The lack of music reinforces the emptiness I mentioned earlier and makes each noise and enemy encounter jarring – you don't expect sound so when it happens, it can be scary in itself. The aesthetics resemble Tim Burton’s claymation films like Coraline: noir colour schemes, similar character models and an absence of music that’s coupled with exaggerated environmental creaks and groans accentuating the creepiness perfectly. The story might be all subtext, but it paints a tragic picture of Lloyd that gets whispered to you as you play. Lloyd appears to lead a very uneventful life and in the vulnerability of his dreams, we see the emptiness, fear and even manic delusions about the self that Lloyd experiences. It's easy to ignore when you're in the middle of a level, each of which feels disconnected from all the others, but in the same between levels, you walk around Lloyd's lonely home before returning to a terror-ridden sleep. That being said, I'm concerned for Lloyd. Each level takes place in the dreams of the protagonist Lloyd and dreams are often used in storytelling as a presentation of a character’s fears, insecurities and emotional turmoil. Story / PersonalityĭARQ’s narrative is largely non-existent as far as dialogue and character are concerned but the framing device of nightmares plays an interesting role in how the gameplay is presented. The base game is fantastic, so the DLC content that is included in the Complete Edition is just a dollop of whipped cream on an already-amazing cake. The puzzles themselves are fun and intelligent: even though the core mechanics of the game are simple (you can walk up walls and use levers to rotate the level around you), the different ways in which they’re utilised makes for a game that is just as enjoyable as it is stimulating.
Also, please consider supporting us on Patreon so that we can continue to keep the website running and get our fortnightly podcast two days early. Some passive horror games ( Outlast for example) suffer from a mechanic like this, but DARQ makes it work.Įnjoying our DARQ Complete Edition Switch Review so far? Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more Nintendo Switch content. The lack of combat might be a little jarring for horror fans but in a game as methodical as this one, it just works. They don’t vary much but each interaction is tense whilst not being unfair. The enemies comprise most of the horror aspect as they are ghoulishly designed and incredibly scary. Each level has unique ways in which the world shifts around Lloyd, which makes for an incredibly stimulating time.Įnemies are scarce but your only weapon is stealth enemies are to be hidden from, not confronted. For example, there’s one level that takes place in a four way intersection with a central point that allows you to rotate the entire level 90 degrees horizontally in order to gain access to the various parts of the puzzle. Lloyd can walk up walls and each level contains a way to change your perspective in order to solve the various puzzles within. GameplayĭARQ is a horror/puzzle game in which you guide a lucid-dreaming Lloyd through mind-bending 2D “dreams”. Are you afraid of the DARQ? You will be after you make your way through this Tim Burton-esque adventure. Traverse puzzles by bending reality as you walk up walls, rotate your dreamscape 360 degrees and avoid monsters as you try to wake up from an eternal nightmare.
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We're partnered with Skillshare, where you can do unlimited online courses that'll help you create art, make games, and even help you with school/university! Click here for a free 1 month trial.ĭARQ is a dark and somewhat twisted game that manages to be scary in oh so subtle ways.
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