User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 846 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 85 out of 846

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  1. Sep 4, 2023
    5
    gets too boring, because of the repetitive gameplay. i stopped playing after 8 hours. dont get me wrong i love difficult games but if the only difficulty of the game you have developed is to pass the same sections with the same logic and strategy over and over again, i aint playing that.
  2. Sep 4, 2023
    10
    Such a great game. It is addictive, with lots of replayability and depth, all created with a great atmosphere. Try it and try not to become afflicted!
  3. Aug 19, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  4. Aug 12, 2023
    9
    Basically turn-based dark souls where some bad decisions can wreck an entire mission and you have to deal with setbacks as best you can.
  5. Aug 7, 2023
    10
    Melhor jogo do gênero!!
    Arte, regras do jogo, narração! Uma obra prima! Feito pra quem tem nervos de aço.
  6. Aug 1, 2023
    10
    One of the best games I ever played. Hard but rewarding.

    If you beat the game once or twice, I would recommend checking all the mods available on steam, makes the game even better.
  7. Jun 21, 2023
    10
    Nearly Seven Years

    I've been playing Darkest Dungeon for almost seven years and to me it's always been the perfect rogue-like, although I've never had the patience or time to finish it until now. First let me start off by saying that Darkest Dungeon, at least on its default settings, is still an unforgiving game. At the very beginning, as soon as you boot up the game, it tells you
    Nearly Seven Years

    I've been playing Darkest Dungeon for almost seven years and to me it's always been the perfect rogue-like, although I've never had the patience or time to finish it until now.

    First let me start off by saying that Darkest Dungeon, at least on its default settings, is still an unforgiving game. At the very beginning, as soon as you boot up the game, it tells you that Darkest Dungeon is all about making the best of a bad situation, and I'm sure anyone who's put any amount of time into the game, can confirm that this is definitely the case.

    Effectively, the game plays as thus; A week passes every mission, there are multiple 'Dungeons' you can go to, each with their own trials and tribulations, enemy types and bosses, you take a party of four that will suit that dungeon and complete the given task. After that task is completed (or failed) party members will level up and you'll earn gold and trinkets, which you use to upgrade your Hamlet (Effectively your base of operations) in order to become stronger to make dungeoning easier and get access to harder quests.

    There are a multitude of heroes/classes to choose from, each of them bringing their own unique abilities and playstyle to the game. You can also rename all of your heroes to anything you want, making the game ideal for those who want to put their friends in the game (This is what I do for all games that I can, such as XCOM or Phoenix Point or Disgaea) or also ideal for Twitch Streamers as you can make your chat feel more involved by naming them after people in there.

    The gameplay loop is very satisfying and I don't ever get bored playing this game, although what I will say is, things -will- go wrong. You will lose that max level hero to something out of your control, yes you can debate that the game is mostly RNG, but think of the game more like D&D as opposed to other turn based RPG's, it's the dice that does decide at the end of the day. However you do have a multitude of ways of mitigating damage and making sure you're getting the most out of your heroes, if you plan ahead well, know when to take a loss as well (tactically) you'll be fine.

    The game is long, there's no doubt about that, you're talking anywhere between 30-50 hours for one proper run at the game, beating the final boss and all.

    Another great aspect about the game is the Hamlet, randomly you'll get Town Events, these can be positive or negative. Things such as... The Tavern is free for the week, or a free weapon upgrade (This can be particularly helpful in the mid-game when money is an issue.) Or negative ones such as a big bad boss is at your doorstep all of a sudden, with no preparation and you -need- to deal with him. It makes the game feel alive, like not everything is always 100% under your control, and this, for me, is what makes the game so exhilarating.

    In truth, I don't really have anything bad to say about the game, I guess I've been done over by RNG a few times but upon reflection, I guess I could've prepared better, but sometimes I did just get crit 3 times in a row and had a hero die, but I also don't see how blaming RNG for losing someone is a bad thing, especially when that's the nature of the game; you expect this going into it. But that's the reality of the game, I'd say it's a feature and not a flaw, you can do all the preparation in the world and be set up perfectly, but as the narrator so aptly puts it, as you think you're doing well. "How quickly the tide turns."

    To me, this is one of the best games ever made, it offers extensive replay-ability and despite its unforgiving nature, it's extremely rewarding, I promise when you pull off something magnificent, or one of your heroes becomes Virtuous, or you beat a boss that was skelping you endlessly, you'll be jumping out of your seat in joy.

