Darkest Dungeon

 Switch
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 191 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 148 out of 191
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 191
  3. Negative: 22 out of 191
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  1. TrainerEstew
    Jan 18, 2018
    9
    Darkest Dungeon is a very good game. The game itself is fun, with extremely high replayability due to the randomized nature of the game. This was, of course, known with its releases on PC and other consoles. But how does Darkest Dungeon run on the Switch, and how does it compare to the other consoles?

    Before heading any further, it is worth a warning to those that have never played:    Darkest Dungeon is a very good game. The game itself is fun, with extremely high replayability due to the randomized nature of the game. This was, of course, known with its releases on PC and other consoles. But how does Darkest Dungeon run on the Switch, and how does it compare to the other consoles?

    Before heading any further, it is worth a warning to those that have never played: Yes, the game can be difficult. And yes, you will likely a lose a lot of units. And, yes, it will not always be entirely your fault. RNG is a heavy factor in this game, and if you are not a fan of that, I wholeheartedly advise you to stay away from Darkest Dungeon. That being said, the game is fantastic, and the port was done very well.

    As I found with the other console versions, the controls aren't nearly as fluid as they are on PC. Buttons can sometimes be a little confusing and unintuitive, but it doesn't take too long to get used to them.

    Frame rate seems stable in both docked and undocked modes. My untrained eye can't perceive what FPS it's running at, but in a slow, turn-based game such as this, it doesn't particularly matter.

    The touchscreen is able to be used in portable mode which, while it's not required, felt more intuitive than the button controls. I particularly like that the touchscreen can be used for all menu, combat, and navigational purposes. It makes playing in portable mode a lot more fun than I would have expected. However, as with the Vita version, the Switch's screen suffers from a small UI. Text can be hard to read, and touchscreen may be harder to navigate for those with larger fingers.

    Perhaps the highlight of Darkest Dungeon on Switch is its battery life. While I have not tested it in all possible configurations, it lasted 5 hours and 12 minutes with maximum brightness and Wi-Fi enabled before hitting the 1% mark, at which point I put it into sleep mode to charge it.

    Darkest Dungeon at its core is a fantastic game, and its port to Switch is nothing short of well-done. Despite initially readjusting to button controls after heavy PC usage, I can fully see the Switch becoming my main way to play the game with its touchscreen options undocked and fantastic battery life.    … Expand
  2. Scritty
    Jan 20, 2018
    8
    Great game - obtuse control method choices.
    Darkest Dungeon is a game I played on PC for almost 2 years. I decided before buying the DLC to move to a mobile platform to play it on. It's that sort of game. At it's heart it's a brilliant turn based 2D rogue like/lite. It has a ton of depth, party based combat where each member can help or hinder assist, buff, debuff attack. There are a ton    Great game - obtuse control method choices.
    Darkest Dungeon is a game I played on PC for almost 2 years. I decided before buying the DLC to move to a mobile platform to play it on. It's that sort of game. At it's heart it's a brilliant turn based 2D rogue like/lite. It has a ton of depth, party based combat where each member can help or hinder assist, buff, debuff attack. There are a ton of options. The Hamlet mechanic is brilliant meaning the metagame has real depth. I would consider a 9 or 10 for this if it wasn't for the very below par control design choices. Like using the item menu. Why all different buttons? Click "A" to select the item, surely then pull it over the character you want to use it on and press "A" Again? But no Select menu with one button, select item with a second button and use or move items with a third and 4th button. And these buttons are not related. You are using the D pad to select the item menu, the analog to move around the items item then switch to the ABXY pad to actually select the item then a shoulder button to use the item? WTF??? That has not one, but two levels of extra completely unnecessary complexity just to use a chuffing item. They sorted the UI out on the Vita version of this game - I hope they give this version some love as well, because at the moment it's spoiling a great game.    … Expand
  3. TheFlannelFox
    Jan 18, 2018
    9
    Darkest Dungeon is a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler developed in Vancouver by Red Hook Studios Inc. Originally released in 2016 after a very successful kickstarter funded development, Darkest Dungeon has now crawled it’s way onto the Nintendo Switch.

    Playing as an owner of a new estate you’ve inherited, you must recruit a roster of different heroes to help you rid the world of the    Darkest Dungeon is a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler developed in Vancouver by Red Hook Studios Inc. Originally released in 2016 after a very successful kickstarter funded development, Darkest Dungeon has now crawled it’s way onto the Nintendo Switch.

