark room pays homage to the insanely difficult text adventures of old, with multiple paths to explore, and hilarious, macabre fates waiting around every corner.”
“It had me laughing out loud repeatedly, which is pretty much exactly what I wanted out of it.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Gameplay is initially entertaining and humorous but tends to become monotonous after a short period. The experience is heavily influenced by story and player choices, with some frustration stemming from the lack of a "back" button for incorrect selections, though the auto-save feature provides some relief. Players express a desire for new gameplay mechanics to enhance the experience further.
“I'm not going to spoil anything when it comes to the game as the story and gameplay are very story and choice defined heavy.”
“Entertaining and funny at first, it becomes boring after 5 minutes of gameplay.”
“Slightly more frustrating than the YouTube version as there's no 'back' button if you pick the wrong options, but the 'auto-save' mechanic is really handy if you're on the right track.”
“I'm just hoping that Stirfire Studios will add new gameplay mechanics to the mix that are probably never seen or will ever be done in the show's version.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's story is heavily influenced by player choices, creating a unique narrative experience, but it suffers from significant flaws, including repetitiveness due to a lack of checkpoints and unfinished story elements. While players are drawn back to the quest for the light switch, the overall narrative may feel incomplete and frustrating for some.
“I'm not going to spoil anything when it comes to the game as the story and gameplay are very choice-driven and narrative-focused.”
“I will admit, there are three big flaws right now: 1) the game gets really repetitive (if you die and didn't reach a checkpoint, you start over from the beginning), 2) there are two achievements that are practically impossible to complete (apparently people have gotten them, but it's less than 1% for each I believe), and 3) it's not fully finished story-wise.”
“So despite your abundant deaths, you'll always be returning to continue your quest to find the light switch!”
“I'm not going to spoil anything when it comes to the game as the story and gameplay are very story and choice defined heavy.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics of "The Dark Room" are generally well-rendered and produced, showcasing solid visuals that enhance the text-based adventure experience. However, as the game is still in early access, some graphics are unfinished, and there are a few bugs present. Overall, the graphics are a notable improvement over early computing text adventures, but further refinement is needed.
“Well-rendered and well-produced, with solid graphics and excellent sound design and audio.”
“Based on John 'Robbotron' Robertson's stage show, The Dark Room is a fun adventure game that enhances the text-based adventure games of the early days of computing with better graphics.”
“The game is currently in early access and as such the graphics need to be finished (though they could simply chuck them in the bin, it's a text-based game).”
“The graphics are subpar and feel outdated, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“While the gameplay is engaging, the graphics leave much to be desired and feel like a missed opportunity.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits some stability issues, including occasional glitches and poorly timed subtitles, particularly during guardian dialogues. While these bugs are somewhat expected in an early access title, they still detract from the overall experience.
“There are a few glitches here and there, and the subtitles are horribly coded, sometimes coming in with a massive delay and not appearing when the guardian speaks.”
“The game is somewhat buggy; though, this is to be expected with a game that is in early access.”
“However, it is a little buggy.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its humor and strong writing, creating an engaging and promising experience for players.
“Good for a laugh, great atmosphere and writing with a very promising direction so far.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's high replayability, noting it as a fun and entertaining option for passing time, making it a great choice for repeated playthroughs.
“This game is incredibly fun and offers massive replay value, making it perfect for passing those boring nights.”
“The replayability factor is off the charts; every playthrough feels fresh and engaging.”
“I keep coming back to this game because there are so many different strategies and paths to explore.”
