Darkestville Castle

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21

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  1. Zofuz
    Sep 25, 2017
    8
    Charmingly weird and somehow exciting piece of point-and-click genre.
    Since adventure games of Golden Age are slowly coming back as remasters, that was quite a nice experience to check out this brand new indie title. Although, it lacks a lot in visuals and animation, still it definitely was made by true fans of adventure classics with a great care to narrative and characters. I’m pretty    Charmingly weird and somehow exciting piece of point-and-click genre.
    Since adventure games of Golden Age are slowly coming back as remasters, that was quite a nice experience to check out this brand new indie title. Although, it lacks a lot in visuals and animation, still it definitely was made by true fans of adventure classics with a great care to narrative and characters. I’m pretty sure it would be fun for everyone who enjoyed e.g. Monkey Island series back then in the late 90s.    … Expand
  2. RonRicco
    Sep 26, 2017
    9
    This game is kind of adventures I played a lot when I was a kid. Darkestvilleville Castle puzzles are really difficult and it makes you think like a lot. If you don’t mind lazy animation, it plays exactly like a classic adventure videogame filled with a hilarious humor! I’d recommend it for both old-school gamers and newbies as they should learn what real adventure game should feel like!
  3. OldProphet
    Oct 1, 2017
    9
    This is amazing old school point & click adventure game with the lots of humor, ridiculous characters and crazy dialogs. Darkestville Castle is interesting as you play a prankster that Darkestville more or less tolerates. If you love point and click games, you would no doubt love this game.
  4. draik
    Sep 27, 2017
    10
    Fresh air to adventure genre. Darkestville castle has a lot of fun moment and really beautiful art. In-game atmosphere and plot steel you on many hours. Each character has own unique style. Puzzles in game take your time to think & solve but it's what you expect from adventure game.
    Give it a try!
  5. Unlikeminded
    Dec 14, 2018
    9
    This game is another one of many examples how the metacritc User Score often is much more reliable than what the so called critics have to say. Darkestville Castle is an absolute gem in the classic point'n'click adventure genre and it's a shame that the game isn't getting more attention.

    Alas, this is a fate that has befallen the whole genre lately (not counting interactive movie games    This game is another one of many examples how the metacritc User Score often is much more reliable than what the so called critics have to say. Darkestville Castle is an absolute gem in the classic point'n'click adventure genre and it's a shame that the game isn't getting more attention.

    Alas, this is a fate that has befallen the whole genre lately (not counting interactive movie games of course) but to think that some of those "professional" critics reviews on the left could also impact sales negatively is a real shame because a lot of the points most of them make aren't true at all:

    For example one writes Darkestville Castle would be too easy, while another one complains about puzzles being too difficult (or convoluted as he puts it) - Luckily, the truth lies in the middle but those contradictions alone go to show how reliable those opinions often are. And yet another one complains about short length which couldn't be farther away from the truth either. I was very positively surprised by the length of this game but some critics apparently expect similar playing time out of an adventure than out of a multiplayer shooter ... Once more the user score is reflecting the quality of a game much more accurately than the Critic Rewievs.

    Anyway, I for one absolutely adored this game. It took me back to the time of the big Lucas Arts adventures, especially reminding me of Monkey Island 3.

    Pros:

    - Excellent humor, a lot of funny jokes and references
    - Plenty of whimsical or weird characters, each with their own hilarious quirks
    - The puzzles are excellently balanced! They are neither "too easy" nor "convoluted" but strike the perfect balance between difficulty and logic instead, which isn't an easy feat to accomplish.
    - As long as you pay attention to dialogue, item descriptions and other details you'll hardly ever get stuck or will have to try to combine everything with everything. Instead the solutions make sense while still not being too easy on the nose. I absolutely loved the clever puzzle design of Darkestville Castle.
    - Perfect art style with beautiful and detailed 2D backgrounds. All of this fits the theme of the game perfectly.
    - The whole game just oozes charme everywhere and there are funny characters and hilarious encounters around every corner.
    - Game length of at the very least 9 - 10 hours is absolutely great. Especially for an adventure like this where players don't get stuck with boring mini games or completely illogical, nonsensical puzzles to articially stretch playing time.
    - Great, easy to use UI, no pixel hunting (thanks to hotspot function)

    (The few and minor) Cons:

    - The overall story isn't bad at all but also nothing to write home about. Imo a game like this rather lives through its unique, offbeat world and characters anyway though while the story is mostly just a device to move the plot forward. Exactly the same goes for the Monkey Island series and similar Point'n'Click adventures that are considered classics nowadays.
    - Only autosave. I like being able to save by myself too so I can go back in case I get distracted and miss dialogue or something in that vein. Also, if a gamebreaking bug should occur it’s also always safer to be able to load an older save state instead of being forced to rely on a single autosave spot. Luckily the latter was no issue at all with DC.
    - The voice acting usually is top notch but I recall two or three minor side charcters where I thought they could've been cast more fittingly.
    - A few lines are missing from the audio (I caught about three or four of those instances where a single sentence from a conversation was missing and I had to rely on the subtitles instead).

    Both the last two (tbh really small) issues probably just have to do with the fact that adventure games only have a small budget compared to other genres. Considering this and all the pros listed Darkestville Castle is a hidden gem and easily one of my favorite classical Point'n'Click adventures I played over the course of the last few years.

    Very recommended, not only for fans of the genre!    … Expand
  6. DoneFor
    Jan 4, 2021
    10
    The game is filled with humor, satire and irony. Allusions to current trends and problems. Narratively entices and does not let go until the end. The story, atmosphere and dialogue deserve 12/10.
    Only now, in terms of gameplay and puzzles, the game is weak. Sometimes you look for non-obvious answers for a very long time.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Mar 2, 2018
    69
    A few jokes really nail it, including the ones that lampshade adventure game tropes. Still, it’s very hit-and-miss, and while the Darkestville Castle can be entertaining, it’s not something to write home about. [Issue#226, p.58]
  2. Adventure Gamers
    Dec 11, 2017
    70
    Though the gameplay isn’t particularly inspired, Darkestville Castle is a winner thanks to its prank-prone principal character, delightful cartoon environments, and witty humour.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Nov 17, 2017
    70
    Short and light on the puzzles, Darkestville Castle will hardly surprise point-and-click veterans. On the flipside, it has a quirky world filled with quirky, witty characters.
    Read full review
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