Darkwood

Darkwood is an okay horror experience, the atmosphere and audio really sell the game. To me the game-play loop became a slog I didn't particularly enjoy.

General Combat/Items:
Combat isn't deep (either hit or get hit) and Resources are entirely Infinite over a period of time as you get free money each new Day (increasing per location) which allows you to buy from a Merchant who's shop also refreshes day to day. All enemies are easily taken care of with either 1 Pistol Clip, 1 Molotov, 1 Shotgun blast, 1 Hunting Rifle shot, etc. If the Ax is fully upgraded even that can take care of most enemies in one to two swings. Enemies are rather easy to kite around and dodge their melee attacks, only a few with ranged attacks that can be easily dodged as well. There's a single defensive item in the game (Armor) which helps tank attacks until it breaks. You will absolutely hit a point where you can buy up all the Merchant items and easily craft a plethora of items. Once you clear the map of enemies they don't respawn which allows you to build surplus to use at Night if it's even needed. No Tripwire Traps and the lack of Potato to Vodka/Alcohol feel like oversights. Glass Bottle + Potato at a Distillery (which you do find at a point in the game). Rope + Broken Glass or Gas Canister/Explosive Barrel could've made easy Tripwire Traps.

The Night:
The Night Sections are horrid. Run back to your cabin or die, specifically because the game has mechanics that WILL 100% kill you if you aren't near a Lamp or with Hideout Protection Buff. Outside of the specific events there's no real reason to be stuck in the Hideout at Night and to circumvent this *those* mechanics were created. In a lot of Nights I'd simply LEAVE the Hideout because it was worse being in a cramped hallway or room. I'd go on the offense to kill enemy spawns and return to the Lamps if needed. What would've done wonders is if you could either:

1) Upgrade the Hideout enough to potentially avoid Night Events (Sleep Option you pay Mats for)

2) If within ~2HR to Night, SKIP to start of Night.

There's not much you can do if it's 1700 and you're sitting in the Hideout just waiting for it to be over so you can go back out and continue exploring.


Night Events:
The larger issue that the Night has is that there's not nearly enough different events to keep you entertained. In the first few Nights I'd bet MOST people experienced repeat events which gets worse and worse as the game continues. Knowing what is happening is the absolute worst thing for a game of this type, when you want to be shocked or confused to what's going on. I was at about 21 days and was so tired of the event antics, I can't imagine replaying the game. Defenses during this time are generally useless. Hide in a corner where you can see all the entry-points and wait. If you hear something then jump out and get to the enemy first because the AI doesn't respond too well to you being offensive. Barricading windows can help with this as they'll attack the window first instead of you. Some enemies will avoid traps but placing them inside of windows can guarantee a free kill/hit if you're willing to burn the 3 Scrap Metal per Trap (which generally isn't worth it considering one to two swings of a melee weapon guarantees the kill anyways for far less resources). These events absolutely could have been better if they hit back to back and had more variety. It's just not good if a lot of the events are: Dog attacks, Wild-men attacks, Scorpion attacks, Chomper attacks. Those are all the same thing, which are filler and should have just simply been included with more major events. But at the same time I understand it's hard to do extremely different styled events when you've built half the game around trying to keep Players inside the house next to a Lamp.


Travel:
Most of the issue comes from the lack of travel options. If a Bike had been available at some point in the game it would've been a massive boon to the overall tone. I don't get how it made sense to create a path that reduces Stamina usage while on the path instead of just giving the Player a rideable bike they can use to do the same thing but go to more locations. I swear I spent a majority of the game running back and forth farming resources for hours and sitting in my base waiting for it to be dawn so I can run all the way back to the same house and finish looting it. It gets way worse when you get to the swamp and are trying to make your way across the map that's littered with trees blocking your path and tons of Swamp-zones that take double stamina to sprint.


Chapter 2:
The Inventory Reset in Chapter 2 is an absolute waste. It's not to say I'm frustrated or upset by it, but that materials are so abundant that my entire Storage was overflowing the second I got to Chapter 2 anyways. It's like the game gave me a soft set-back that I had to re-farm into for no particular reason. I don't believe having extra materials going into Chapter 2 would've change the flow of the game very much as I spent every second trying to sprint to the ending. As it is with how Weapons work^ in the previous section, a full inventory can mass slaughter nearly every enemy going into Chapter 2. You'd have to entirely PURGE the Player's Inventory if you didn't want this to be the case. I will say the last section of the game needing the Oxygen Canisters and the Compressor was super annoying searching for them because I so desperately wanted to end the game. One final thought is that the Crafting Bench cannot be upgraded to obtain the Ax or Hunting Rifle until this point in the game HOWEVER you can obtain both for free prior to this point which makes little sense to have them obtainable through crafting afterwards.