    Playing as an owner of a new estate you’ve inherited, you must recruit a roster of different heroes to help you rid the world of the creatures that live in the dungeons on your new land. Having to clear four different worlds before the Darkest Dungeon can be explored...

    Combat in Darkest Dungeon is one of the best turn-based combat systems I have ever played. Having four heroes when going into each dungeon, the gameplay has a tactical aspect, as you they each have a favorite position in your squad. However, they have different attacks that can only work when in certain positions. Moving my Jester up one space, now allows him a multi-enemy attack that causes bleed damage, but he can still play a smooth tune to lower the stress of the whole team. These turn-based battles are grueling standoffs which you may end up grasping at straws to no avail, slowly slipping into the belly of a beautifully designed beast.

    Alongside with your typical turn-based attack, your crusader causing some devastating damage with his huge sword, is the real enemy in the Dungeons. Stress. Everything that you do in DD whether in or outside of the dungeon has a positive or negative effect on each heroes stress level. My beginning crusader dealt some crippling blows, but was quite stressed after a long battle to which he wasn’t sure he would survive. After my first dungeon exploration, I sent him to the Abbey to pray, his preferred form of stress relief. After which he came be ready for action. Only to die from a heart attack on his next journey below. If you run out of torches and it’s too dark to see, your team gets stressed out, if you hero dodges a deadly attack or has a drink in a pub, it brings their stress down, but once their stress meter reaches its peak, your hero is dead and gone...for good.

    While between dungeons you’ll manage your estate, recruit or dismiss heroes, send them for different stress relieving activities, upgrade weapons or skills, phew, YES. There’s a lot to do when prepping for a new adventure. Spending more time carefully planning each excursion will reward you much more than just running guns blazing into battle. Don’t forget bandages to stop bleeding, shovels to clear paths, or food to keep from starving. Carefully managing your funds, troops, and estate is absolutely vital to survive.

    Navigating in through the dungeons is a beast in itself. When exploring the worlds you have a map in the lower right hand corner of the screen, which you use to choose the path that you will venture down. While clearing caverns to complete objectives you’ll encounter different objects that you can investigate trying to find loot, although that is not always a guarantee. When opening a tomb you can find a trap leaving you bleeding even before meeting an enemy, a spirit which changes your character’s entire demeanor, or nothing at all... sometimes when your team is on their last leg I engaged the option just to ignore them. Yes finding some more torches and food would help, but leaving my healer bleeding when going into a boss fight? No thanks!

    When playing in handheld mode, everything runs just as it should, however the tutorial type is incredibly small. After purchasing on the PS VITA and barely being able to play it because some much is crammed onto such a tiny screen. I thought this would be solved when in handheld mode on the Switch but it is not the case, which is a big deal in DD because there is a lot to learn, I would recommend completing tutorial section in docked mode. The Nintendo Switch version does include both DLC’s at launch The Crimson Court and The Sheildbreaker

    While playing a turn based rpg, I have never had such a physical reaction as when playing Darkest Dungeon. Every little thing must be taken into account or before you know if you’ll be bleeding out, poisoned, and have nowhere to turn, but winning a battle by the skin of your teeth is so immensely satisfying that it makes you want to spend just as much time in battle as you do prepping for it. Darkest Dungeon reacts and acts like a living ecosystem that makes every battle an edge of your seat, beautiful, and challenging experience.

    Be sure to watch my video review on my YouTube channel TheFlannelFox    … Expand
  4. Enkindled
    Jul 18, 2020
    4
    Oh boy, I have a lot to say. Darkest Dungeon is a 2D turn-based RPG set in a Lovecraft background story. Be ready, because I dumped a lot of hours before writing this. In short, this is not a bad game but has some critical problems that can completely ruin the experience for you.

    The good: - Nice cell-shading art. There is not much variety but it is well done. Far from a marvelous work    Oh boy, I have a lot to say. Darkest Dungeon is a 2D turn-based RPG set in a Lovecraft background story. Be ready, because I dumped a lot of hours before writing this. In short, this is not a bad game but has some critical problems that can completely ruin the experience for you.

    The good:
    - Nice cell-shading art. There is not much variety but it is well done. Far from a marvelous work of art but has its charms.
    - Multiple classes to choose for your quests and each one of them provides a completely different type of combat. There is so much you can do with the distinct party choices that if you love customization and battle exploitation, you will love this. This is the meat of the game, the combat.
    - Stress System. it is pretty well done because indeed you are fighting stress more than damage. I liked this system as an extra layer of complexity in the game.

