Darkest Dungeon

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 208 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 157 out of 208
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 208
  3. Negative: 24 out of 208
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  1. tomvs123
    Jan 6, 2019
    4
    If you're looking for a grind without much variety or story interactivity, then this is it. I love other rogelikes, like FTL and Rogue Legacy. I also love turn-based RPGs and strategy. Missing a good interactive story is fine for me, as long as the game has at least some reason to keep up the grind and keep going into the dungeon, but this has little of that.

    The artistic style, idea    If you're looking for a grind without much variety or story interactivity, then this is it. I love other rogelikes, like FTL and Rogue Legacy. I also love turn-based RPGs and strategy. Missing a good interactive story is fine for me, as long as the game has at least some reason to keep up the grind and keep going into the dungeon, but this has little of that.

    The artistic style, idea behind the combat and upgrades, the announcer, the weight and feel of attacks/afflictions are all amazing and this is likely all you need to keep going into the dungeons.

    But it gets real repetitive, real fast. I played on Normal mode (against the game's recommendation), and without the crimson court DLC (per the game's recommendation), and was initially impressed. Combat is challenging, dealing with afflictions and character quirks is a great mechanic, and there's a big variety of initial characters and skills.

    But that's it. Your initial skills are the same ones you have for the whole game. Going through the grind of upgrading them just makes them slightly more powerful. Weapon and armor is the same: just incremental power upgrades for a massive amount of grinding. Unlocking the various things in town is the same: Initially, I could go through about 3 dungeons to unlock one aspect of a building (such as the one that allows you to admit more people to the hospital), but later in the game, it takes 10+ dungeons, with each dungeon lasting 30+ minutes.

    So, having gone through about 5 dungeons in a row, and still not having enough stuff to unlock the building aspect I wanted, I realized that this wasn't particularly very fun. I also had no reason to go into these dungeons. The narrator is really the only person you interact with, and he doesn't make a compelling case for you to want to keep going into the dungeons over and over. I at least need a girlfriend/princess that needs rescuing, but there's nothing like that here. Your main goal is to simply beat the darkest dungeon.

    If you're big on lore and side stories, there is some of that here, but it doesn't meld well with the gameplay. There's a list of objectives in-game, which mostly consist of killing certain bosses. If you start a dungeon that has one of those bosses, you'll get a bit of story about it and that boss will be at the end of it. That's it. Besides the final battle, It will be identical to all of the other dungeons you've been grinding. It's definitely the sort of game where gameplay comes first and these side stories feel tacked on (sort of like dark souls 2 - yeah, I don't like that game either).

    So the game has a lot to offer, but you must be in that stage of your life where you like endless grinding. You'll easily spend 100+ hours in this game grinding the same dungeons to level up all of your weapons, skills, and buildings. And it can be quite addictive, if you like its gameplay. But it's not for everyone, especially for those who like exploration, variety, or unique storytelling.    … Expand
  2. DevilSurvivor
    Nov 19, 2021
    0
    There is a difference between an unfair game because it's hard, and an unfair game because it's made out with so many randomised bad events that you will eventually crack and tell yourself that this game is actually bad.
    I enjoy roguelike games, and I enjoy permanent bad status and such. This game however feels like Mario Kart, where the good players are punished because they're good.
  3. Trevwin
    Apr 30, 2017
    3
    I so desperately wanted to like this, but to do so I'm afraid you must first inflict yourself with 'masochistic' (fnarr). A few tweaks could make this wonderful... And it looks just gorgeous. But unfortunately they've missed the point of challenging gameplay. A coin toss is not 'challenging'. A dice roll is not 'tough'. If the constant threat of being but a bad roll (and believe me, itI so desperately wanted to like this, but to do so I'm afraid you must first inflict yourself with 'masochistic' (fnarr). A few tweaks could make this wonderful... And it looks just gorgeous. But unfortunately they've missed the point of challenging gameplay. A coin toss is not 'challenging'. A dice roll is not 'tough'. If the constant threat of being but a bad roll (and believe me, it happens no matter your preparation) away from losing 20+ hours of work sounds fun, go for it. As it stands it's about us much fun as cancer, and requires as much skill as Russian roulette.… Expand
  4. riley794
    Feb 16, 2017
    2
    Game starts out great but then turns into a painful grind. The grind would not be so bad if not for the lack of rewards for completing events. All that is received from defeating a boss is a little more resources and maybe a item boost. Therefore after week 50 the game just becomes a pain and leads to the conclusion of "why am I wasting my time with this game!" Yes I could dump anotherGame starts out great but then turns into a painful grind. The grind would not be so bad if not for the lack of rewards for completing events. All that is received from defeating a boss is a little more resources and maybe a item boost. Therefore after week 50 the game just becomes a pain and leads to the conclusion of "why am I wasting my time with this game!" Yes I could dump another 20 to 40 hours in and "beat the game" but for what? All you receive is a few more lines of speech. I played this game in early access and it was a great start but little changed. If I am going to push through a tough game I expect great rewards and this game does not offer it. Complete waste of time!… Expand
  5. User3
    Jul 27, 2017
    0
    Another game that uses brutal difficulty to cover up a lack of quality. There is no fun at all to be had by playing this. I want to play a game that entertains me, not punishes me.
  6. Mike_M
    Nov 2, 2017
    0
    Very poor tutorial and info popups (i.e. how does a given thing work in this game) on a game that's essentially a spreadsheet battle game- the exact kind of game that needs very good documentation.

    Disguising how a game works and then selling it as a strategy game is an auto 0/10, every time.

    On top of that, it's not tactically very interesting.
  7. SKonung
    Nov 11, 2019
    4
    Переоценённая игра, получившая отличные отзывы на фоне бума инди-игр. 1-2 вечера, не больше.

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best PS4 Game of 2016
85
#85 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
92
#92 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. TheSixthAxis
    Dec 6, 2016
    80
    An ungodly combination of Fire Emblem and Dark Souls, it delights in making you suffer, but every small step forwards feels like a massive achievement. It’s not for everyone, but if you enjoy the darkness and feel up to the challenge, you can’t do much better than enter the Darkest Dungeon. Just make sure that all your affairs are in order and that you have written a will, because once you’re in, you might not make it back out.
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  2. DarkZero
    Nov 14, 2016
    70
    It’s a shame that the console version of Darkest Dungeon couldn’t have been a bit smarter with its controller layout, because the rest of the game shines in brilliant darkness as it did on PC; the 2D artwork is a great mix of hard lines and grotesque imagery, quite similar to Hellboy and other comics by Mike Mignola. The persistent narration is delightfully campy with its dreary delivery and macabre musings, and the fear of death (or insanity) makes every duel feel like a tense brush with death. And players will die, again and again and again. But like a certain other difficult series centered around darkness and sun bros, Darkest Dungeon’s maddening tendrils will manipulate even the most frustrated folks to try again…but consider sticking to the PC version to avoid the added frustration of fumbling around with the controls.
    Read full review
  3. ZTGD
    Nov 1, 2016
    80
    It is a very competent RPG with tons of upgrades and stat tracking. It really is a hardcore RPG fan’s dream.
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