The Plot:
Darkwood is a fairly basic horror premise however since it was the main drive that got me to finish the game I won't reveal anything here. There's a lot given to shown but not told, The Wolf has more to his story than is told and the discussion around him is interesting however it's something that will pass over most people not reading a Wiki which leaves what we ARE told feel severely lacking. I think there could've been a middle-ground of an interesting quest plot while at the same time keeping his environmental plot that goes unsaid. And this is true of MORE characters in the game not just The Wolf.

Don't let the POV fool you - this game is scary. The use of sound and atmosphere is masterful, and the survival mechanics can be really challenging. Every night induces a feeling of dread, which is all I could ever ask for

Darkwood's design is incredible, area design (both whole areas and buildings) is amazing, story is great, and it's the only game to leave me genuinely unnerved and on edge at all times.

The base defence is really well done, night is both stressful and manageable, combat is challenging yet fair, and the enemy design is unparalleled, especially in Chapter 2.

The only thing that could be even remotely a complaint is that I'm fucking terrified of exploring in Chapter 2 because I tried once and the things I've seen still haunt me. Don't want to leave my base without more resources, can't get more resources without leaving. Worst dilemma ever, best game to have it in. 10/10.

It says I have four hours, but most of my gameplay was on console. The game is good enough to be bought twice. If you are the type of person that does not get afraid in horror games like myself, play this game and you will feel fear.

I love this game. I hope there will be a follow up. The world is so interesting, the art style and lighting mechanics are unique. I highly recommend if you enjoy horror games.

Rarely are games actually scary.
Few imbue a constant sense of dread and panic.

Darkwood is one of the weirdest, frightening and saddest games I've ever played, all while being a 'simple' 2-D top down world. You are warned beforehand by the game itself, but you are NOT held by the hand at any point, and the game is as it describes itself - "unforgiving" and "challenging".

The difficulty of the game will put off a large majority of players, as evidenced by having less than 15% of people who own the game (on Steam) make it to chapter 2. I imagine this is mostly due to frustration, but for those who get passed this you will be rewarded with a rich, twisted, psychedelic, lore dense, horrible (in the true sense of the word) adventure.

Only negative I have is I hate it when developers lock stuff away in second playthroughs.
Narratively - yeah I get it, I get why you did that, but I'm not playing this over again to see the extra bits of your story.

If you're bored of the same cookie cutter sh*t and want to experience something unique and interesting then you kinda have to buy this. I probably only uncovered like 50% of the plot-lines and lore after spending over 20 hours on it.

I absolutely love this game, bought it on both PC & my Switch.

It's one of the best horror games out there. I always disliked cheesy jump scares and half assed plots. This game I find, has a very engaging story, with multiple paths/endings/ways to play. It has so much replay value, between both platforms, I've probably put in over 100 hours into Darkwood.

It's a game that uses sound and atmosphere to keep you on edge. I love the nightly, spooky, events that occur and the multiple ones that can occur. Still when I play, those 5 minutes of nightfall keep me on edge. I adore atmospheric horror. I love the different ways you can play at your bases too.

You can play like a coward, like me, bear traps at every entrance/exit, boarding up everything and avoiding conflict like the scared little sh*t I am. In the 3rd base, I would often keep the generator off and use flares/lanterns to keep me safe, while every line of the halls was littered with bear traps.

Or you can go balls to the wall, guns/shovels/axes a blazing. Lights on, barely any defense. Fighting anything that attempts to pester you.

Or you can play a mix of both. Whatever suits your interest.

* As an artist, I absolutely adore the art style and choices here *

Each character has such wonderful details and thought put into their design and personalities. I love the dreary feel of each character, including the main character. I love the uneasy art too, such as the pig on the tree before the village entrance.

My only complaint, is there's not more Darkwood, I need another game like this. Or similar at least.

Better late than never to leave this review. This game is a 'rite of passage' for horror enthusiasts! Certainly judging from the achievement statistics. It seems a lot of folks are literately too afraid to finish this game (or they have withering attention spans, but I digress).

