Darkest Dungeon Preview

Kickstarter and Early Access are two funding platforms that rarely, if ever, inspire confidence. Projects that use either are often built on lofty promises that may or may not come to fruition with no guarantee of quality. Thus, you can imagine the trepidation with which one might approach indie hopeful Darkest Dungeon, a game funded via Kickstarter and released onto Early Access. Fortunately for Kickstarter backers and roguelike enthusiasts, Darkest Dungeon is (ironically) a shining example of what Early Access should be.

In this Lovecraft-inspired roguelike dungeon crawler, the player commands a roster of diverse heroes in an effort to clear their estate of an eldritch corruption that plagues their family estate. Gameplay consists of choosing a party of adventurers and running them through simple dungeons. While map layouts are unremarkable and movement consists entirely of moving left or right, the game doesn't linger on its shortcomings. Players must set up their four hero squad by assigning positions to each of their heroes from front to back, optimizing the position of each hero so as to take advantage of their skills. For example, a ranged attack might not function while in one of the two front ranks and a melee strike may only be used at the very front of the party. Heroes can swap positions on the fly-usually one space at a time - which is profoundly useful for when enemies use attacks that push, pull, or shuffle their target. To add another layer of complexity to the mix, heroes also bring unique abilities to the camp fire when it is time to rest and recuperate - some specialize in healing the body, others the mind, while still more provide unique self-buffs and scouting utility. It's all very easy to learn, but difficult to master as your roster of heroes and enemies expands.

While the combat is fun, the true twist that keeps Darkest Dungeon's gameplay fresh is the stress system that governs the mental stability of the heroes. As heroes become injured, hungry, or just plain afraid, their stress bar rises and once it fills up, they gain a mental affliction. Abusive heroes harshly criticize their teammates, fearful ones retreat and pass their turns, and masochistic tendencies manifest in the form of self harm and the refusal of healing. It's a system that isn't terribly complex, but provides a nice flourish of flavor and makes for some memorable moments. This philosophy of elegant simplicity is evident throughout the whole of the game, even in the visual and audio presentation.

The graphics won't win any technical awards, but the sharply drawn 2D art produces sumptuously dire visuals with hard black lines and colors that range from crisp to grimy. Animations are likewise on the primitive side, with characters performing actions mainly via sprite changes that have no real movement to them. The developers cleverly covered up this by using dramatic zoom ins and high quality character sprites, so it looks much better than it sounds.

Speaking of sound. the audio quality of the game is good, but not fantastic. From the satisfying "thunk!" of a sword finding its mark to the rustling of fingers amid abandoned packs, the sound effects of Darkest Dungeon are atmospheric and meaty, but aren’t creative. The soundtrack is somewhat of an exception. The music is pleasing enough, but truly comes into its own as the soundtrack seamlessly shifts with the brightness of the player’s torch, becoming more dire as light fades. The lone voice actor who plays the part of the deceased ancestor to the player is both a treat to hear and an occasional annoyance. His lines are written and delivered well for the most part, but some are on the wooden side and others become boring fast. As a whole, Darkest Dungeon is most accurately captured through him: it is a game that has many moments of absolute joy, but some areas that need serious work.

While Darkest Dungeon in its current state is worth the buy for roguelike fans looking for a fix (rare praise for Early Access), it does have some issues that need addressing. The first is skill variety for heroes. Too many skills are vanilla (a basic melee or ranged attack almost identical to that of other classes) and skill advancement is just plain boring. In a game that has numerous examples of interesting skills with fun strategic applications, I find it odd that there are as many that don't pass creative muster. Difficulty is another aspect that requires expansion. As it is, Darkest Dungeon has no difficulty options, so those who find the default experience too easy or too hard will be out of luck.

Finally, the game just needs more readability. A few more tool tips and descriptions on heroes would go a long way in making the game easier to get a grip on. While all of these are significant flaws, Darkest Dungeon is still an Early Access game, which means that the developers may well be working on them as you read this. But even with its flaws, Darkest Dungeon is a solid, stable game that holds the twin glints of promise and danger in its black depths.