Darkwood

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 165 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 127 out of 165
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 165
  3. Negative: 13 out of 165

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  1. rocketpony
    Oct 17, 2020
    4
    I don't know if this game is horror, but it's not even a little scary. At its core, it's just a survival crafting game with some really annoying mechanics designed to pad out play time. (Clunky controls, steep learning curve in combat, tiny inventory, long walks from re-spawn point to find your corpse, mandatory "base defence" sections at night that feel like a chore.) I've played for 5I don't know if this game is horror, but it's not even a little scary. At its core, it's just a survival crafting game with some really annoying mechanics designed to pad out play time. (Clunky controls, steep learning curve in combat, tiny inventory, long walks from re-spawn point to find your corpse, mandatory "base defence" sections at night that feel like a chore.) I've played for 5 hours and the story is nowhere to be seen (except for a couple of small suggestive bits in the prologue). You're just trying to survive as some spooky stuff is happening around you, but there is no context for any of it and no reason to get invested in the hero.

    In short, this is not so much survival horror as survival chore. Something to play if you want to recreate the experience of washing your dishes with a toothbrush and no running water, all without getting off your chair.    … Expand
  2. DiegoTan
    Sep 28, 2021
    1
    This game is like an extremely small shard of a precious stone burried within a giant pool of feces. Do you really wish to dive into it just to look for that small shard?

    It took me around 40 hours of tedious, boring, uninspired gameplay.. to not even finish it and get glitched out at the end of chapter 2. It took around 6 hours of frustration and boredom for each small cool moment in    This game is like an extremely small shard of a precious stone burried within a giant pool of feces. Do you really wish to dive into it just to look for that small shard?

    It took me around 40 hours of tedious, boring, uninspired gameplay.. to not even finish it and get glitched out at the end of chapter 2. It took around 6 hours of frustration and boredom for each small cool moment in the game (each lasting around a minute or two). Rarely I feel like I completely wasted my time with a game, and this is one of these moments. I am quite unhappy with the experience.    … Expand
  3. Hentaiman
    Oct 9, 2020
    0
    The game is bad and the story is all over the place it isnt good by any means everything that happens just seem to happen for the sake of it with no real meaning and the controls are clunky and awful the combat system sucks and no matter what people say its not scary by any means and the atmosphere is ok at best dont waste your time with this stupid game
  4. mtRoom
    Feb 27, 2015
    3
    To be honest, I find the game more boring and annoying than scary. You can barely see where you're going, making it easy to accidentally walk over poisoned mushrooms. And when that happens, you usually end up dying within the next 30 seconds or so. In other words, you start again.
    There's a map but it doesn't show where you are on it, and since the area is just trees and shrubbery    To be honest, I find the game more boring and annoying than scary. You can barely see where you're going, making it easy to accidentally walk over poisoned mushrooms. And when that happens, you usually end up dying within the next 30 seconds or so. In other words, you start again.
    There's a map but it doesn't show where you are on it, and since the area is just trees and shrubbery everywhere that all look the same, it works out to being pretty useless except as a rough guide.
    Let's see... I think my hideout was twenty steps in that direction..? No that's not it. Just some dogs about to kill me. Oh hey I'm dead. Yay. Start again.

    I suppose this is all another attempt to make the game 'scarier', but for me just added to the growing nuisance-list. Not to mention, when you die, you have to go back and fetch your stuff again from the place where you died.

    The developer's need to understand that making a game 'harder' does not automatically make it more scarier or enjoyable. Especially when you increase the difficulty of tedious activities like running around the map trying to find your equipment. If I were involved in a fight that required timing and skills with the keys (melee by the way is out of the question for the main character), then sure that could be a bit more fun, but just making the player run around more often, trying not get killed by dogs or step on mushrooms in the process. Not so much.

    I'm only up to Day 4 or something, so hey, maybe the game will take a surprise turn. Though I can't see that happening. Depending on how desensitised you are to the simple chills of generic survival-horror games, you may get a few jolts. But 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent', this is not.

    Bottomline: It's good for passing the time while you're waiting for your movie to finish downloading.    … Expand
  5. rexrambone
    Aug 18, 2017
    1
    The game is not scary. It is boring and kludgy. It's also not as much hard as tedious, you die over and over until you find a solution. Then you die over and over until you find the next one. No skill involved.

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Best PC Game of 2017
60
#60 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. XGN
    May 28, 2019
    80
    Darkwood is a thrilling survival horror game that delivers a unique experience with its pixel art top-down graphics, great sound design and gameplay in mysterious woods full of danger lurking behind every tree and corner.
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  2. GameGrin
    Dec 15, 2017
    85
    Despite some unsatisfying gameplay systems, Darkwood can provide legitimate thrills and scares for the horror fans that miss the vibes of such classics as Silent Hill 2 and Pathologic without ever using a jump scare. Whether it is the uniquely grotesque art style or the ever-challenging design of its difficulty, Acid Wizard Studio has proven it understands what ingredients make up a good horror experience and the randomised elements of the game allow a unique narrative every time you play.
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  3. CD-Action
    Nov 16, 2017
    75
    Darkwood’s developers have an expert grasp of what terror is, where it lurks and how to frighten the player to make him come back for more. They couldn’t decide whether they’re making a story-driven game or a sandbox, but their effort is still worth recommending to everyone who enjoys good horrors. [11/2017, p.64]
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