Darkwood is a 2D top-down survival horror game that formulates a strange and forbidding world. The horror elements in the game are not to be understated and they effectuate exceptionally well. It never relies on unnecessary and cheap jump scares to set its bleak and oppressive atmosphere. The constant feeling of uncertainty attained by the narrowed visibility, sound design, and soundtrack is remarkable. The story is enveloped in mystery that can go in different directions, and the dark sepia color scheme appends to the sense of fear. An ideal combination of coherency and perplexity, Darkwood delivers a unique and thrilling experience, even with a small number of bugs and glitches.

Takes a bit to get used to - but it's really fun once you get the hang of it - trial and error and explore - 9/10

Peak Gameplay.. Love all the designs and especially the eerie music and sound effects which made me goosebumps to the wall.. LOVE ALL THE NPCS especially ELON MUSK.. Very recommended for them psycho minded people who needs the thrilling horror and disturbing vibes.. LOVE LOVE !!

Darkwood is an atmospheric top-down survival horror game set in an eerie world reclaimed by nature and inhabited by sadistic creatures. The game slowly unfolds as you venture out from the safety of your hideout. You're equipped with a torch that limits your field of vision and some hefty sound design that adds to the atmosphere, you are aware of every creak and rustle from the encircled wood, foreshadowing the horrors which come at night.

Graphics and soundtrack

Darkwood’s top-down view is uncommon in horror games, but it’s executed to maximize tension. Players can only see what’s within their limited cone of vision, even though they’re in a top-down view.

The sound design goes a long way to creating the creepy unsettling atmosphere in Darkwood. However, the horror aspects feel underwhelming when they finally arrive. Since Darkwood lacks jump scares and avoids the traditional survival horror tropes, its soundscape is essential for immersing players in its unsettling world.

Mechanics and gameplay

The game's mechanics use physics to move objects including seats, wardrobes, and lamps. These can be used to block up windows and doors to prevent any beasties from getting you. You can interact with objects even if you can't use them for anything and usually, you'll get a hint if that object can be used later. The environments are procedurally generated on each play-through, which subtly changes the layout of the hideout and surrounding buildings, for example, the generator or the bedroom might be in a different location.

During the day it's quite easy to get killed by random stray dogs, or worse while you're running around desperately trying to collect resources to barricade the hideout. When you die you lose some of your inventory items and have to hunt for them again, this includes ammunition, maps, and quest items, but apart from the occasional lucky item that you might pick up, nothing is easy in Darkwood, and there is a big emphasis on persistence and patience when playing.

Ease of use and design

With a mouse and keyboard, Darkwood feels more like a point-n-click adventure. It suffers from some clunky controls as you have to use the cursor keys to navigate the player and the mouse to rotate the body in the correct direction unless you want to do a funky side step that pivots your body like a contortionist. Adding items to your inventory using a mouse is also much more intuitive than with a controller as you drag and drop them. However, with a controller, It's not always obvious what you've selected, which is a minor niggle, but one that can be quite costly if you need something quickly.

Darkwood - Prologue

At first, Darkwood feels more like a spooky resource management game than a horror. A mixture of "Subterrain" and "The Forest" diluted into something that feels tense but underwhelming; until night falls when you have to board up the windows and hunker down for the night. This is where Darkwood changes gear from resource management to psychological horror, but you have to endure prolonged moments of waiting and clunky combat mechanics to fully enjoy the payoff of surviving the night.

Innovation

Clusters of poisonous mushrooms spawn as you hunker down by lamplight. The darkness claws at the edges of your vision, footsteps, and voices entice you to join them, Blood oozes through the floor boards, and Poltergeists move furniture. This is the reoccurring ordeal you face each night and it is tense, but it soon becomes boring as you rinse and repeat. Darkwood makes good use of sound and ambient music to create truly unsettling moments and each area has different enemies that spawn.

If you haven't played the game before it's recommended that you don't skip the prologue which acts as the game's tutorial. It teaches some basic gameplay mechanics and how to start crafting weapons and supplies that you need to survive. Eventually, you'll need to travel further from your hideout to scavenge but, once night falls you are at the mercy of lots of things that go bump in the night but, unfortunately not much else!

Darkwood - Examine objects

The game emphasises survival and crafting over everything else, even the horror aspect feels secondary, a biproduct of efficient resource manegement. If you don't manage your resources properly, then you wont make it through the night. In fact, I would call Darkwood a horror game it's more like a quasi resource manegment game with some pycological aspects thrown in for good measure.