    The Cons:
    - Like 2-3 soundtracks. Same battle music forever. Same town music. Same boss music. Gets boring.
    - Have you ever read Lovecraft? Ok, now you know Darkest Dungeon story. There are plot stories that are just copy-pasted of Lovecraft stories. For me, Darkest Dungeon has no story. Why was it relevant for me to bring this out? Well, because this game wants to have a story, it plays on enigmatic and mysterious pieces you gather around but the story is probably similar to hundreds of thousands of amateur Dungeons and Dragons stories around. Tries to be cool, but fails.
    - You start a new game and is bombarded with so much information and variables that you will die if you do not pay A LOT of attention. It is too much in the first 1 min of gaming. This is just bad design.
    - The core idea: Let me say that I love difficult/challenging games and Darkest Dungeons aims to be a difficult game. However, they do this in an unpolished way. They straight mention in the firsts screens that this game is made to kill you. Yes. That`s right if you are thinking this is a game that you will get so good you will become the master of this world, you will be disappointed. No, I am no n00b. I have 100% completion on most of the hardest game out there in all difficulties, you name it, action games, RPGs, souls games, shooters. Difficulty does not scare me whatsoever and I yet to find a difficulty spike that I could not overcome with a little practice. Let me give you an idea of what I did and why Darkest Dungeon difficulty IS NOT WELL MADE. I lost my first character after 35h of the game (something the game was thinking I couldn't do). Thus, I got pretty good at it. Until the game started to trow me in UNSKIPPABLE QUESTS that were ABSURDLY hard. The idea of Darkest Dungeon is that you can choose multiple types of quests, and you choose which party to send, and when do you want to face them. However, after a while, I was obligated to send a party to fight in some side quest. Fine, I sent my best team. All fully leveled up, all best weapons fully enhanced (maximum), with all skills fully leveled up in damage, full armors (maximum defense). Well... the creature whipped half my party in 2 hits. My most aggressive, powerful character caused ridiculous damage to it. And according to the game, this wasn't even the hardest level quest. I was OBLIGATED to take this quest. It was made to just kill my units because of what? Because that's how they pictured "difficult game". This is just a bad decision, that's not how you deal with challenging the player. Want to make hard-to-kill enemies? Fine. Want to make strong hard annoying Bosses? Fine. Want to trow the player in an obligatory side quest just to wipe out the most powerful characters they could possibly achieve? Man, that's something everyone likes, right? Other reviews here state the same. It is downright idiotic of an idea.
    - This is implicit in the previous topic but this game is 99% based on RNG. You have almost zero control over whatever you want to do in this game. Everything has a percentage, a probability, or a random distribution of chance of something happening. You Hawkeye-Legolas archer can miss 5 arrows in a row, you most powerful, aggressive, barbarian, titanic character can deliver a 2 hit, and so on.

    After 50h of gaming, I gave up because it was just not worth it. I can fit in one hand the number of games I stopped playing because I was so disappointed with how it was playing. Unfortunately, Darkest Dungeon is one of them. Do you know how it felt in the end? Like this game was developed by an amateur Dungeon Master. Do you like Dungeons and Dragons? You know that young, unexperienced Dungeon Master that has the ultimate objective not to deliver a full experience but just wants to kill the players, leading to an unpleasant experience - not because it is bad or difficult but because it becomes not worth it to see where everything is going? Thats Darkest Dungeon.    … Expand
  5. bbeeman
    Feb 23, 2018
    9
    If you like RPG dungeon crawlers, Darkest Dungeon is a must-buy. No question about it; endless hours of enjoyment.
  6. Nevermber
    Nov 21, 2019
    10
    Here everything is decided by luck.

    Yes, of course, this is a difficult game where you need to think before each important decision, because it can become irreversible and fatal, you need to rock the city and heroes, you need to carefully select the heroes in the squad, giving them the necessary artifacts, but all the player’s efforts are leveled when the occultist heals the party three    Here everything is decided by luck.

    Yes, of course, this is a difficult game where you need to think before each important decision, because it can become irreversible and fatal, you need to rock the city and heroes, you need to carefully select the heroes in the squad, giving them the necessary artifacts, but all the player’s efforts are leveled when the occultist heals the party three times in a row for 1 health, although it could have been for 15.

