Complete Edition for Xbox Series X

A dark world full of hidden terrors with a pleasant Tim Burton scent

Often different proposals emerge in terms of artistic design, such as DARQ which comes out of the 3D preset and comes to offer this point of view which catches the attention from the first second. Developped by Unfold the games, this title combines clever puzzles with a goofy atmosphere in every setting.

We put ourselves in the shoes of LLoyd, a poor man who is afraid to go to bed because his dreams turn into the most terrifying nightmares his troubled mind can imagine. I actually don’t know if he’s really awake or asleep and what really happens to him is his mind is broken.

Every time he goes to bed, our protagonist apparently leaves his body and wakes up to a horrific world each time, with different ways to play with perspective, gravity, and things like current or gear mechanics. In turn, each world is a chapter in Lloyd’s story, in which we are shown a piece of his life.

In order to convey this discomfort to us, to share with us the fear of the protagonist, Unfold Games has gathered elements that seem to have been taken from the privileged mind of genius Tim Burton. An exquisite artistic design adorned with grotesque creatures and dark places barely lit by little lanterns where we don’t want to be a minute longer.

Of course you couldn’t miss a soundtrack which, added to disturbing sounds, distant moans, crackles and other annoying effects, make the experience worthy of putting on good headphones and enjoying the moment. The feeling of loneliness is very well done in this aspect and as always in a horror game having this is essential.

Of course, here the story did not reach me, because neither a voice over, nor texts, nor dialogues which tell us what happens to this man in his terrifying everyday life. It’s obvious that Unfold Games is dealing with fear, insecurity, loneliness, and other symptoms of a beaten and deranged mind, but it’s only if we find hidden pages that we can achieve anything. clear.

Maybe if we ignore this point, although for me it was a bit disappointing, the game has other features that make it more than interesting and at the same time challenging. The clearest is the mechanics of the puzzle, which, as we have already said, plays with the strangest objects you can imagine and which we have to find in order to escape the nightmare world.

In DARQ, not everything is what it seems, and while it may seem like there is no way out, Lloyd can play with gravity and spin an entire room, jump on another plane. and find paths hidden from the naked eye. And in each chapter there are new ways to change the perspective of the setting, with some very cleverly designed puzzles.

You never really know where to go, or what it takes to activate a mechanic, but as you explore and connect the dots, you’ll soon imagine what the developers expect from us. Ingenuity will be our ally, but there is only one way to face these puzzles, so once solved, if we want to go around the chapters, it will be just to look for achievements.

And speaking of unlocking achievements, most of them are about finding the lost pages of Lloyd’s diary, or completing a chapter in a certain time. The main game consists of 7 episodes, but in this edition, DARQ: COMPLETE EDITION, we will have 2 other adventures available at all times called “The Tower” and “The Crypt”.

The title may seem complicated from the start, but as you progress the challenge it offers is one of its strongest points, which contrasts with the stealth parts where we have to hide from the zombies, that if we catch ourselves we will die directly. Although the pun ishment is not at all severe, since we will seem very close to this section and it is not enough punishment.

Solving a puzzle as an old brunette woman in a wheelchair approaches dangerously as the camera rolls and we lose sight of the mechanism was one of the most pleasant and overwhelming surprises. I have always considered a great achievement that the player has to write their theories and thoughts in a notebook when solving puzzles is a design job well done.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a horror game with a different artistic section, very well worked mechanics and you do not give much importance to the small challenge of the stealth games, DARQ: Complete Edition offers you the right challenge for a fairly low price. Maybe the experience is a bit tarnished by the short duration and the accomplishments that require collecting collectibles, but if you want to learn more about Lloyd’s life, this is a good excuse to replay each. chapter in search of the truth.

DARQ: Complete Edition is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S with Smart Delivery, +60 FPS, 4K Ultra HD resolution and fully optimized, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam. Here’s the trailer for the game you can check out:

Many thanks to the Unfold Games team for the title and to Faerdemic for providing us with the code to perform this review on Xbox Series X.