In normal mode, there's no permadeath but as mentioned you will lose some inventory which will cost you daylight hours to find it. Horror is a difficult thing to get right, and I admit despite Darkwoods strong atmospherics, I found it hard to have any emotional investment. However, I do appreciate Darkwoods unique take on the horror genre. It tries to be more psychological and atmospheric than axe touting dismemberment, although there are some disturbing scenes, for me, it was about as scary as Madonna's latest facelift.

Darkwood tries to straddle the line between two gameplay mechanics; resource management and a horror RPG. It doesn't always get it right. However, the branching narrative, bizarre story, and creative characters are worth engaging with. The graphics, animation, and sound design also create a tangible atmosphere, which is easily the best part of the game. But the day and night cycles soon become boring with not enough to do during the night time hours.

one of the best experiences ive had in gaming in while,
pain perfectly combined with reward leading to a very awesome, rememberable game
9/10

Fantastic from start to finish.
Unforgiving but rewarding. A game that grabs you with its tense atmosphere and doesn't let go until the very end.

Phenomenal! This game is just killer from beginning to end.

The gameplay is mainly segmented into exploration and scavenging during the day and trying to hold out against the local populace during the night. Meanwhile you are trying to find a way out of the forest that just seems to swallow everything inside it.

The artstyle, the sound-design, the music, the atmosphere, the gameplay; It's all superb.

Highly recommended to any horror-fans!

I absolutely love this game. i definitely recommend it to others. from the first moment of the game, you dive head first into a maze of craziness and utter horror. I don't play a ton of games but i definitely say this is one i'm glad to have chosen in my gaming lifetime!

a classic brothers grimm esque story, but in game.

its a very very good game that doesnt rely on jumpscares, but instead genuine horror.

This is 10/10 atmosphere. This game made me so anxious and full of dread in all the best ways possible, it has a cool art style and unique top down perspective with a limited cone of vision that really scratched that itch of feeling watched all the time in the darkwood. Some funny moments of dark humor mixed into the brutal rot of your surroundings made for a fun, albeit, messed up experience.

wow! I went in blind thinking it would be a spooky game with some scares here and there. Luckily I was wrong; I found the pacing amazing, I am a fan of suspense though! Also it feels like a survival game with rpg elements, looting and pretty good combat; two attacks and a dodge jump. The soundscape and the interactivity really got me immersed in a soothing way. I've only played on nightmare mode and I only got to the second zone (day6).
All I can say is that I got hooked in my first sitting and did 7h, so I give it a 7/24 and that's really good! ;D

My favorite kind of horror, with good atmosphere and storytelling, and without scripted jumpscares

probably the best indie game that i've played. thank you pyro for recommending this masterpiece. its also one of the hardest games that i've played lol. i love everything about it. can't recommend it enough.

I love this game. Extremely moody and pretty scary. Eldritch horror done very well. I wish there was more game like this. I will definitely be playing it again.

Great game—I’ve finished it several times on the hardest difficulty. I just wish it could be a bit more challenging. It also has some glitches on macOS; in the final chapters, it’s almost impossible to progress due to visual bugs. Still, I managed to get through, practically blindfolded. Despite the bugs, the perfect atmosphere and engaging gameplay make up for it.

Definitely recommended, and I’ll be eagerly waiting for new games.

Beautiful theme, atmosphere, and aesthetic. Darkwood is one of the few horror games that (still) makes me feel uneasy or uncomfortable, in a good way. I definitely recommend it.

It's important to know what you're getting into though. Survive at night, explore during the day, this is fundamentally an exploration survival crafting game, without the need for things like sleep, or eating. You gather supplies to improve your equipment or craft gear, allowing you to explore more areas to find better equipment or uncover more of the plot and background. The end goal being to escape the forest.

If that all sounds up your alley you're really in for a treat.

This game is brutal. It pulls no punches, will throw everything it has at you, and it'll kick dirt in your mouth after it knocks you to the ground...and yet I loved it :0

Darkwood is HARD, but thats how its supposed to be. Its a cruel and harsh environment. A place that drives people mad and forces them to make terrible decisions.

During the day, you'll spend your time exploring. Seek out resources, NPCs, side quests, and how to progress the story. There's a LOT of land to cover, but your resources are finite and limited. Use them poorly, and your only real means of supplies will be the morning trader.

At night, your only option is to hole up in one of your decapitated houses used as a hideout. You'll need to manage your fuel reserves and supplies to keep your home boarded up and your generator running. Failing to do the latter is insta-death, while being ill-prepared for the night will leave you struggling to survive as the game throws tons of various events and enemies at you.