    10/10.
    Expand
  8. Jun 8, 2023
    8
    F*CK EVERY CORNER OF THIS GAME. THIS IS NOT A GAME ITS TORTURE! But apparently i am a masochistic person 200+ hours 0 regrets.
  9. May 14, 2023
    4
    A game that is full of bad design decisions.
    A sequel that is missing most of the things that made the first game great.
    A rogue-lite with mechanics and RNG hell that force you to suffer many hours before you manage to achieve some meaningful progress.
    And that is the main difference, where the first game makes you struggle this is make you suffer.
    And it's simple, not fun.
  10. May 11, 2023
    10
    No any other game punished and rewarded me in equal measure as DD has. It's a game that develops in front of your eyes as the more hours you pour into it, and believe me it could be quite a lot of hours.
  11. Apr 29, 2023
    8
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfqhXVN5jaU

    The quintessential Darkest Dungeon TM experience.

    The narrator gives me goosebumps.
  12. Mar 23, 2023
    8
    Very smart game and probably one of the hardest games I have played including games from the souls series. Very rewarding and punishing gameplay loop. You can level up a character for hours and make him seem 'hot **** but then you take him to a risky level near the endgame and there is a good chance he will die and you will have to start that loop over (Would be quicker to level of theVery smart game and probably one of the hardest games I have played including games from the souls series. Very rewarding and punishing gameplay loop. You can level up a character for hours and make him seem 'hot **** but then you take him to a risky level near the endgame and there is a good chance he will die and you will have to start that loop over (Would be quicker to level of the character at least). The enemies and the bosses are great in this game and they all feel different. The madness meter is a brilliant yet very annoying part of the game that makes games way harder. It does get a bit repetitive over time but definitely worth a play if you like a challenging game. Also the loot system is very and extensive. Expand
  13. Jan 27, 2023
    8
    Darkest Dungeon Darkest Dungeon v Darkest Dungeon Darkest Dungeon Darkest Dungeon
  14. Jan 2, 2023
    7
    Kinda addicting at the end and pretty depressing. You will want to finish it in a good way.
  15. Dec 2, 2022
    6
    Had a pretty good time with the game until a whole fully upgraded team was wiped in one turn because of some harsh rng. Great game for people who just have way too much time on their hands.
  16. Nov 30, 2022
    7
    Oyun ilerlerde biraz tekrara bağlıyor. Ne zaman karşıma bir boss çıksa içimden geçiyor. Tekrar karakter kasmak da çok zor.
  17. Nov 26, 2022
    7
    10 - Masterpiece
    9 - Amazing
    8 - Great
    7 - Good
    6 - Okay
    5 - Mediocre
    4 - Bad
    3 - Awful
    2 - Painful
    1 - Unbearable
  18. Oct 23, 2022
    8
    amazing and extremely unique game havent played something as amazing as this in a long time only complaints are as followed: crimson court is awful, steam edition is the only version with mod support so only buy it on steam and butchers circus is a great addition to this game thats been left to rot
  19. Oct 15, 2022
    8
    Пьеса: Into The Dungeon

    Экспозиция: Четыре героя - Крестоносец, Разбойник, Весталка и Шут. Максимальный уровень, максимальные навыки и оружие. Крутейшие артефакты. Ресурсы закуплены по максимуму, ибо денег уже дофига. Идут в обычное подземелье, с обычными врагами, которых убивали сотню раз. Ожидается рутина. Завязка: Почти сразу встретили блуждающего босса - Нечто Со Звезд,
    Пьеса: Into The Dungeon

    Экспозиция:
    Четыре героя - Крестоносец, Разбойник, Весталка и Шут. Максимальный уровень, максимальные навыки и оружие. Крутейшие артефакты. Ресурсы закуплены по максимуму, ибо денег уже дофига. Идут в обычное подземелье, с обычными врагами, которых убивали сотню раз. Ожидается рутина.

    Завязка:
    Почти сразу встретили блуждающего босса - Нечто Со Звезд, завалили его ценой огромного стресса всей команды. Пара персонажей впала в психоз. Пришлось сразу сделать привал, который немного снял стресс.

    Развитие действия:
    Во следующем бою рыболюди парой удачных критов убивают Разбойника (не припомню потери персонажей уже боев 15). С трудом заканчиваем бой втроем. Принимаем волевое решение идти дальше.

    Кульминация:
    В третьем бою Весталка ловит максимальный стресс и откидывает коньки от разрыва сердца. Оценив ситуацию, сбегаем из боя и с позором покидаем подземелье.

    Развязка:
    Задание не выполнено. Два оставшихся героя вернулись с сильным стрессом, который нужно будет лечить. Потеряны два персонажа 6 уровня, причем Весталка унесла с собой два крайне редких артефакта.