    Here luck rules the score, and the player can only reconcile and suffer.

    Great game.    … Expand
  7. BigTom93
    May 22, 2018
    9
    You should buy this. It's absolutely stellar. The controls and UI are the only things to complain about, and they're only mildly annoying. Just be prepared for a steep learning curve, and a lot of failures.
  8. Grunty
    May 30, 2018
    10
    Did the mistake to play with crimson court dlc from the start and it was a bit too hard. Restarted with base game (then included the dlc afterwards) and it was really a blast : you can only build/grow your hamlet and have to face death/stress of the dungeons with your adventurers (tactical fights). A very good mix in a well-put dark universe. Congrats !
  9. Sunshadow87
    May 12, 2020
    9
    Un genial y original RPG que no te trata de tonto y te transmite la brutalidad del mundo de Lovecraft, tanto en la ambientación como la jugabilidad, convirtiéndolo en lo adaptación más cercana que haya visto del genial escritor de terror (en el cual se inspira indirectamente).
    He de decir que el juego no me pareció tan difícil como a muchos, quizás porque llevo muchos años jugando a RPGs,    Un genial y original RPG que no te trata de tonto y te transmite la brutalidad del mundo de Lovecraft, tanto en la ambientación como la jugabilidad, convirtiéndolo en lo adaptación más cercana que haya visto del genial escritor de terror (en el cual se inspira indirectamente).
    He de decir que el juego no me pareció tan difícil como a muchos, quizás porque llevo muchos años jugando a RPGs, o quizás porque entendí las dinámicas más importantes del juego muy pronto. El juego tiene una dificultad similar a la de Etrian Odyssey (el original de la DS, no el remake).
    No le doy el 10 a la versión de Switch porque la conversión del port presenta problemas con el tamaño de las fuentes.    … Expand
  10. Kaijyuu
    Aug 7, 2020
    0
    Most random game I've seen so far. Only worth in discount. Not at full price. Bosses atack twice in in the same round, they do twice a full lvl 6 (too level) characters health as damage.
  11. EmCza
    Jul 2, 2020
    10
    This game is perfect and NS switch is the best version of this game. I want more games like this on NS
  12. XofDeformity
    Jan 20, 2018
    7
    A great excuse to check out all the post-launch content if you kinda fell off few weeks after OG launch like I did. There is one big "but", though....

    The font size is tragically bad for this system. it just isn't acceptable for portable (which is the way to play this due to touchscreen support). If I was new to the game it would be impossible to figure the game out, since the    A great excuse to check out all the post-launch content if you kinda fell off few weeks after OG launch like I did. There is one big "but", though....

    The font size is tragically bad for this system. it just isn't acceptable for portable (which is the way to play this due to touchscreen support). If I was new to the game it would be impossible to figure the game out, since the tutorials are almost impossible to read.

    This makes it a release for ppl with previous DD experience. It pains me to say it but new players should stay away, unless they are planning to play in docked.    … Expand
  13. Gamecriticpro
    Jan 21, 2018
    3
    Hilariously convoluted controls, pure RNG based difficulty that will result in often random, unfair party wipes, repetitive gameplay, an absolute mess of a progression system, a class system so unbalanced, some are all but useless, one of the worst UI I've ever seen in my life (which directly ties in with the god awful control scheme), etc etc. I could probably write an essay out the flawsHilariously convoluted controls, pure RNG based difficulty that will result in often random, unfair party wipes, repetitive gameplay, an absolute mess of a progression system, a class system so unbalanced, some are all but useless, one of the worst UI I've ever seen in my life (which directly ties in with the god awful control scheme), etc etc. I could probably write an essay out the flaws this game is plagued by. It's ONLY redeeming factor in my opinion, is the art style. Even if you can tolerate the lopsided balancing and grindy gameplay, good luck tolerating the smart phone oriented controls, and the trash fire UI.… Expand
  14. Rtheom
    Jun 5, 2018
    6
    Be wary, this is a game for hardcore RPG gamers only. The user interface is absolutely one of the least intuitive interfaces I have ever interacted with and it will definitely drive most folks away before they even start the first quest. If you're the kind of person that likes to go to bed reading D&D manuals, then you might do okay with it. Anyone else is going to feel their eyeballs fallBe wary, this is a game for hardcore RPG gamers only. The user interface is absolutely one of the least intuitive interfaces I have ever interacted with and it will definitely drive most folks away before they even start the first quest. If you're the kind of person that likes to go to bed reading D&D manuals, then you might do okay with it. Anyone else is going to feel their eyeballs fall out at the wall of text presented to them. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself is just as repetitive and, while fairly entertaining, you basically end up repeating the same 4 steps over and over again.