The game restricts your vision to purely what is in your line-of-sight. That means that the indoors, caves, and dense woods become terrifying zones where every sound might be something waiting in the dark ready to kill you. And they absolutely will.

The combat is slow and clunky, intentionally so. Time everything right, learn enemy patterns and abilities, and learn to accept when its better to just flee. There's a number of special abilities you can unlock, but they ALL come with a caveat in the form of a permanent debuff. Wanna make it so you evade triggering traps? Hope you don't mind struggling to regain your breath after sprinting :)

The story is super intriguing, both because of the mystery wrapped around and obscuring it, but also because its driven by so many interesting and horrifying NPCs and well-directed scenes. Even when I thought the game was over, it still had more twists to throw at me.


Absolutely recommended, but go in prepared.

Very gritty and dark aesthetic that is juuuuuust challenging enough to be enjoyable to all types of gamers with a very deep and rich story.

I had a great time with this game, and plan to explore more of it in the future. The atmosphere is wonderful and its visuals are great. The story is also exceptional and the choices you make are impactful. There are plenty of hidden secrets to find and exploring the world is a big draw for me as well. I would recommend this to people who like atmospheric horror and people who like survival/exploration games that don't have food meters.

Full of content with a many different ways to go about the stories. While it can be unforgiving, the challenge is thrilling. It does not hold your hand and gives you the freedom of exploring different areas and letting you decide what is necessary while still giving you clues and puzzles to solve in order find your next course of action.

You love creeping, twisted horror that throws the story at your feet in shreds ................

CONGRATULATIONS ! you have found the right game for you !
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H. P. Lovecraft's interpretation of Silent Hill.

9/10 points

and it only took me 3 years to finish it

This game scratches an Itch I haven't felt since playing the original Resident Evil 4 for the first time. Amazing Gameplay, Fantastic Atmosphere, and the best of the Horrors beyond comprehension.

I've never been one for games with a story to it, but this one drew me in. It's tough at first trying to piece together what exactly is going on in these woods, and I've spent hours watching fan made explanations of it, including fan made movie clips of it. I like the graphics, the way your cone of vision shows the present time whereas everything outside of it shows The Stranger's former memory of it.

I especially like the sounds - oh my... the best part are the sound effects - they make this game come alive bringing out horror elements without the need of jump scares like no other game I've ever played and brings out the biome environment. If it weren't for the sounds: the creaking floors, the footsteps, the weather, the tunnels, the wind through the woods, the enemies and so forth, this game would be no where near as great as it is. I can not say that enough.

I like the optional essence system where you can accept a negative trait in exchange for a power you can use once a day. I like how the crafting system is kept simple and to the point, that it's not over done or breaks the immersion given the environment and circumstances the player is in yet it is sufficient.

Every single character, be it the enemies from certain key events, to the characters you can barter with, to the characters that progress the story line are so very interesting and they all have their own backstory, motives, and requests of the protaganist you will play. On that note, the decisions you make in this game effects outcome of the inhabitants of the woods in various ways which makes the game replayable and enjoyable if you are one to be curious about how your actions may effect the ultimate outcome of the woods during your next playthrough

Best part of all is the game's price. It came up in my shop on sale, I bought one copy for myself and for my brother. After playing it I can attest that this game is worth every penny full price, the devs surely deserve it for creating such an awesome story and depicting the experience of the protaganist as one that is truly daunting.

Now for the downsides: The only a few I can think of is that there is a lack of mods for this game on the Nexus. There are few however there is nothing that truly enhances or transforms the game into a different experience. There's a mod to make night raids a lot more populated with monsters, another that's suppose to make it possible to base up anywhere (you can only stay the night at a place where there is a lit stove, otherwise you will absolutely get killed by the woods) and well... nothing else really comes to mind. That's about all I don't like about the game.

10/10, if they made a movie about this game I would buy and recommend that as well, I hope they do!

Got super scared playing this game!! I refuse to play it without turning on all the lights in my room and lowering the volume

This game includes way too much subtle fetish content for it to be a coincidence (as evidenced by the fat furry inflation man glazing it for 8.5 hours)

Darkwood is a horror survival game that has challenged my expectations with perspectives. If you were to tell me about a horror from a top-down perspective a few years ago, I would probably have answered something along the lines of “it would not be scary”. Well, I am glad Darkwood prooved me wrong. It is such a good experience that I find myself frequently restarting a playthrough from time to time. It has grown on me, and I like how tranquil it can be. As chill as “hopeless forest infested with eldritch plant monsters” goes of course. The developers wanted to create an experience without cheap jumpscares in it, and they succeeded. Most of the horror springs from its visuals, emergent gameplay and the impending sense of doom you get from things knocking your doors down. On top of that, it is a very strong survival experience with a lot of exploration and inventory management which is a very big selling point if you are a hoarder like I am.

