![]() ![]() The six main levels in the game require a great deal of exploration, and a somewhat exasperating amount of backtracking. It sounds very confusing at first, but after a few levels gamers will begin to recognize the telltale signs of rooms that require manipulation to cause tiles to fall into slots, or to provide Lloyd access to an otherwise unreachable switch. Doing so not only offers Lloyd pathways into other areas, but the shift in gravity allow physics to be a core mechanic in the gameplay. ![]() Most however are rather complex, requiring Lloyd to manipulate his nightmare world – rotating rooms so that the walls become floors and the floors become ceilings. ![]() Some of these puzzles are relatively straightforward – aligning blocks in certain patterns or stepping on switches in a particular sequence. It’s up to the gamer to begin exploring Lloyd’s world, interacting with the contextual buttons that pop up, and completing the puzzles the game put forth. While I previously described a storyline regarding the protagonist Lloyd and his awful nightmare world, all of that comes entirely from the DARQ press release, as the game simply drops the gamer into the action with absolutely no explanations, no tutorials, no hints. There’s no shortage of gore, and jump scares galore, but it’s still tongue-in-cheek enough to be acceptable most gamers. The overall aesthetic is an eerie combination of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Konami’s Silent Hill, where faceless toothpick-limbed freaks jump from the shadows and wheelchaired tuba-headed torsos stand guard. In fact, when my son passed by he asked “Oh sick, they made a LIMBO 2?” But dismissing DARQ as a LIMBO knockoff would be a disservice to a well-crafted and enjoyable puzzler, which is as much an homage to, as it is a derivative of, PlayDead’s cult classic.ĭARQ is a 2D side-scrolling adventure that takes place in the dark grayscale world of Lloyd’s nightmare. DARQ takes gamers into the increasingly-disturbing lucid dreams of a young boy named Lloyd, whose only desire is to wake up but instead plunges deeper and deeper into the reality-bending nightmare world.ĭARQ immediately conjures memories of the similarly-themed 2010 classic puzzler LIMBO (released 2015 on PS4) from Danish developer PlayDead ApS. (Physical distribution is slated for early 2021.New onto the PlayStation Store, is DARQ: Complete Edition – a horror-puzzler from the relatively unknow Los Angeles-based developer Unfold Games. DARQ: The Crypt does not have an official release date but the digital version is expected before the end of 2020. ![]() Unable to wake up, Lloyd has to face his fears and decipher the meaning of the dream.ĭARQ is currently available for 50% off on Steam, but the Complete Edition (which includes both DLCs) will also arrive on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. The first DLC, The Tower, was released on March 6th of this year.ĭARQ tells the story of Lloyd, a boy who finds himself in the middle of a lucid nightmare. Originally released in August 2019, DARQ immerses the player in a world of nightmarish impossibilities to navigate and survive. Think out of the box and look at every angle, but don’t lose your head!ĭeveloper Unfold Games has announced DARQ‘s second and final content expansion during its first anniversary, titled The Crypt. Watch the trailer for Unfold Games’ second and final content expansion for “DARQ,” titled “The Crypt.” ![]()
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