    The game is also incredibly punishing. While not a problem in and of itself as challenge is a good thing that most games lack, you will find yourself restarting a lot in the early game, especially as you're getting used to the flow of the game. If you're not a fan of that, you'll also want to avoid this game.

    Finally, also be aware that this game pulls the "Ooops, the enemy barely survived with 1 health" thing A LOT. If you're like me and find this an incredibly annoying trick to add "challenge" to fights, then you'll also want to avoid this. It is likely to happen at least once in every fight.    … Expand
  15. saxo27
    Jan 19, 2018
    9
    I am really enjoying this game. I will not write a review, like everyone else, that pretends to have finished a large game in two days of the release date. What I have played so far is very fun. It is a dark RPG with some stat, money and character management. Some people talk about crazy RNG (Random Number Generator) that is unfair to the players. I don't know about this, I am playing onI am really enjoying this game. I will not write a review, like everyone else, that pretends to have finished a large game in two days of the release date. What I have played so far is very fun. It is a dark RPG with some stat, money and character management. Some people talk about crazy RNG (Random Number Generator) that is unfair to the players. I don't know about this, I am playing on Radiant mode. This is a more streamlined mode--where the game takes less time and less of a grind (from what I have read online). So far, the game is fun, not grindy and I keep wanting to play one more dungeon and try out a new combo of characters. The game looks good on the TV and handheld. Quick warning! The controls can take a BIT of time to get used to. They are no intuitive, nor clearly explained. But you will get it as you explore the game and interface. All in all, super fun. Not the stress bomb that people write about online (maybe because I am playing Radiant mode--which makes this game more fun for me). Fun, addictive and stylish. Good job Red Hook.… Expand
  16. Hannibal1
    Dec 16, 2020
    0
    Good idea, gamplay suck for me, i dont find it entertaining...This game should be called "stress simulator", the biggest threat in this game is stress for your characters...The reason why I gave 0 is because of one of the worst experiences I ever had in gaming in terms of enjoyment, in manny situations gameplay in this game is torture because of so bad battle design and ideas behind it...
  17. MrTusks
    Sep 28, 2018
    4
    Darkest Dungeon doesn't respect your time. The game is a gauntlet of unfair odds designed to test your sanity, just like the titular dungeon is for your characters, and it will seem fun and challenging until this realization dawns on you. The game tricks you into thinking you can prepare an adequate party, but you can't--it will "randomly" devastate your party just when you have the mostDarkest Dungeon doesn't respect your time. The game is a gauntlet of unfair odds designed to test your sanity, just like the titular dungeon is for your characters, and it will seem fun and challenging until this realization dawns on you. The game tricks you into thinking you can prepare an adequate party, but you can't--it will "randomly" devastate your party just when you have the most to lose. Stats mean nothing: an 80% hit rate on an ability may as well be 10% during regular battles and 0% when you're on death's door.

    You can't get good at this game, you can only keep playing until it lets you win. Does that sound fun to you?    … Expand
  18. Dash3717
    Jun 25, 2018
    4
    Great game in so many ways, but a few key flaws (ui, insane reliance on rng, absurdly obtuse communication, heavy punishment for not understanding said obtuse communication in the exact way the developers intended) make Darkest Dungeon a mediocre game overall, only worthwhile for people who prefer frustration to anything else.
  19. KlingonGamerYT
    May 11, 2018
    10
    buy the game now...is my quick review its actually very accurate this game plays wonderfully has a great challenging learning curve amazing atmosphere that will add to you stress levels when playing the game expect to die a lot
    the games visuals are nicely done the dungeons are cool well detailed and drip of noir coolness
    framerate is fine didn't notice anything I was engrossed in the    buy the game now...is my quick review its actually very accurate this game plays wonderfully has a great challenging learning curve amazing atmosphere that will add to you stress levels when playing the game expect to die a lot
    the games visuals are nicely done the dungeons are cool well detailed and drip of noir coolness
    framerate is fine didn't notice anything I was engrossed in the gameplay you'll burn hours on this game and the DLC is worth it get the bundle for a great deal....highly recommended    … Expand
  20. KnightForlorn
    Oct 24, 2018
    3
    Darkest Dungeon has been on my steam wishlist for a long time and it felt like the right time when it hit the Switch. But the UI ruined much of my enjoyment all on it's own. An unintuitive hybrid of the two joysticks, shoulder buttons, and touch controls makes any delve a tedious slog. Skip this port; buy it for PC.
  21. S3XU4LH34L1NG
    Feb 28, 2021
    9
    A game unlike anything i ever played. As a fan of turn based RPG's and the souls series i recommend this! This game is hard on any difficulty so expect to fail misserably and unexpectedly at least a dozen times during your campaing. One full playtrhough took me about 50 hrs.