Darkwood plays in a sort of clunky way. But I do not mean it in a negative way. In my eyes, it serves the purpose of making you feel unfit for battle, which you will painfully become aware of once danger comes to you. Every move costs stamina, and you cannot really trust your health bar to save you if the previous is down to zero. Running, dodging, attacking, throwing; all these things will cost a moderate amount at best, and only get more exhausting as you keep doing them. Your range is also pretty limited, be it because of your small cone of vision, or the fact you are no olympic javelinist. You will mostly try to defend yourself with melee weapons throughout the early game which have about the range you would expect from an axe or a shovel. I say try, because it only takes a slip up for you to be out of rhythm with an enemy that will take advantage of your exhaustion or bad positioning to chomp your guts. The middle and late game are where firearms get involved, but I would not call them a blessing. Some are single shot, ammunition are either rare or expensive. Aiming generally demands more time than your life expectancy gives you. Whatever you choose, you will have to take the fight to your enemies if you wish to make it out. That is, if you even know what’s attacking you.

Darkwood is split into two very different experiences. One of them is the day, which we will get to, and the other is the night. If you have ever played Minecraft, this will not sound too foreign. Whenever night falls, you have to make it back to your hideout. From there, you can trap or barricade the entrances, both if you can afford it, spend some fuel to turn the generator on to see a bunch, and then pray. Because this is where the Minecraft analogy falls apart. Rarely has a game made me scared of doors, or steps. It is usually the monsters and what they can do to me that does the trick. But you cannot fully expect what will happen to you past the first few nights. You can be visited by stray dogs, humans, less-human things, or sometimes your furniture will decide your blood pressure is too low. Where the top-down perspective is in full effect is when you can see some object moving in another room, without being able to know why. The worst part being that you have to stay inside, because you cannot survive out there. The devs make it clear that Darkwood is unforgiving right from the title screen, and I believe them. I do not know what happens if I go outside at night and I do not want to find out. If you are cautious, and lucky, you’ll make it to the next day.

Daytime is where the game switches gears and asks you to explore. You need fuel for the generator, wood and metal for barricades, traps and weapons, and a bunch of other things imperative to your survival. For example, you can consume mushrooms via the hoven, which can grant you some special abilities at the cost of some downsides. It is completely optional, but you will be glad to have picked the ability to be a moth later on. Out there, you will be able to visit landmarks that will be marked on your hand drawn map. As you visit, you get more stuff that you need to get back to the hideout, so you can make more stuff, to venture more. Daytime is ideal to talk to locals. Some of them will visit your hideout in the morning, and some you will have to find in the world. Most of these people will offer to trade or give you information about how you can help them so that they in turn may help you. It is with these encounters that, to me, the game’s visuals shine the most.

This game has often been discussed as Lovecraftian horror because of its setting, although the developers have allegedly not read Lovecraft. Its art style is very grim, deprived of bright colours, it is bathed in greens and greys. The only exceptions being blood and fire, which tend to pop out when they eventually make their appearance. Most of the things you see on screen are vegetative, even the living things are. It creates a very disturbing mix of part-organic, part-tree creatures that really homes in the state of decay the environment has fallen into. Structures are buried under masses of roots, and trees bar off any escape route the inhabitants could have taken. Most of the wildlife is gone, and what is left has been horribly mutated beyond recognition. The visuals play a lot in the experience both in limiting the amount you can see from above, as well as leaving your imagination to fill in the details of what you can still see. When it comes to darkness, Darkwood is indeed very dark. You cannot see in the dark without a light source, and I do not expect to make it for more than five metres without one. All of this pairs up with the audio design to create an eerie, haunting place.

Sounds are brutal, you can hear splinters of wood coming out of your door when something is trying to break it down. Guns are loud, and so are the monsters you use them one. Even the darkness will not be merciful enough to grace you with silence. Ambient sounds are everything in this game. It is normally perfectly fine for me to hear a branch snapping, and yet my heart rate will spike up no matter what. You will be out listening for anything suspicious, and your main way of seeing enemies before they see you is to think of yourself as a sonar. You can usually tell from which direction something is going to pounce even if you cannot actually see it. The soundtrack also does an amazing job thanks to very calm and serene tracks during the morning, or very intriguing ones when you talk to characters. And of course, it gets very ominous here and there, with the right amount of terror when the scene calls for it.

