Darkout

 PC
Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 13
  3. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. CD-Action
    Feb 10, 2014
    40
    You often have to turn a blind eye to independent games’ shortcomings to enjoy the gameplay, but Darkout is so sloppy that the only reasonable thing to do is deleting the local content. How about a tutorial that can permanently block your progress even if you closely follow the onscreen instructions? [02/2014, p.61]
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  2. Eurogamer Germany
    Dec 11, 2013
    40
    The horribly cumbersome interface and the refusal to ever properly explain its more obscure mechanics make Darkout a difficult game to recommend.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 18
  3. Negative: 4 out of 18
  1. Ottomic
    Dec 10, 2013
    8
    Darkout is an amazing game and I'm having a lot of fun with it.

    I've played Minecraft and Terraria before, and I really liked them both for    Darkout is an amazing game and I'm having a lot of fun with it.

    I've played Minecraft and Terraria before, and I really liked them both for what they are, but Minecraft lacks focus and Terraria is more in line with a 'Metroidvania with crafting' than a survival game.

    Darkout's highlights are its graphics. It is a very beautiful game, brimming with atmosphere and with breathtaking landscapes. Light effects are superb, and while some clunky animations sometimes break the illusion and makes it feel more of a pre-rendered 2D platformer it doesn't happen much. It's a very solid an impressive effort on that aspect.

    But Darkout is not only about eye candy: Light management is actually very important in this game, and while standard torches have a 2-3 tile light radius, other kinds of brighter and more powerful (if more complicated to build) lights will become available later on. The inclusion of electricity, along with various lights, devices and generators really stands out among the game's features. Its crafting system also encourages the player to make safe routes, build a hover-sled network and make outposts along the way as they keep scouting ahead to try and make sense of their situation, and survive. New crafts unlocks new research that unlocks even more crafts, giving the player so many options to build and decorate bases it's a bit overwhelming at first.

    You will find camps, leftover supplies and ruins as you scout, and from there you can get data sticks that you can use to hear another survivors' stories as you try to fix your distress beacon and attempt to get rescued. Story is not very fleshed out yet, but as it stands right now it can last you for a long time, while still being completely optional. Reminds a bit of how Half Life treats its plot, in the sense that it's there, you know what you need to do, but there are no briefing pages or objective markers, and it gives the player an objective to focus on, as well as freedom to do it however and whenever they please.

    Any defects I can find to this game are quickly dismissed by its 10€ price tag and the fact that it's clearly described as a work in progress, such as the relative meager variety of enemies (still, 8 different enemy types thus far is pretty impressive), the fact that you sometimes "drop" your inventory while rearranging your stuff, that falling on a tar pit can sometimes be a long and unscapable death, and minor gripes such as being unable to switch the suit's lights on/off with a keystroke or taking a sled from a line without having to disassemble the whole thing, pylons included. Game only crashed once on me in 20 hours of playtime.

    Intel I7 3700
    Nvidia GTX 650 2G
    8 GB RAM
    2 TB HDD
    Gigabyte Motherboard.

    Absolutely recommended. Even if you don't like survival games and especially if you like sci-fi. It drags you in and doesn't let go.    … Full Review »
  2. donkeykite
    Dec 15, 2013
    9
    I purchased Darkout and Starbound the same time
    I've played ~60mins of Starbound (i tried playing while playing Darkout, went back to    I purchased Darkout and Starbound the same time
    I've played ~60mins of Starbound (i tried playing while playing Darkout, went back to Darkout)
    I've played ~35hrs of Darkout on steam

    Though Darkout has only just hit steam, its been out for some time post version 1.0
    I'm surprised Darkout hasn't had much attention on the internets. Its truly a fantastic game.
    You have crashed on a Dark Planet, you salvage your wreck for tools and resources, the rest is up to you
    The lack of hand-holding and having no idea whats going on (you know those things that "critic reviews" despise) make Darkout so is rewarding and enjoyable to play.
    The controls are very simple to use (for those who can play with a mouse and keyboard).
    Kemald gives a very good review    … Full Review »
  3. kemald
    Dec 12, 2013
    10
    people who are giving this fantastic game low ratings, fail to understand the simple controls. it's beyond me how they cant understand simplepeople who are giving this fantastic game low ratings, fail to understand the simple controls. it's beyond me how they cant understand simple controls. but enough of that. Darkout has good control, fantastic setting, a story, great visuals, good graphics, interesting world and enemies and they are beautiful too when you play it, it really feels that you're stranded there, alone on that dark world. in mu humble opinion it's better than both Terraria and Starbound. but not better than Minecraft. Its hard to beat the king.… Full Review »
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