A Dark Room

 iOS
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 13
  3. Negative: 3 out of 13
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  1. Halefire
    Nov 30, 2014
    9
    Is it a perfect game? No. But for what it sets out to accomplish, I definitely feel that it almost entirely hit its mark. It has taken the app store by storm, but I suspect its negative criticism ultimately comes from the fact that a large number of people on these devices are casual gamers, which there's nothing wrong with but the demographic definitely seeks different goals than a moreIs it a perfect game? No. But for what it sets out to accomplish, I definitely feel that it almost entirely hit its mark. It has taken the app store by storm, but I suspect its negative criticism ultimately comes from the fact that a large number of people on these devices are casual gamers, which there's nothing wrong with but the demographic definitely seeks different goals than a more core gamer base.

    For me, The Dark Room is almost a meditative process, and certain plot points which I won't spoil really resonated *hard* with me when I first realized what was going on. It's a game that forces you to think, to roleplay a little bit, and to really put yourself into the shoes of The Wanderer. Things start to go wrong (again, no spoilers) with absolutely no fanfare, simply a single sentence, and honestly many players miss it at first like I did. Then as you start to realize what's going on, many people including myself became more and more uneasy but continued seeing it through to the end.

    What really stuck with me through all this is that were such an event to play out in real life, that's basically how it would happen as well. It's difficult to say much more without any spoilers but I'll leave you with this thought: everyone believes themselves the protagonist in the story that is life.    … Expand
  2. dudeYeah0012
    Sep 18, 2014
    9
    I think this game is as good as you allow your mind to wander. It's short, maybe 3 hours, but purposeful and interesting and at times beautiful. It's ascii characters, white on black, black on white. No art, no UI. But no less unique.
  3. LondonFalling77
    Sep 18, 2014
    9
    This game is for reading, thinking and exploring. It's simple and leaves out a great deal of fluff or instructions. Find, explore and think. The UI could be cleaner, it just doesn't scream polished, but it doesn't matter. I love it. If you've played zork, or love complicated stories you will love this.
  4. Blknwt
    Sep 22, 2014
    8
    I had a friend tip me off to Zork in the infocom pack for an iPad i had lying around. Man that was a blast from the past. So I went searching for more. Found planetfall hidden away, just as hard as I remember, and then found a dark room. This game brings so many of the feelings of great text adventure, the awe, the wonder, but it doesn't really bring the gameplay at all. That's not what itI had a friend tip me off to Zork in the infocom pack for an iPad i had lying around. Man that was a blast from the past. So I went searching for more. Found planetfall hidden away, just as hard as I remember, and then found a dark room. This game brings so many of the feelings of great text adventure, the awe, the wonder, but it doesn't really bring the gameplay at all. That's not what it is. It's an experiment. Trying to be something sifferent. It is that, and it's worth your time to check it out.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. TouchArcade
    Jun 3, 2014
    80
    It's a strange little thing, to be sure, but I'd definitely recommend A Dark Room to people who appreciate off-beat RPGs, fans of experience-driven games, or really anyone looking for something a little bit different from usual.
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  2. Slide to Play
    May 6, 2014
    75
    It may not seem like much at first, but if you stick around long enough, it’s easy to fall under A Dark Room’s spell.
    Read full review
  3. 148Apps
    Mar 31, 2014
    60
    A Dark Room may have plenty of longevity and may be genuinely intriguing, but its interface feels undeveloped in its iOS iteration.
    Read full review