The crisis of overproduction in the horror genre, when several similar indie horror films are released literally every week, forces developers to look for new approaches and forms of artistic intimidation of the public. And here are the authors Layers of Fear interfere with Observer horror and cyberpunk, cementing it all with charisma and voice Rutger Hauer (Rutger Hauer), and Acid Wizard Studio (also Poles, by the way) in Darkwood disguises a horror game as a typical, at first glance, game about “crafting” and survival.
Stay alive
The very name survival/horror suggests a combination of these two mechanics, but still in the vast majority of cases we are talking about games in the spirit Resident Evil And Silent Hill with certain variations, and the “survival” itself is represented by a crowd of approximately identical projects about permanent “craft” and the search for resources.
So here it is, Darkwood fits perfectly into this formulation – survival/horror. On the one hand, it really is survival. Moreover, the game looks like a typical indie of this direction from Steam: top view, old-fashioned graphics, constant search for resources and “crafting”. According to the plot, we find ourselves locked in a strange, dark and scary forest, from where we need to somehow get out.
Classic formula. During the day we explore locations, take into our inventory everything that can be carried away (and the pocket is not dimensionless), communicate with rare characters we meet and trade with them. And when it gets dark, you need to rush as fast as you can to the nearest shelter, close all the doors and windows, block the passages with cabinets and pray that God will allow you to survive this night. Because at dusk, the procedurally generated forest, which even during daylight hours tries in every possible way to kill you (the hero is attacked by deer, dogs and even poisonous mushrooms, stepping on which can cause poisoning), generally goes crazy – all sorts of monsters, savages, ghosts, banshees and other monsters appear, as if woven from darkness. And all of them may well come to visit you..
Therefore, during the day, it would https://24-casino.uk/withdrawal/ be better to build or repair barricades in the shelter in advance, fill the generator that turns on the lights with gasoline, and set traps near the passages. However, what saves much more is the strange gas coming from the stove, which is in every home – it keeps the evil spirits away for some time. There, on the stove, you need to prepare injections from special mushrooms that give the hero new “perks,” for example, the ability to see further. True, in this case you will have to choose some kind of negative effect.
The shelter also contains a workbench where you can not only make, but also repair and improve items. If you “upgrade” it, you will have access to cooler drawings. Although some things like torches, bandages and master keys can be crafted on the go, without a workbench.
I didn’t leave the forest..
However, the words “dark and scary forest” in this case are not an empty phrase and not a background that serves to justify all this fairly typical (with the exception of gas and stove) survival mechanics. It’s really dark and scary and you’re constantly on edge. In the early version, it was also enhanced by the permanent death of the character. In the final one this is not the case – the fallen hero is reborn in his refuge, losing some of his things. But that hardly makes it any less scary and stressful.
The authors did a great job with the sound – you are constantly unnerved by some whispers, screams, frightening rustling and gloomy ambient. The darkness is sometimes felt almost physically, and the monsters and oncoming characters look frightening, crazy and repulsive – someone in a hood with the face of a wolf, a strange man in a gas mask..
You can come across an abandoned camp with corpses, a strange site where the outlines begin to change, a ruined church where ghosts surround and whisper: “Dance with me”… And next to you, in the house, sits a man, methodically banging his head on the table and also repeating some strange words. Naturally, he will soon attack, turning into a black monster.
Some NPCs communicate with us and even set some tasks, promising to help us get out of here – find something, get to such and such a location, and so on. In the process, you will not only have to collect, craft, hide and fight using homemade edged weapons or firearms, but also look for passwords for locks and doors.
The further you go into the forest, the darker and more infernal everything around you is – more dangerous enemies appear, reality and illusions flow into each other, boundaries are erased, darkness surrounds, thickens, madness grows, your veins are shaking… But you find more and more information about what is happening here, and even get the opportunity to influence events.
Despite the name, Darkwood stands out noticeably against the general background of games about survival and resource search. Yes, it’s hard to call this a typical “survival” game – before us is an atmospheric and hardcore horror game, in which the elements of “bagel” and survival mechanics serve not as a goal, but only as a means of creating suspense in order to intimidate the player as much as possible.
Pros: It’s really creepy and scary here, and the forest and the darkness coming out of it feel like real, material enemies; creepy sounds; general feeling of constant tension and fear; solid game mechanics at the intersection of roguelike, survival and horror.