Darq Review: Complete Edition, face your nightmares

Unfold the games brings us the definitive edition of DARQ, a puzzle game with a decor that looks like something from a world imagined by Tim Burton. Its creator, Wlad Marhulets, showed his game for the first time at the PAX West 2018, surprising friends and strangers. After some development time, the game saw the light of day in 2019 for Steam, which confirmed the suspicion that we were facing something different. It arrives optimized for Xbox Series X / S in its full edition, which includes two additional scenarios that were released after the event as free DLC.

LLoyd’s nightmare

We play LLoyd, who is trapped in a dream, rather in a horrible nightmare, from which he cannot escape. Over time, LLoyd learned to manipulate physical space and gravity of the dreamlike world where he is trapped to get out. The game is divided into scenarios, each one starts with LLoyd coming out of his body which stay asleep the bedbecause your room is where each phase begins and ends.

Basically it’s a game ofe side scrolling, in which we will solve the different puzzles that are asked to us at each level. The game does not show any dialogue at any time nor have youn narrative thread behind that explains what is happening. We will go over the scenarios, and when we finish them we will go directly to the next one without too much delay. Although it is a puzzle game, it has a pretty dynamic pace.

He doesn’t need a big story behind that either, because all its strength lies in its staging. The truth I couldn’t deny that it is attractive enough to fully immerse us in this pleasant but brief experience. Yes, we said brief. finish DARQ it will take us about three hours, something more maybe if we include the two additional scenarios that this brings Complete edition.

Too bad, since for your proposal invites you to lose yourself in this dreamlike and disconcerting universe more time. Even so, you must understand that this is so because most of the time this title was created by one person.

A changing scene

Dig a little deeper your puzzles, it’s not too complex. habitually we will always know where this object should go that we found if we look closely at the scene. Otherwise, we always have trial and error, testing every item in our inventory until there is one, in this aspect Darq it is not demanding.

The real puzzle is the scenarios themselves, which we can manipulate in three dimensions, this might sound strange for a side-scrolling game. Lloyd can do things like climb vertical walls, completely transform the perspective of the stage, and the same happens with height and depth.
This is the other big attraction of the title, very original mechanics, that continually play with the three dimensions, causing us to think differently.

By mechanisms distributed across the levels we will change gravity or perspective of our character. Sometimes what we change is the scene itself, like completely turning a specific part. Play with verticality, horizontality and depth we will reach places otherwise impossible, which helps us to open up new areas or find that object that we need to move forward.

The levels of which the game is composed they increase their difficulty as they progress, and can range from five minutes to half an hour. The progression is quite successful and little by little things will get more convoluted and more as you go. To end each scenario, you have to find its way out, who will take us back to Lloyd’s room to go back to bed and start the next one.

Not in your worst nightmares

As we have already mentioned, for setting parece a film by Tim BurtonEven some enemies seem to have been drawn from Guillermo del Toro’s imagination. An almost black and white palette, with some eTruly oppressive and disturbing scenarios, in which awaits us a macabre cast of enemies. The tension is continuous, and more than the terror itself, it comes from the fact that not knowing that we will meet as we take the next step.

There is no confrontation with the enemies, because if they see us “we will die”, although its creators distributed many checkpoints for all scenarios. These enemies They managed to leave us speechless on some occasions for your design or staging. And if, we will be afraid that another, but better not to go into more detail as it could be considered a spoiler.

Just say that towards the end of Darq, the game has some memorable moments, among those that remain in your retina due to their impact. These moments make the experience rounder and at the end of the title, leave us a good final deposit. Graphically, the title shows well detailed settings, especially the interiors, and very good lighting, but the animations or textures could be better.

As for the music, it matters too much, but appears in the most tense moments which increases the feeling of terror and surprise. It’s a surprising section when it appears, but you miss a recurring melody to play in the soundtrack. As for the sound effects, which is the only thing we’ll be hearing for most of the game, they fulfill their function and help in the immersion, nothing more.

Darq Final Conclusions: Complete Edition

Darq: complete edition is a title that attracts attention because of its setting, and in which you stay for its mechanics. The changing landscape offers us imaginative and original puzzles who continually play with dimensions. The dark frame and level design or the enemies are very well worked, and the tension is constant. Its biggest but are its short duration and its lack of narrative or dialogues, and we believe that this universe has given for something else. If you like puzzle games, you loved it Limbo O Inside, or you like its aesthetic, give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Be sure to visit the Xbox area to read more analytics like this and stay up to date with all Xbox news.