Darkwood

After a somewhat shaky start to the game, which included a steep learning curve, I found myself enthralled in Darkwood and I did not want to put it down. From its brilliant tension building, atmosphere and sense of vulnerability for the player, it has better horror elements than most AAA horror titles nowadays. If you are into your survival horror games, you do not want to miss this one, despite one or two missteps along the way.

Darkwood is a simple but hugely satisfying top-down horror survival game that will have you jumping at shadows.

Darkwood plays with the fear of the unknown to create an atmosphere and situations of pure terror. If you've been looking for a true survival horror game for years, one that doesn't rely on jump scares and make you turn on the lights at night... You've just found it.

Darkwood is, thankfully, rather unlike any other horror game on Switch. Those with a taste for survival games will appreciate the constant pressure to salvage parts and craft new items while a clock ticks down in the background, while those with a love for all things sinister will really appreciate some of the truly disturbing moments. Despite the occasional technical flaw, the result is a purposefully slow experience that rewards multiple playthroughs with a storyline that branches depending on just how far into madness you’re willing to tread.

A horror and survival experience which defends a convincing level of challenge and some visual and ambientation values (illumination and sound) that makes it a good choice for patient and dedicated gamers.

Darkwood is a gripping survival horror, but its presentation is too dark for comfort a lot of the time. Players should spend more time being scared than rummaging for resources.

Darkwood is a survival-horror game that does not rely on jump scares to get you encapsulated in its world.

Darkwood is really not for everyone's hands. Unforgiving and far from being linear, it's above all aimed to gamers who are experienced in the survival genre. The sound design is neat and conveys a real feeling of despair and horror, even if the visuals and the game design in general lack of variety.

Darkwood has the merit of knowing how to scare its players and keeping them on their toes throughout the whole experience, accompanied by how it allows the player to take decisions during the game. The game suffers some harm from technical issues, however, and its visuals aren't the most stunning, which make it a less enjoyable experience than it could be, while nevertheless demonstrating why it is a decent survival horror title.

The unfortunate optimization problems as well as the general gameplay may leave somebody who’s not a fan of survival games disappointed, but people already well acquainted with the genre will probably find it a thrilling and spooky experience if they give it a shot. Darkwood is a game with potential, and I certainly hope the developers take any lessons learned from it and return with the killer horror title they’ve come close to creating.