    +very unique +simple but clean art/visuals/animations +voice acting +progression / RPG elements +very high    A game unlike anything i ever played. As a fan of turn based RPG's and the souls series i recommend this! This game is hard on any difficulty so expect to fail misserably and unexpectedly at least a dozen times during your campaing. One full playtrhough took me about 50 hrs.

    +very unique
    +simple but clean art/visuals/animations
    +voice acting
    +progression / RPG elements
    +very high difficulty
    -/+ the hub world is a bit unintuitive
    -the characters are not quite balanced
    -just a tad too much rng for me personally in terms of damage rolls, luck rolls, random events etc.
    -strange difficulty options (its basically the same difficulty on easy as it is on hard)    … Expand
  22. jbmtkevu
    Jan 21, 2022
    0
    amazing art style satisfying gameplay you need to use your brain a little and god tier voice acting
  23. drlowdon
    Jul 1, 2023
    5
    Having inherited an estate from an ancestor, the player soon discovers that the dungeons and catacombs beneath are filled with all manor or monsters and evil creatures. To defeat them they must put together a team of adventurers and take up arms.

    Before setting off on each mission players select up to four heroes from the ‘hub-town’ (in which you can also upgrade characters etc) to take    Having inherited an estate from an ancestor, the player soon discovers that the dungeons and catacombs beneath are filled with all manor or monsters and evil creatures. To defeat them they must put together a team of adventurers and take up arms.

    Before setting off on each mission players select up to four heroes from the ‘hub-town’ (in which you can also upgrade characters etc) to take into the procedurally generated dungeons. Whilst it’s not technically a rouge-like, character death is permanent, and making the right choices in the turn-based combat in order to keep your characters alive and sane enough to continue quickly becomes very tricky.

    Unfortunately, despite a host of interesting ideas, I just never found the gameplay all that engaging. There is an incredibly steep learning curve to overcome with all sorts of facts and figures that will mean nothing to new players. If you do manage to push through there is a decent amount of depth to be found, but even then it never offered the same level of flexibility as something like Slay the Spire. This game clearly has a devout following, but personally I think there are more interesting alternatives.    … Expand
  24. Paciorr
    Jan 10, 2021
    8
    It is nothign groundbreaking but it's very good at what it does. I recommend it to people who know what they are getting in to and know that they enjoy this type of games. Game is sort of grindy and repetitive yet it manages to not bore the player to much. I feel weird rating it as high as 8 but at the same time I believe 7/10 would be unfair to the developer for managing what they didIt is nothign groundbreaking but it's very good at what it does. I recommend it to people who know what they are getting in to and know that they enjoy this type of games. Game is sort of grindy and repetitive yet it manages to not bore the player to much. I feel weird rating it as high as 8 but at the same time I believe 7/10 would be unfair to the developer for managing what they did with a game that simple.… Expand
  25. auditbadger
    Jul 4, 2018
    10
    I think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give this game a try.
  26. UncleEd
    Oct 12, 2021
    6
    This is a game I disliked, but I can see why some people enjoy it. Darkest Dungeon is a side-view turn based combat game, where grinding is its core mechanic. You have your party and go into dungeons trying to complete quests, most of which involve exploring the dungeon or clearing out the enemies.
    There are a lot of good things to say about it. It has a unique visual style, which I    This is a game I disliked, but I can see why some people enjoy it. Darkest Dungeon is a side-view turn based combat game, where grinding is its core mechanic. You have your party and go into dungeons trying to complete quests, most of which involve exploring the dungeon or clearing out the enemies.
    There are a lot of good things to say about it. It has a unique visual style, which I really liked. The music, audio and atmosphere are also really good. You have to watch the stress levels of your heroes in addition to their hit points and stress is usually the main challenge to overcome. Once your heroes die, you lose them permanently. So, you can spend hours leveling up your heroes and lose them unexpectedly. RNG is an additional factor of frustration, which you can maybe overcome with constant grinding.