    Занавес

    Обожаю эту игру!)
    Expand
  20. Sep 25, 2022
    5
    A bit overhyped. Anyone that has played Dungeons and Dragons will find this bland. It's really just a brutal twist on a random number generator. That's it. Art is amazing, sound and music are amazing, voice acting is amazing, design is really just a jRPG with an unforgiving RNG.
  21. Jul 26, 2022
    0
    You will spend weeks or even months manicuring your teams to attempt any of the end game content only to have it all be destroyed because of bad RNG. Nothing about this game respects your time and you're better off playing any game from the vast roguelike options available today.
  22. Jul 17, 2022
    6
    c: ........................................................................
  23. Jul 14, 2022
    8
    Amazing setting and atmosphere, memorable voice lines, and gorgeous art direction. The gameplay is exciting and the challenge is satisfying up to the endgame point when the game crashes the player's soul by rising the difficulty bar too high and demanding grinding old dungeons to level up the new generation of heroes.
  24. Mar 25, 2022
    7
    Darkest Dungeon is a role-playing video game developed and published by Red Hook Studios. Darkest Dungeon has the player manage a roster of heroes to explore dungeons below a gothic mansion the player has inherited. Played out in a mix of real-time movement and turn-based combat, a core feature of Darkest Dungeon is the stress level of each hero that increases with further exploration andDarkest Dungeon is a role-playing video game developed and published by Red Hook Studios. Darkest Dungeon has the player manage a roster of heroes to explore dungeons below a gothic mansion the player has inherited. Played out in a mix of real-time movement and turn-based combat, a core feature of Darkest Dungeon is the stress level of each hero that increases with further exploration and combat; a character sustaining a high-stress level may gain afflictions that will hamper, or possibly enhance, their performance as an explorer. Expand
  25. Mar 10, 2022
    8
    An amazing game I ALWAYS come back to. If you're struggling, that's totally normal! Experience and knowledge are extremely important when it comes to this game, so trial and error is key!
  26. Dec 26, 2021
    9
    Beautifuly crafted graphics, the gameplay loop is fun, addicting, hard, and rewarding. It takes some time to learn all the mechanics and the amount of information thrown at beginners is too much.
  27. Dec 20, 2021
    6
    Nice art, good ambiance, characters and team building are nice but :
    -Too hard
    -Less and less fun trough the stages
  28. Dec 19, 2021
    10
    Highly Recommended : 10/10
    1. Graphics : GOOD
    2. Gameplay : GOOD
    Definitely worth a try !
  29. Dec 12, 2021
    8
    Darkest Dungeon is at it’s heart more than just a rogue-like RPG. It’s a tale, a story, an epic if you will.
  30. Dec 3, 2021
    10
    the reason the score its not higher on metacritic is because is a niche game, unique . As pointed out by joebomb10 the game its really delight on balancing every aspect of it to deliver immersion and story to a point that enriches everything that the games proposes to do .
    as i do enjoy such balance this game is a must for me, as example the traits of the characters are there not only for
    the reason the score its not higher on metacritic is because is a niche game, unique . As pointed out by joebomb10 the game its really delight on balancing every aspect of it to deliver immersion and story to a point that enriches everything that the games proposes to do .
    as i do enjoy such balance this game is a must for me, as example the traits of the characters are there not only for the gameplay but also to bring life to the characters that are facing the horrors with you.

    RNG is a issue? yes and it should be , it makes everything more on edge than anything the game do, will you be luck enough to deliver amazing blows that inspire your allies or will you doom your party with the madness that fills your mind with dread and desperation.
    The learning curve that bother some its by design , if normal mode its too hard try easy to learn the mechanics ,no shame on doing so and will double your fun.
    now i will adress the problem talked about in the other critics , playing the dungeons multiple times its not a problem EITHER , each encounter is different , the maps for them too. you need to press the various levels of it to find the BOSS and when you do it the Hamlet(the central of operations) will be notified gaining mental bonuses .
    the point is to conquer darkness everywhere and believe me there will be plenty for you to fight .
    If Triple AAA games are boring for you , try this. If not try this, because its that good.
    Expand
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 56
  2. Negative: 0 out of 56
  1. Aug 12, 2020
    80
    There is a good reason that Darkest Dungeon won a ton of awards and sold over 2 million copies - in portraying the dark underbelly of fantasy adventuring it touched on subjects rarely addressed in games before it. Its amazing sound, comic-like graphics, and intense, perpetual Ironman difficulty create a title that was addictive to those wanting Lovecraftian horror with a side of near Dark Souls difficulty. If you have never experienced it before, now is a great time to make its acquaintance, to be prepared for the release of Darkest Dungeon 2. And, if you were a previous visitor, make sure you take another look to experience the new DLC that has been added since your departure. Hours of broken peripherals and rage quits await.
  2. Apr 10, 2016
    90
    Darkest Dungeon is the rare game that gets my heart pumping while playing, not because it’s scary (even though it is a little scary), but because the stakes are so high.
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 31, 2016
    88
    Darkest Dungeon is a masterpiece of emergent storytelling. [March 2016]