The game is an art, a means of expression and entertainment that comes to offer us wonderful stories, some a little joyful and others darker. What’s great is that we have such a variety for all tastes that it’s not very difficult to identify with a particular title. DARQ It is precisely one of them, more precisely, a representative of the horror and suspense genre, if we want to call it that, but which also offers us a very moving and complex story. While we should be very clear, if we didn’t have this edition of the game and were only referring to the base game, it would be difficult to understand the background of what is happening while we play. Since precisely in the Ultimate Editionwe have a comic that is very important to read to understand what we do and why we do it.
And it is that as soon as we start playing we will enter the skin of Lloyd, a thin and rather pale boy, who will succumb to what seems to be a dream in which he is the protagonist, and this is how we will begin his journey. Something you will feel very identified with is the fact that this title will remind us of other names such as Little Nightmares, Interior, Limboand in short, horror and puzzle games that have a great background story.
Something interesting about the story is that you won’t know if we start or finish the game, as we mentioned before, while playing you will feel lost, but everything will have a reason and a reason to be.
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Technical section
At first we shared that the game has a similar style to other renowned titles, that is, we would be faced with a horror game, with a rather dark setting, that’s something common in many productions of this style, on the one hand, favoring the development of the story and the situations that we are going to live.
Fortunately we are facing a game that will not put a high load on our systems, in which we can see good optimization and with very stable movement on the screen. We will always be accompanied by shades that contain light and dark colors, with gray and black undertones
Some of this spooky atmosphere we find ourselves in is well represented, with dark and somewhat gothic settings, which show us an area known as DARQ, in which our character will be, being like a representation of the real world, very well suited to what the game offers us. It is important to take into account that visually a lot of emphasis is placed on certain details that visually stand out, not only with the character, Lloyd, but also certain objects in the environment, which will help us to progress in the resolution of the puzzles.
Something very remarkable and which is one of the strongest aspects that the game offers us is the ability to explore scenarios by changing the perspective, which is impressive for those who are not used to these changes and gives the game a variety in the gameplay aspect and also in a visual way. It may look plain or simple, but there is no doubt that it adds something distinctive.
Returning to the detail of the change of perspective, there are objects and details of the setting that are not clearly appreciated, but it is not something that is constant and that prevents us from moving forward, it is perhaps something premeditated to force us to pay close attention to tuning, but once you get your hands on the first one you’ll already have the experience for later.
Now, to complete what we see, the sound aspect does not disappoint, since we feel the tension of the levels before the siege of the enemies, listening to the rhythm changes when we solve a puzzle and which intensify in the presence of certain key situation with the character, at this point we can simply say that he runs.
gameplay
DARQ is a mix of thrills, which not only come with great visuals, but are also very satisfying on a playable level. Our character Lloyd, as we already know, is a boy who will not have a set of skills or abilities to advance, but in return it will be possible to progress with our creativity and the objects that we obtain in each scenario.
At the beginning of the adventure we will wake up in a place and deliberately walk, but they will not tell us where to go or what to do, everything will be up to you to discover the actions that our character can perform, which does not feel forced and flows subtly. Our movements are based on walking, running and picking up objects.
Lloyd will not need weapons, and with our ingenuity we will be able to solve certain situations that will make us think carefully about what to do and in what order, for this we will be able to change our perspective when we move through walls and ceilings, in this way we will find hidden places and we will explore each step, this mechanism is simply fantastic.
Also, as we advance we will have enemies a few times, from which we will have to stealthily evade them to discover objects that will be useful to us in solving puzzles, although in one section of the game stealth will not be enough step and we will have to run to more not be able to complete the level.
One of the obvious advantages of the game is the ease with which we manage the character, but this apparent simplicity makes us continue in such a natural way that we do not want it to end, fortunately we will find two DLCs, The tower and the cryptthe latter being one of the most enjoyable due to the incorporation of elements and the introduction of a very particular way of playing that we will keep to ourselves so that you can surprise yourself a little.
It is not a difficult title, if it will make you think more than once, but nothing that you cannot solve after analyzing the setting and the objects that we have at our disposal. Maybe The Crypt yes, it may present a bit of a challenge, but similarly to the base game, a little patience and reasoning will be key.
Duration
Talking about this section in the game will be a blow to the magnificent experience in which we are with the controller, far from the beautiful story we have and some very creative playable mechanics, unfortunately from the side where the title falters it comes precisely in its duration.
To give you an idea, the game is divided into seven sections, at least in its main story when you start the adventure, each area can easily be covered in times ranging from 15 to 30 minutes, although everything will depend on your ability to solve the problems, the puzzles that you will find in each phase and which will not always be entirely obvious, sometimes adding a certain degree of complexity.
That is to say, the title can take about 2 hours to complete, however, there are collectibles hidden in each level, so in the first round you surely won’t get them all, if you are looking to get them, the time will increase, you might even double down just to find those extras.
and that Ultimate Edition It is characterized by two extensions, The tower and the crypt, as we mentioned. These will keep you coming back to the protagonist, but not to spoil the surprise, we can only say that in any of the DLCs, the challenge will be enough to keep you interested for a long time.
conclusion
The variety is to taste, it is a great satisfaction to have games of this style which at first glance can deceive you. You’ll think it’s just horror, but it’s not like other games of the same genre. Perhaps the first impression is not the most correct and after advancing a little you will understand it.
DARQ is wonderful, in the sense of being able to vary with the perspective and manage to solve certain challenges that force us to use the resources to move the scene or to go through the walls and the ceiling looking for every corner to understand how to find the solution , at the end. the intention is to guide Lloyd towards his destiny, one that will surprise you a lot if you read the comic and you shouldn’t stop watching because you will have something very important to understand a lot of what you are doing in the game .
Despite all the good that the title has, the only point where it falters is in its duration, since it is very short, if you are one of those who are not looking to get all the collectibles and just want to pass the game, in You can end a session with DLC included, the worst thing is that you will end up with a void and with the desire to continue.
We recommend you DARQ if you like them Little Nightmares, Limbo, Interior and other similar games, but keep in mind its duration, we hope that in the future we can have a sequel and more care will be taken in the longevity section of the game, because it deserves take a little longer for it to reach quality quotas in this respect that are as high as the other proposals.
Franklin Eduardo
Good
- can catch you immediately
- His jubailidad is enveloping
- His puzzles and how to solve them
- The setting and the landscapes are sublime.
The bad
- It’s very short and you want more
- You only understand the story by reading the comics.
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