    If you grind long enough, upgrading your town, then your heroes, I can safely assume you will be able to play through it. And that’s the thing about Darkest Dungeon. If you enjoy or don’t mind the grinding, Darkest Dungeon offers a unique atmosphere and it’s very friendly to casual pick up & play. If you are like me though, you will see early on what is expected from you to complete the game and you will choose to abandon it instead.

    I have played it both on Switch and Steam and found the gameplay much more enjoyable with mouse & keyboard. On a final note, the game warns you that it will collect your data if you wish to access one of the DLCs, which sounded alarming, but I did not really research if it’s something troubling.    … Expand
  27. GamesPaladins
    Feb 5, 2018
    9
    Innanzitutto il gioco presenta anche componenti roguelike, quindi aspettatevi la morte permanente dei nostri protagonisti e la creazione procedurale dei dungeons che andremo a visitare. Un po’ come succede in tutti i titoli di questa tipologia, la trama c’è, ma è appena accennata, giusto per inquadrare le nostre gesta. Il giocatore dovrà guidare dei forestieri esplorando quattro mondi cheInnanzitutto il gioco presenta anche componenti roguelike, quindi aspettatevi la morte permanente dei nostri protagonisti e la creazione procedurale dei dungeons che andremo a visitare. Un po’ come succede in tutti i titoli di questa tipologia, la trama c’è, ma è appena accennata, giusto per inquadrare le nostre gesta. Il giocatore dovrà guidare dei forestieri esplorando quattro mondi che sono a loro volta divisi in dungeons più o meno complessi e dalla durata differente.

    La squadra da portare in battaglia è composta da quattro membri scelti da un roaster che mano a mano sarà sempre più ampio e variegato. Starà a noi scegliere la miglior squadra, andando ad attingere mercenari di diverse classi.
    Insomma, formare una buona squadra magari non riesce al primo colpo, ma già la volta seguente le cose andranno meglio. Che ci vuole?

    E dopo il primo dungeon vi accorgerete che il gameplay stesso è abbastanza semplice, infatti basterà portare i nostri eroi in corridoi 2D da sinistra verso destra, alternando combattimenti basati su turni, a scoperte di loot o trappole.

    È apparentemente tutto semplice perché non vi ho detto un aspetto fondamentale che è il vero “game changer” del gioco. Parlo dello stress. Si avete capito bene. I nostri personaggi verranno afflitti da vari tipi di stress mano a mano che si avanza nei dungeons. Per questo motivo sarà difficile usare sempre la stessa squadra partita dopo partita, perché quando il livello di stress è troppo alto sarà solo controproducente portare certi combattenti con noi. Ma andiamo con ordine.

    La scelta degli eroi in primis va fatta in maniera oculata andando a vedere innanzitutto quale sia la miglior posizione del personaggio all’interno della squadra, così da permettergli di effettuare il maggio numero di mosse a sua disposizione.

    Lo stress va ad influire sull’animo dei nostri personaggi. Alcuni avvenimenti talvolta portano bonus, ma nella maggior parte delle occasioni si creerà solo stress che porta dei malus al nostro personaggio di turno. Ad esempio un attacco critico da parte di un nemico potrebbe spaventare il nostro eroe in prima linea e farlo scappare nelle retrovie, oppure se lo stress sale a livelli troppo elevati potrebbe rifiutare di attaccare e anzi preferire la morte. Ma non finisce qui.

    Un personaggio in questo stato potrebbe incitare il gruppo a dare forfait, oppure scegliere di tenersi il bottino tutto per lui, o in casi estremi arrivare all’infarto, lasciandoci con un uomo in meno in squadra.

    Prima di iniziare un’avventura in un dungeon sarà possibile comprare scorte da portare con noi, come pozioni, cibo per i nostri forestieri, chiavi che aprano forzieri, pale per togliere detriti che ci bloccano il cammino e altri oggetti vari tra cui le fiaccole, che sono di vitale importanza.
    Quando non ci troviamo nel sottosuolo in cerca di tesori e mostri, passeremo molto tempo nel villaggio, che fa da quartier generale e menù del gioco.

