Depths of Fear: Knossos

 PC
Metascore
48

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 3 out of 5
  1. 4P.de
    May 26, 2014
    70
    After stumbling into the mythical labyrinth you feel like you’ve travelled thru time – into a PC era approximately 20 years ago. But what it lacks in realism and sheer polygon power, it delivers plenty when it comes to the mixture of stealth, horror and action.
  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Jul 7, 2014
    50
    This won't be a game that will appeal to everyone and I have the feeling that it may well scare off (yep, pun intended) a fair few people with production values that are below standard, even by indie standards.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 5 out of 14
  1. TheWhiteRose000
    Jun 12, 2014
    6
    Feels like a older game got a graphical face lift, its not that bad it has its moments but at the same time it doesn't feel fluid in the senseFeels like a older game got a graphical face lift, its not that bad it has its moments but at the same time it doesn't feel fluid in the sense of how the character moves.… Full Review »
  2. PaleMimic
    Aug 20, 2017
    6
    Depths of Fear: Knossos is a very intriguing game, to say the least. Why? you might ask, well bear with me and I shall reveal all.
    To begin    Depths of Fear: Knossos is a very intriguing game, to say the least. Why? you might ask, well bear with me and I shall reveal all.
    To begin with let’s talk about the overall gameplay. The game is more or a less a Greek themed, first person, stealth like game with several rogue-like elements thrown in as well. You take on the role of Theseus, a name many may recognize from the Greek story, Theseus and the Minotaur. DOF:K takes on a very similar premise to the story, being that you must fight your way through a labyrinth, or rather various ones in this case. There are eight different labyrinths altogether, all containing a variety of mythological Greek beasts, including manticores, gorgons, centaurs and Cerberus, to name just a few. You can either choose to fight these creatures, granted that you have a weapon which can be acquired once you have enough gold to afford one, or you can also avoid the creatures by using the, fairly simplistic, stealth mechanics the game provides. You can hide in the shadows, by turning off your torch or hide inside little cupboards, which are built into some of the walls. Once you’ve completed each of the labyrinth areas you have to battle against the boss of that area. The creature you have to fight is dependent on which doorway you went through to begin with. If there was a scorpion above the door, then it’s the manticore. If it was a snake, then it would be the hydra, and so on and so forth.
    Once you’ve defeated the boss, one of the eight symbols on the door of the main room will light. You need to light up all eight in order to advance to the main labyrinth.
    As previously mentioned there are a number of weapons that you can buy. However you will need to find gold, which is scattered around each labyrinth, in order to purchase them. You can get simple clubs, long swords, tridents and crossbow, alongside several other weapon too. These can be used to eliminate the dangerous creatures that inhabit the various labyrinths and defeat the bosses and the end.
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    Graphically the game look fairly simplistic. Basic stony textures and checkerboard patterns cover the walls and floors of practically every stage in the game. The creatures themselves also are very basic in design, although it clear what sort of creature you’re facing, the models themselves aren’t all that textual or physically impressive. However their attack patterns and their animations all seem fairly unique.
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    Mechanically the game feels fairly simple. The stealth mechanics, although basic, do work very well when trying to evade the creatures. Turning off the torch and hiding behind objects or inside cupboards, makes it feel tense, especially when facing a minotaur than can one hit kill you. Finding the key and escaping each labyrinth feels fairly rewarding, particularly if you were successful in evading the creatures. Then there’s the combat, which feels like one of the weakest points of the game. Although stealth is a probably one of the more key ways to play DOF:K, combat does play a large part when at the boss stages. You simply spam the attack key until either you kill the beast or you die. There’s no real strategy to it, other than to simple jump about and avoid getting hit.
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    Overall though Depth of Fear: Knossos is an unusual rogue-like game. It fits the indie, rogue-like thematic well, much like The Binding of Issac and Eldritch, to name a couple. It does have a certain horror vibe to it and the general feeling you get when playing it is satisfying. The combat does let it down a bit, along with the graphics too, but those are more or less a couple of minor things that only affect the game a little bit. To end with, I’ll say that if you’re looking for a rogue-like game or something with a little bit of stealth, then DOF:K is a great buy. For the price though, it’s always worth having a look if you want something different to play or want something to pass the time. Good Day!    … Full Review »
  3. Matseb2611
    Aug 10, 2015
    6
    I don't know if to love this game or to hate it. It has a pretty badass concept of having to fight legendary monsters from Greek mythology inI don't know if to love this game or to hate it. It has a pretty badass concept of having to fight legendary monsters from Greek mythology in eerie dark dungeons, but it's just executed so badly that I am only left disappointed.

    The levels seem to be randomly generated, and your main goal is to slay 7 legendary creatures so that you can unlock a weapon that will let you defeat the final challenge - the Minotaur. The atmosphere is great. It really is spooky and keeps you on the edge of your seat. But it's also ridiculously dark and you can barely see anything, even with your torch fully lit. Switch off the torch and you might as well play with your eyes closed, because there won't be any difference.

    The creatures are all crazy overpowered. They all seem to have tonnes of health, some get backup from lesser creatures, and some can even 1-hit kill you. To add salt to the wound, even if you try to be stealthy and hide in the shadows, the creatures still spot you a lot of the time, from behind walls or far corners of the map. You can't hide from them and you can't beat them. You just keep dying over and over.

    There are some weapons you can buy before going into the dungeon areas, but those cost a lot of gold, and gold can only be found in the dungeon areas themselves, and you can't backtrack to the shop once you're in the dungeon. The only way out is to either complete the level or to die, and when you die, you lose all the gold you've found in that level. So you just end up having to face impossible odds with weak weapons over and over.

    The game also seems to lag a fair bit. I put all the settings to low and switched off camera fx, and the best I can do is to run it at a stable 12 FPS. I guess that makes those hard battles even harder.

    Overall, I kind of wish this game was streamlined a bit better, to let the player get better and be able to challenge stronger creatures with time and persistence. From the almost 2 hours I've played of this game, I've gotten nowhere. I did gain some fun out of getting killed in funny ways and recording it, but that eventually gets old and you just wish to be able to actually play the game as it was intended. Not a bad game, but try at your own risk. Unfortunately I can't recommend it in its current state.    … Full Review »
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