That is what I love about Darkwood. It nails a sense of dread and fascination that is unlike anything I have experienced anywhere else. I find myself drawn to the dark wood. I have not actually finished it, and a part of me does not want to. I always have something to come back for. But what really drives me to adoration with it is the art. I did not know I was into tree and mushroom beings as much as I am before playing this game. And Darkwood explores it with some body-horror that reminisces of Lovecraft in some parts. In many ways, many people experience transcendence in the darkwood, although it is horrifying to watch. And it lures me deeper and deeper the more I look at it.

I feel like I gave this game enough time to prove itself. And I can say that survival which is the main part of the game seemed boring and tedious to me.

Bought the game after trying out the demo when the game first came out. I remember that the demo was relatively straightforward, and I really liked the atmosphere. The gameplay itself was not very good for me in the demo, but for the sake of a good atmosphere and plot, I was ready to endure.

That's why I was very disappointed when I bought the full version and realized that this was another open-world survival craft (I didn't watch anything else about the game. Bite me). And since I didn't like the survival elements in the demo I had to force myself to play this game from the start. And interesting lore and scary bits were too rare to justify enduring the main gameplay loop. Yes, the first few nights were scary because I didn't know what to expect. But I quickly got bored and tired of that element of the game too.

I don't like games that don't value my time and I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I didn't like the combat system right away. I didn't like the constant running around the map for resources because the inventory is super small. I didn't like the spongy and annoying enemies. I didn't like the weapons that broke quickly. I didn't like the small stamina. I didn't like the fact that you need to google guides and tips. It's all not for me. I liked the way the game looked. I liked the characters, I liked the locations. I liked the audio design. So in the end, I just watched a plot analysis on YouTube and now I can't even force myself to play through at least the first couple of nights.

At one point, I got so tired of playing at the same starting location so I decided to play with cheats. Got to the third map where I was killed by a red chomper in a church. This is the furthest I've gone because even with cheats I found it boring to play. So yeah, most of my playtime is spent in the starting area because I either didn't know what to do or was so frustrated by the gameplay that I quit the game and later started a new save.

I have been putting off writing a negative review since the game came out in 2017 because I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, the game has stopped even scaring me. The only emotion I have is annoyance.

This game isn't for everyone, and I'm one of the people it's not for. It's just too meandering and too abstract to engage me. Eventually I tried to consult the wiki, but other than in very broad strokes, the story still doesn't make a lot of sense.

How the Darkwood guide reads, in my view:


When you meet [The Pilgrim], he will say "squish". If you give or trade him the [Meat Phaser], his body will rot away suddenly, leaving only his head. If you leave the head there, it is eaten by [Bean Wolves] and can't be used to obtain [Sadness Day] rewards. If you put it in the [Red Mailbox] and immediately remove it, a tone may sound, letting you know that you have 13 minutes until the area around [The House] floods, trapping all [Deformed Turnip Children] inside, who then die of starvation in three game days. If you can get them [Fly Fishing Rod], they will use it to build a memorial to [The Wolf Bean Counter] before starving to death.

If you're more into mood and art style than logical storytelling, you might really like this game. It undeniably has atmosphere. For me, it wasn't enough to keep me playing.

Great one of a kind horror experience with excellent sound design and lore oozing from every item, encounter, and location.

This is one of the best pieces of media I've consumed in years. The gameplay is incredibly engaging and the world is beautifully crafted with unmatched atmosphere. This game will fill you with many questions, a general uneasiness and an immersive experience I literally could not recommend more

There's a lot to like about Darkwood, but there's also a reason that only 9% of players made it to Chapter 2, it's not for everyone, or most people for that matter, and as such I can't really recommend it, though I can see why it has somewhat of a cult following.

At it's core Darkwood is a survival horror exploration/crafting game. It revolves around a few main pillars: exploration to gather resources and progress the story, combat, and the day/night cycle. I'm predisposed to dislike survival crafting games, they're usually not my cup of tea so biases on the table.

The atmosphere and the horror of Darkwood is brilliant. With inspired art direction and sound design they managed to make a pixelated top-down survival game truly unsettling. The game world feels desolate, alien, filled with eldritch horror. The exploration aspect, at least for me, was the real drive to finish the game. To explore more of the world and see what I could discover was riveting. Huge props to the devs for realizing the game world like they did.