    Se un nostro personaggio è morto in battaglia avremo modo di sostituirlo con altri a nostra disposizione, e ogni tanto arriverà una carovana con nuovi personaggi da reclutare. Se invece siete stati così bravi da portare a casa tutti i membri della squadra, sicuramente avrete salvato le loro vite, ma le loro anime saranno rimaste indubbiamente turbate dallo stress accumulato.

    Quando un personaggio è impegnato nel suo recupero, non sarà a disposizione per un certo periodo di tempo, quindi dovremo fare affidamento sugli altri uomini che abbiamo reclutato tirando fuori il meglio da essi. Questo è un aspetto che fa davvero bene al gioco che ci costringe a provare sempre qualcosa di nuovo.

    Tutte le strutture sono potenziabili in cambio di denaro o altre valute e ci permetteranno vari bonus e miglioramenti. Mettendo assieme tutto questo ecco come Darkest Dungeon diventa un titolo davvero immenso. Semplicissimo nell’aspetto ma con tante cose da fare, potenziare, analizzare e scegliere attentamente. E nonostante questo, non si avrà mai il pieno controllo della situazione, ma bisognerà cercare di tirare fuori sempre il meglio da ogni momento contando anche su un pizzico di fortuna.

    Poterlo giocare anche in mobilità è un valore aggiunto degno di nota, anche se i testi risultano sempre abbastanza piccoli e bisogna fare un po’ di pratica con l’interfaccia dei menù. Il gioco fa riemergere in noi quel desiderio di curiosità che va oltre alla paura, un po’ come si faceva da ragazzini quando una volta trovato un luogo disabitato, ci si entrava nonostante il timore.

    Darkest Dungeon ti mette alla prova, ti fa credere di avere la situazione sotto controllo e quando meno te lo aspetti ti mette in ginocchio e guarda in che modo proverai a rialzarti, sempre che tu sia in grado di farlo. Semplice, complesso, appagante e longevo. Un capolavoro.    … Expand
  28. CesarzMaciej
    Mar 4, 2019
    9
    After 115h of playing start to be tiring, but in general unique, great game. I love it!.
  29. kurtis89
    May 29, 2019
    5
    The game is slow and unnerving, honestly it's really heavy to play.
    Then it can also pleasure are tastes
  30. Kacek1996
    Sep 8, 2019
    8
    Started on easy, moved one mode higher/harder, then added DLCs still cannot finish last dungeon. Fantastic 2d graphics, challenging fight (mostly bosses & DLC monsters). There are a lot of adventurers classes to upgrade and combine into 4man teams that will go on adventures to the dangerous dark dungeons. It's a game that takes your time and exchange it for pleasure as well as theStarted on easy, moved one mode higher/harder, then added DLCs still cannot finish last dungeon. Fantastic 2d graphics, challenging fight (mostly bosses & DLC monsters). There are a lot of adventurers classes to upgrade and combine into 4man teams that will go on adventures to the dangerous dark dungeons. It's a game that takes your time and exchange it for pleasure as well as the frustration for losing people in the fights. Darkest Dungeon has high replayability value due to the randomized nature of the game. Also, the narrator voice makes this game to feels like the greatest story ever, his voice is worth everything even the price of this game.

    I'm still looking up to finish it someday and see the final cutscene on my console.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best Switch Game of 2018
43
#43 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
62
#62 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Nintendo Insider
    May 14, 2018
    90
    Once you learn what you need to, it’s easily one of the best indie titles to grace the Switch and it is one that will keep you hooked for many weeks and months ahead.
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  2. Cubed3
    Apr 12, 2018
    80
    Despite gameplay better suited for a mouse and keyboard, Darkest Dungeon transitions rather well from PC to Switch. The controls were always going to be convoluted when adapted to a controller, but it doesn't take too long to adjust, and the core gameplay loop is strong enough where overlooking that initial awkwardness is more than doable. Darkest Dungeon is by no means for everyone, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth the stress.
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  3. FNintendo
    Mar 15, 2018
    80
    Darkest Dungeon is an ambitious game that features impressive details, a very complete and thorough atmosphere and a complex gameplay. Its experience ends up getting harmed by the arbitrary factors that come into play on certain moments and the overall difficulty level can be quite hard in the beginning of the game but there is no mistake in regarding Darkest Dungeon as major title within the indie scene.
    Read full review
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