Where things fell apart a bit for me was the game aspect of the...y'know, game. It felt tedious and boring, pulling you along with a barebones gameplay strung together with bits of lore and not much in the way of a cohesive narrative to follow.

In the day, you explore and gather resources. At night, you hole up in your hideout and hope that the horrors that lurk outside don't overwhelm you before dawn breaks. This is very effective as a horror setpiece, at least for the first week or so, then it begins to run thin and get pretty boring.

Movement, combat, and basically everything else about the core moment-to-moment gameplay loop is purposefully clunky. Inventory management is a chore and space is limited enough that you will be running back and forth from loot spots to your hideout, extending gameplay time not because of the size of the world but because your inventory is small. Movement feels like your character is trudging through molasses. Weapon swings take a long time to wind up. Getting hit resets your swing or aiming, which can lead to getting stun locked to death. Once you get the hang of the melee combat system it becomes pretty trivial, however. This becomes doubly true when you have a large stockpile of resources by the mid to late game and can just mow through whatever comes your way with impunity.

Beyond dropping some items that can be picked up, death has no real ramifications besides losing some time (day) or vendor rep (night). Once you figure this out the stakes feel a lot lower and dying becomes more of an annoyance than a horrific proposition. This bleeds tension out of the game. A more punishing death system would have gone a long way in maintaining the atmosphere. Heck, I think this game could have done well as a roguelite.

By day 25 (when I beat the game) I was genuinely bored and ready for it to be over, the game overstays its welcome and that's why I think most people quit even before Chapter 1 is over. The gameplay loop, enemy variety, and story are not deep or varied enough to get the average player through.

I would really love to have seen this game with more time in the oven and the dev team having more resources to realize the vision they have here, it's a diamond in the rough and I think with some TLC it could have been truly spectacular.

As a person who doesn't really play games that doesn't hold your hand and would usually just watch a game-play of a game like this, I highly recommend it even if you don't like the idea of playing a game like it.
There's not really any jump-scares which is refreshing for a horror game, considering that's what seems to be in almost all horror games.
The game clearly had a lot of love and care put into it, and I may not have finished the game as of the time of writing this review but I thoroughly enjoy it and have already started to talk to people about it in passing. The atmosphere, art design, and audio design is amazing and honestly don't think just watching a play-through of the game would do it justice as each save is unique.

I absolutely loved Darkwood, from the atmospheric surroundings of decrepit towns and mad characters.
The writing and playstyle perfectly match what i look for in a good survival horror.
From the need to focus on resources and time, to the lack of understanding anything when you begin.
I cannot say the game is for everyone, but it's become one of my absolute favorite.

Amazing survival horror atmosphere without cheap jumpscares. Visual and sound effects at night are superb, downsetting and often disturbing.

Story is mostly told by the environment you explore, and sometimes you get quite interesting bits from notes and other NPCs you find on your escape from the woods.

Combat and crafting system is very simple, but fits well into the whole setting of survival horror genre.

The secret ending is just something else.

The most deep, unerving, horrific and disturbing ive ever played and probably will play for the end of my life. After playing a whole life of games, NOTHING, i stand by this, NOTHING struck me more than this game. I never felt so scared, so tense, so anxious and nervous before. And i precisely felt that 40 times, if you know what i mean...

pyro couldnt stop yapping about this game for 8 and a half hours so i had to try this game

This game really helps my homesickness and reminds me of back home. Really recommend for those who want to feel that childhood homely charm again in their life, and relive some warm wholesome memories :3

A gem of a game which i've never fully dived into until recently.

Brilliant top down horror which perfectly sets an eerie, nauseating and fearful mood.
Simple yet intriguing story: the woods have engulfed your town and there seems to be no escape. Meanwhile, people have mutated and struggle to survive in this horror-infested, impenetrable forest.

Lots of hidden places, characters and sidequests with no hand holding and challenging but rewarding exploration.

Prepare to get goosebumps and jumpscares when hiding from the darkness, my god those door knocks are stressing me out so much and i love it.

Bro this game is so dark…
my generator ran out and I heard someone moaning
Extremely scary experience 10/10

the best horror game you haven't played. But fr im a college aged kid and I still got scared just by the amazing ambience and visual horror (no jumpscares)

This game is really fun, lots of lore and really great game play. So many options. I played before watching the fat furry man's slop video and it was totally worth it!

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☐ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

---{ Author }---
☑ https://vojtastruhar.github.io/steam-review-template